Five journalists will be made redundant after Johnston Press confirmed plans to dismantle a subbing hub serving the South Coast.
HTFP reported last month that the regional publisher was proposing to transfer the work of its hub in Horsham, Sussex, to another production base in Peterborough, more than 130-miles away.
Staff were told they could relocate to the Peterborough hub but it is understood none have chosen to do so and six sub-editor roles and a design editor position will be axed by the end of this month.
However, Johnston Press says two of the affected staff have been given alternative content gathering roles in the company.
The Horsham production unit was only set up in January last year to serve the company’s titles in Sussex and Hampshire.
A company insider said many of the affected staff were already travelling long distances to work in Horsham and said the publisher had not realistically expected them to take up the offer of a transfer to Peterborough.
The closure comes just weeks before the next phase of the relaunch and redesign of all JP’s paid-for titles, which is due to take place in early September.
Karl Dimmock, managing director of JP’s South publishing unit, said: “This transfer of work has been motivated by the desire to maintain the newspaper designs developed with Cases, and to ensure that we produce titles consistently to the highest possible standards.
“Regrettably despite consultation with the team in the south, none of them have elected to transfer to Peterborough. However two members of staff said their first preference was to be considered for alternative content gathering roles and we have been delighted to accommodate them.
“Five others said that they did not wish to be considered for these jobs and very regretfully they will leave us once the design work has transferred.
“We thank them for the tremendous job they have done over many years and the very professional way in which they have participated in this consultation.”
Titles affected by the move include Portsmouth daily The News and weekly titles the Chichester Observer, Hastings Observer, Worthing Herald, Eastbourne Herald and Crawley Observer.
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Q: What do you want to be when you grow up Timmy?
A: A content gatherer!
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Isn’t it sad? Amongst all the company blether and apparent lack of care and concern for hard-working staff, those wishing to stay have been given “content gathering” roles. That just about sums it up. Next step up: chambermaid.
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When I started out in this game there were reporters, and then subs, and then typesetters, and compositors, and various others involved in the lengthy process of putting words on paper.
Now the reporters pretty much stand alone – forget about that daft ‘content gatherer’ description, although you often need a new name for something to convince people that the world has changed.
At least the reporters still have a role – if they want one.
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The wisdom of JP means they are getting rid of a multi award-winning design editor at The News in Portsmouth and replacing him with people who can send out template shapes in Sheffield. How is that progress, Ashley?
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Sorry if I’m being dense but what exactly is a content gatherer?
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The job is similar to that of a reporter…in a traditional role.
However, a content gatherer will gather, verify and use information from other sources including UGC and social media. They may also initiate debates.
Not over-keen on the phrase myself but as mentioned in an earlier comment it does demonstrate how the world has changed.
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Well, I have gathered lilacs in the spring again thanks to Ivor Novello and have gathered in the mushrooms along with Benny Hill. But I have never gathered content. I gather we are talking about reporters.
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Don’t forget that this now means the ‘Horsham Production Hub’ has been set up and disbanded TWICE.
And JP has put the Horsham offices on the market.
A £375,000 two-bed flat anyone? There will be about 25 on offer.
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What is a Content Gatherer? Well, it’s a bit like a Cow is a Grass-Munching, Milk-Manufacturing, Moo-Making, Quadruped or a Dustbinman is an Industrial Garbage Disposal Technician. It’s just all Techno-B******s. I mean, why use one word when 37 will do?
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Anyone heard how the first relaunches went. Deafening silence but I heard although the design is not by any means a total disaster the older punters found the enforced tiny pictures annoying and useless, story pointers confusing and lifted out quotes nothing but “litter on the page.”
Sorry JP your readers are mostly 50-80, unless you are trying to ditch the core readership. Keep it simple for them and stop being clever dicks.
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Is this the same production hub which plucked students from Brighton colleges and gave them a starting salary of £14k as sub-editors?
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A content gatherer is someone who is given a list of gaps between the adverts and their sizes and the goes through online press releases looking for something roughly the right size to cut and paste into them. If the press release is potentially controversial and comes from politically motivated or special interest groups like the Taxpayers’ Alliance then the content gatherer will be expected to make a half-hearted attempt to get an opposing view which will be tagged on the end in the last paragraph. Sometimes the content gatherer will be expected to come up with a one paragraph summary of the story called an intro and then come up with a few related words to stick in a big box at the top called a headline. In time Johnston Press expects 50pc of these boxes to be filled by free contributed content from Twitter and blogs. Eventually, the better content gatherers will be lucky to earn £14,000 a year on a freelance basis with no holidays or sick pay and will work from a laptop in their kitchen. Johnston Press will then concentrate on the only bit of the publication they are interested in – the adverts.
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Did I read it right? Portsmouth news being subbed in Pboro? There are some good people at Pompey …. I feel very sorry for them and for the paper (one of my old ones.)
Thank God I moved over here (although it is by no means immune to what is happening in the media) because the changes must be making staff despondent.
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Mr Polly: your definition is even more depressing than mine was (the one HTFP have removed). Confirms my view, though – how often will everything gathered for free be truly local?
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It took me a while to come to terms with being given the boot, and the job I have now is not the most exciting. I yearn for the old days (mid 1990s) when it was great. But the only answer to this is stop kidding yourself it’s still a great industry to be involved in and get out. Do it now, while you are in work. It’s a lot easier than when you are made redundant. Jeremy, I know you are a newspaper man through and through, but even you must find it impossible to find any positives about the job these days.
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These announcements on HTFP, at least every week now, leaves reporters and staff moral at an all time low. Reporters are expected to do more for the same pay with the stress and worry about their own jobs. Not exactly an appealing industry for those starting out is it?
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