Regional publisher Johnston Press has moved to dampen rampant speculation that it plans to move more of its daily titles to weekly publication.
Earlier this week JP announced that the Scarborough Evening News, Halifax Courier, Northampton Chronicle and Echo, Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph and Peterborough Evening Telegraph would be relaunched as weeklies next month.
However there has since been mounting speculation throughout the industry that all but two of the group’s current portfolio of daily newspapers have been earmarked for the change.
This is thought to have been triggered by inaccurate reports in some media outlets that only The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post were safe from the potential frequency change.
A Johnston Press source told HTFP that, although taking either of those titles weekly has been specifically ruled out in response to media questions on the issue, it would be “wrong” to assume this meant all the other daily titles are at risk.
Although The Scotsman is regarded as a flagship, some of JP’s other daily titles, such as The News, Portsmouth, and the Edinburgh Evening News, actually have bigger circulations.
Meanwhile Gary Fearon, managing director of JP’s North-West business unit, has said there are “no plans” to move the Blackpool Gazette, Lancashire Evening Post or Wigan Evening Post to weekly publication.
He said: “Our daily titles – along with our stable of weekly newspapers in the county – have a long and proud tradition of serving their local communities and are successful operations that are well respected.
“Our titles are at the heart of the communities they serve and we are committed to reporting local news and continuing to serve as a powerful platform for readers’ views and concerns.
“We recognise the value of our loyal readership and will continue to serve it in whatever format is required. While we clearly need to be mindful of audience demands and trading conditions, we have no current plans to convert our daily titles to weekly publications.”
A similarly-worded story was today running in Sheffield daily The Star under the headline: “The Star: Your daily newspaper.”
Editor Jeremy Clifford said: “The Star has a long and proud tradition of serving its local communities and is well respected. During its 125-year history, there have been many changes to its format, including taking it from broadsheet to tabloid.
“Each of these decisions are influenced by what we think is right for the communities we operate in, the market and for the needs of the business.
“We recognise the value of our loyal readership and will continue to serve it in whatever format is required. While we clearly need to be mindful of audience demands and trading conditions, we have no current plans to convert The Star to a weekly publication.”
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Only a matter of time
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turning evening papers into mornings just makes them weekly papers coming out six days a week. That was the whole point of evenings t- today’s news today and not last week’s news tomorrow. No wonder some circulations have dived to unacceptable levels. It’s not just JP. All the other big publishers played the same card. And the staff were the losers.
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Most of the titles involved have long traditions, so because the Star has a long tradition will not make any odds when the evil eye looks upon it.
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Why should anybody believe assurances from managing directors and editors when people in these posts are being dispensed with left, right and centre? Especially when the statements are virtually identical! In the long and proud tradition of Johnston Press, they’ve been told what to say and will be told in due course what to do.
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eveningfan, south is quite correct. Most evenings (err “mornings”) are a bland shadow of their former self. Stories appear days, if not weeks, after the event happened. Today’s editions may have the more polished look of the national dailies. But there is nothing better than an evening with that busy today’s story today look. It is true that in the era of 24-hour news global broadcasting and the internet, the competition is intense and a challenge. I feel that many publishers of evenings have given up too easily – in part I guess resulting from cost cutting by their bean counters – by abandoning simple circulation ploys like contents bills outside newsagents and restricting their circulation areas. The world’s greatest paper is only fit for fish and chips unless it reaches its potentioal readership !
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The number of times newspaper managers feel obliged to trot out the tired old line “at the heart of communities we serve”. If there was any truth in it, they wouldn’t be in this mess now.
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Staff at the Northants papers were told in Feburary that there were no immediate plans to make the papers weekly. When questioned, the MD said that it could happen within 18 months to two years. He clearly knew then what we all know now. He also told staff that every single JP paper that sold under 25,000 per night was primed to go weekly. I wouldn’t believe a word that comes out of their mouths.
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Profit before people – the JP creed.
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After a career largely spent reading between the lines of carefully-worded statements, I notice that nothing JP says precludes the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire “Evening” Post being merged, as their editorships already are being merged. Trying to sell two morning papers in the same city was never a very clever business model. When it happens they will, of course, try to spin it, but in reality it will mean the death of the YP. During my time as a YP sub we banned the use of the word “vandalism” except to describe cultural destruction. This is vandalism.
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I have no idea why JP is trying to say this isn’t happening.
The text of an email sent by Ashley Highfield to all staff says:
“Our plans for local media mix going forward include…for the vast majority of our titles, weekly print newspapers to allow in-depth coverage of the issues that really matter to communities.”
It is happening. It’s there in black and white from the chief executive.
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