Two daily newspapers are to move out of their iconic headquarters after job cutbacks made it too big for the remaining staff.
The Plymouth Herald and the Western Morning News will move back to Plymouth city centre after 20 years in Derriford, on the outskirts of the city.
Its current glass and steel building on the Plymouth International Medical and Technology Park, has won five architectural awards since opening in 1993 and is affectionately nick-named ‘The Big Glass Ship’ due to its appearance. It has now gone on the market.
In a story on the Herald’s thisisplymouth website, the company said that “major changes” in the publishing industry meant the building had become too large for the needs of the two newspapers.
Blanche Sainsbury, managing director of South West Media Group which publishes the two papers, said it is hoped that the move will be completed by the summer.
“The move back into the city shows our commitment to be at the heart of the community. Herald reporters have always had their fingers on the pulse of current events, but this will make their job that much easier,” she said.
The current Plymouth Herald and Western Morning News building, nicknamed The Ship, has gone on the market.
The story on thisisplymouth stated: “With the major changes in the publishing industry over the past five years, the building has become too large for the needs of the two newspapers.”
It follows a series of job loss announcements affecting the two papers and other sister titles in the West Country over the past three years.
In November 2010, around 50 jobs went in a restructuring of production operations at the WMN and Bristol-based sister title the Western Daily Press, while eight journalists were made redundant last August after a restructure at the papers saw some news and picture functions merged.
The move is among the first major changes brought in after new regional newspaper company Local World bought out Northcliffe Media, the paper’s former publishers, along with Iliffe News and Media.
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When the Nottingham Evening Post moved into its new headquarters some years ago it was barely big enough for the number of people it had to accommodate. Now it has moved to a single floor in an office block.
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Good for you Blanche, a move from a big empty building is just the thing to raise morale and get a new start.Good luck to all working in Plymouth.
Now Blanche, can you do anything to fix the football team?
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So, the big glass ship has hit the rocks. It’s every man for himself.
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`This will make their jobs much easier,’ says Blanche. So why did they move there in the first place – to make their jobs more difficult?
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I guess journalists will soon be working from home.
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Building looks nice but it’s a bit of s***hole inside.
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“The move back into the city shows our commitment to be at the heart of the community. Herald reporters have always had their fingers on the pulse of current events, but this will make their job that much easier.”
Shameless spin.
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Interesting to see this. Especially as our own sister ship, the rusting hulk that is the Birmingham Mail and its little weekly tugboat The Post so desperately needs to move out of Funlop.
The bill for being stuck at Fort Dumbflop is about a million a year before they even switch the lights on in the morning.
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I think you’ll find Jerry the move had nothing to do with Blanche. Wheels were in motion (or lifeboats being loaded) before she appeared back on the scene.
The great glass ship was fatally flawed the day a mechanical digger cracked a pane or two as it was nearing completion . That and sunlight flooding through the roof and rendering journos pc screens unreadable in its early days. Allegedly!
Interesting that the sorry doesn’t mention where they are moving too. Sutton Harbour of Guz area I’m lead to believe and a distinct lack of parking spaces for remaining survivors. Sorry, I mean staff.
I understand a few more papers west of Bristol have also not renewed leases on buildings. More moves imminent?
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