Johnston Press chief executive Ashley Highfield has been appointed the new chairman of industry body the News Media Association.
The announcement comes following a meeting yesterday of the NMA Board, on which Ashley previously served as vice-chairman.
News UK chief operating officer and former Sun editor David Dinsmore was elected NMA vice chairman at the same meeting.
The NMA was founded a year ago by the merger of the Newspaper Society, which previously represented local media, and the Newspaper Publishers’ Association, which represented national publishers.
Said Ashley: “The NMA gives local, regional and national news media publishers a united voice on the many issues that affect our industry.
“I am delighted to be appointed chairman and look forward to continuing to make the case for a strong and vibrant news media industry.”
“The freedom of the press remains under attack on multiple fronts but, through the NMA, we are committed to fighting for openness, transparency and the public right to know.”
The board comprises six national members and six local members.
David added: “Never has there been greater need to show passion for newspapers and I look forward to helping my colleagues on the NMA champion their cause.”
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More port, Ashley old chap?
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A move that will strengthen monopoly in the media. A black day for freedom of speech.
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That’d be the Voice of Doom, would it?
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He certainly does not speak for me. Or any other person working in editorial that I know of.
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In other news, Darth Vader has just been appointed head of the United Nations.
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…. and in other news, the JP share price has dropped to 61p, lowest ever. Ashley needs to spend more time at his desk and less on outside interests like the BBC and the NMA.
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…and in other news, Baron Von Frankenstein has been appointed Head of Biology and Life Sciences at the Anytown Academy for Girls.
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I’m afraid he’s looking for a parachute. JP shares have fallen by almost 65% in the past year. Not looking good for AH
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The only pulse this man has his finger on is his own! I know of one JP office so bad it has been condemned and the people who worked there have been told to find somewhere they can work in a locality.
He has trashed the morale and confidence of the JP staff
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I recently worked for JP in the East Mids. It’s office was the shabbiest building I have worked in in my entire career. Health and safety recently found many faults following an incident and I understand the surviving staff are moving out.
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The words Mothercare, King and Herod spring to mind.
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Just a shame Ashley Highfield can’t be bothered to meet, and listen to, JP staff and the intolerable strain they are under because of workload, inadequate computers, a digital operation that is not fit for purpose and who face the further prospect of further cuts because of a plunging share price. he and his cronies have become the invisible bosses. This announcement appears to be the ultimate reward for failure. If this is the best the News Media Association can do…help.
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Under Ashley’s leadership share prices have fallen to a record low, staffing levels have collapsed, and morale is shot.
He knows enough about the media to avoid ever speaking on the record to anyone who might ask him any difficult questions, enough about finance to earn £1.5millon in a year from JP, and enough about the job market to take up as many side jobs as possible before jumping ship. But in terms of how to run a newspaper, run a business or please shareholders? The man is a joke.
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Unfortunately The falling JP share price is making the company vulnerable to takeover by another group. This would solve nothing and probably make things worse as more papers closed. The best thing would be for small independents to feast on the carcass of JP and divvy up the papers hopefully running them in the traditional maner. There is still money in papers if you don’t abandon them to the failed digital fantasy.
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If I remember correctly the share price was even lower some years back – not defending it as even at its current level the price is pretty dismal. When I left JP I wld have been better off if I had kept the money in a shoe box as I did not get back all the money I had previously invested in shares.
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“The freedom of the press remains under attack on multiple fronts but, through the NMA, we are committed to fighting for openness, transparency and the public right to know.” Pity he’s not committed to fighting for the journalists who who provide this service!
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Trevor Hayes is forgetting that there was a share consolidation in 2014. Shareholders now own 50 times fewer shares that they did when the share price was a few pence.
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RichardH – yes the JP shares were in the low single figure pence and were then ‘consolidated’ because it was felt those low figures did not represent the size or potential of the company.
Under the consolidation share volume was reduced and the new single share was shown in the low pounds.
Just over two years ago JP shares reached a post-consolidation equivalent of £2.4p. This morning (16/11) they were around 63 pence – and presumably still representing the size and potential of the company?
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Confused
I don’t understand the point you seek to make.
Can you agree the value of JP shares have never been lower in recent years? Comparing the share price with “like-for-like” they were the equivalent of £14.80 (i.e. 50 times 29.6p) in early 2014, were down to 200p in he middle of that year and have since drifted to 63p this week.
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Nice to know Mr Highfield can juggle several jobs while the staff he makes redundant struggle to find one.
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