I’ve tried, really hard, to make sense of the words used by and about Johnston Press to describe its products, target market and ideal readers.
But the more I’ve read its recent email to staff and the document for investors reportedly issued by its corporate advisers, the more I’ve been confused by the labels and depressed by the language used.
Johnston Press became a big talking point last week when it revealed what were supposed to be four distinct categories for its newspaper brands.
But regardless of which titles ended up where, what could be more confusing than the largely nonsensical choice of labels used – uber, prime, core and sub-core?
Let’s start with ‘uber’, a word twisted from its simple German meaning (‘over’) to become the street-trendy definition of ‘outstanding’ or ‘supreme’ in English.
Newspapers in this category, like the Yorkshire Post, The News (Portsmouth) and Belfast News Letter, are trying hard to transform editorially and commercially from print to digital, and I’d understand JP referring to them as something like ‘our best’ in terms of efforts.
But why, oh why, choose the overblown superlative ‘uber’, also meaning ‘great’ or ‘extremely successful’, when they are – like any regional title – plainly nowhere near perfect?
To indicate that they are is potentially telling staff that they’ve made it, done enough and can rest on their laurels, while it does nothing for the morale at sister titles outside the ‘uber’ category.
Then come two words which are regularly synonyms of each other but are strangely used by JP to describe supposedly different lists of titles: ‘primary’ (my dictionary’s definitions include: ‘first’, ‘best’, ‘of chief importance’ or ‘principal’) and ‘core’ (‘central’, ‘most essential’ or ‘heart’).
This gets even more muddled when you analyse what JP says about each category in its email: “The [primary] brands will benefit from having a more consistently executed audience and commercial strategy” hardly sounds flattering, while “the core group make a significant contribution and are important brands” does.
But then the document reportedly issued by Liberum, one of JP’s joint corporate advisers, uses the same ‘primary’ and ‘core’ words to draw a different picture.
The ‘primary’ areas, it says, are “the gems of Johnston Press” in “mid-sized market towns and cities, which are economically resilient”, while ‘core’ assets are “those which the company will look to exit and/or run for cash … non-vital to the group”, because they “are struggling economically or are too small to support a viable newspaper business”.
What appear to be opposing views of ‘primary’ and ‘core’ in the above email and document are baffling to me, as I’m sure they are to staff, investors and any switched-on readers and advertisers.
As for the so-called ‘sub-core’, the ‘sub’ has the clear meanings of ‘beneath’, ‘secondary’, ‘falling short’ and ‘imperfect’, which for once is accurate in that it’s exactly how JP wants to refer to 59 of its titles, (a lovely bit of internal communications going on there).
And this is where JP’s language in its staff email started to depress me, like the section where it explains the “three key factors” it believes will help growth.
The first is hyper-waffle that relates to advertisers, but then it gets onto geographies, where JP wants to be “focusing our investments on our primary brands … in markets where the economics show there is most potential for growth, or where their financial contribution is strong”.
And it wants to attract “more commercially valuable, multi-platform audience groups, which we’ve described as ‘Flourishing Families’ and ‘Mid-lifers’ … groups with the disposable income … attractive for our advertisers to reach”.
To me, this suggests that JP feels it can only prosper in successful cities or market towns, or certainly middle-class urban areas, where people have money to spend.
Of course a struggling stock market company wants its operations to include those with disposable incomes in wealthy areas, and if this was signalled as part of an overall mix it might sound reasonable.
But the language used feels exclusive, not inclusive, as nowhere does the above email or investors’ report talk about JP’s responsibility for challenging authority on behalf of the people it serves.
What about standing up for underdog, campaigning for change for the vulnerable, uncovering subjects that people in power are hiding, or even providing accurate, comprehensive information for the general public?
You’ll find nothing that hints at such activities and that’s sad, because if JP has lost sight of its raison d’etre then what chance does its staff have, what attraction beyond consumerism is there for the average family and what – ultimately – is the point?
At the very least, JP needs to ask a half-decent wordsmith for advice and input before it issues or approves such crass communications: cue for action, Jeremy Clifford, (the group’s editorial uber-chief).
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Mr Dyson’s use of the word “waffle” accurately sums up the rubbish spouted by “corporate advisers” in their bid to look a lot more intelligent and insightful than they really are, a condition shared by police press officers these days, just to take one example. Waffle is the first and only refuge of the disingenuous (look it up, corporate types) and deserves the savaging it gets here. JP’s plight can be summed up in plain language thus: “We’re in a hole that’s getting ever deeper and don’t have a clue about how to get out.” And it’s as simple (and dire) as that.
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Looks like someone put all the different titles into a classic business school Boston Matrix grid and didn’t have the courage to continue calling the ‘dogs’ section ‘dogs’, so decided to varnishes this pile of poo by calling them ‘core’ instead, hoping no one would notice what was going on.
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So JP wants a “more consistently executed audience.” That is puzzling – it’s already doing a fantastic job killing off its readers!
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When regional newspapers were in their heyday, the 1950s and 60s, did they use corporate advisors? Perhaps what is wrong with these media monopolies today is that they rely on outsiders too much.
The problem with the Yorkshire Post is that it is too bloody boring. It is banging the drum for the North of England and at the same time supporting the Conservative Party, which is barely a national political organisation any more. The Conservatives will always put London and the South East first because that is where their electoral power comes from. Yorkshire will always be a long way down their list of priorities. YP readers know this, they are not stupid.
Another problem with regionals like the YP, Western Mail (Cardiff) etc is that too many of the journalists have had an eye on working nationally and have used the regionals as a stepping stone to Fleet Street etc..This has been reflected in much of their content. The Yorkshire Post pretends to be competing with the likes of the Daily Telegraph, but its writing is nothing like as authoritative as the latter.YP journalists have been kept on a leash much more and are frightened of making mistakes while writers on the DT etc have much more independent means in and out of the profession and consequently say what they like.
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When the corporate advisors are involved you can bet it’s 100 per cent about the business product, I imagine none of them have even read any of the newspapers they are condemning, or visited any of the circulation areas.
I’d love to see how the Business Desk of one of the bigger JP papers would translate this report if it was about any other company.
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A hell of a lot of those papers were ‘Uber’ before they got the JP treatment. It’s the company which has made them shadows of their former selves with office closures, staff cuts and lack of resources. This company is a pure disaster zone. Chasing the digital dream at the expense of print has made most of them worthless. When Ashley finally realises that DIGITAL DONT PAY he won’t have anything to fall back on because he has allowed print titles to wither and staff to leave.
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Spot-on analysis, Mr Dyson. The report was expensively-produced gibberish. Insulting to staff, readers and advertisers – and off-putting to potential investors, I suspect. So, a resounding triumph in which they managed to execute four birds with one stone!
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Corporatespeak – or officespeak – is normally used when the purpose is to obfuscate or conceal.
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As for the JP League tables…the mind boggles as to why the company would label their products as good, mediocre, bad and very bad! How on earth do the hope to A/sell ads and B/ sell the titles to prospective buyers. The only thing I can foresee is that potential buyers will be allowed a pick ‘n’ mix approach. One from Uber, two from Primary six from Core but you MUST take three from Sub-Core which will be included in the deal for FREE. That way JP can clear out whole geographical groups of papers. I firmly believe that the penny has finally dropped and AH has realised he can’t achieve his digital dream so JP will be broken up and sold to mostly small independent companies and in some cases TM or NQ. Money raised from the sales will pay off the debt and AH will walk off into the sunset. The end is definitely neigh for JP.
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Pete….business desk. Made me laugh. Except for a couple of papers, I reckon the business desk is one or two semi-retired journos writing ad features.
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It feel from reading its waffle, as though JP believes residents in core and sub-core areas are too deprived and underclass for local newspapers (not for the likes of you, paupers!). Though experience tells me these are the readers most likely to send in the Holy Grail which is UGC.
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For a “more consistently executed audience” perhaps JP should open a paper in Syria!
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Too many staff journalists ~(what is left of them) are tied to their desks so don’t get out and about eating/making contacts. At the same time they have been stopped from paying even the small amounts to a semi-retired freelance like me so stories aren’t covered. That then puzzles readers who may have heard about certain events from other sources and think the paper(s) aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing or can’t be bothered. Result: Readers say well we can’t be bothered paying for a paper.
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Funny thing is, JP and others seem to be doing their damndest to lose the more upmarket readers by filling their papers with tosh.
At my last paper, produced by Local World, if some Z-list celeb from one of those awful reality shows was in town, it was big news.
Yet, more meatier issues were cast aside because they might involve more resource and effort.
You would hear editors talking about needing to make so many clicks on their websites but I believe it’s the quality of the clicks that matter, the disposable income the readers have to spend.
There’s no point gaining 1000 unemployed readers on the inner city council estate by feeding them tosh, if you lose 100 middle class readers in the leafy commuter village.
Oh, and speaking as a Yorkshireman, there are many Tories up here and Conservative MPs. The Yorkshire Post’s views will be a sound fit with its more middle class audience.
The more Leeds-based Evening Post can bang the drum for Labour if you like.
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If I wanted to sell my tat on eBay I’d make it sound as good as possible. If I made it sound like a pile of junk then nobody would want to buy it.
Why would any investor want to buy shares in sub-core newspapers?
Why would any advertiser want to advertise in a newspaper the owners have said publicly is poor quality?
Why would any reader want to buy a newspaper JP has announced isn’t any good?
I don’t think buyers can be tempted with a Woolworths style pick-and-mix deal. Why JP thinks anyone would be tempted with a selection that includes the sweets left at the bottom of the tin is beyond me.
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For years, the YP has been following the crazy course set by one of its late, lamented sisters in aiming to attract national newspaper readers at the expense of its regional support.
I realise that a strong element of national news is desirable in such publications, but the “assistance” supplied by corporate advisers has been shown to be flawed on many occasions.
Local/regional happenings and issues were always regarded as the lifeblood of any newspaper seeking consistent reader-loyalty.
However, couple the new approach with the “boring” quality referred to above and you have a recipe for decline.
PS: Please send my advisor’s fee to those being made redundant at JP titles in the coming months.
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“…as nowhere does the above email or investors’ report talk about JP’s responsibility for challenging authority on behalf of the people it serves.”
The people it serves? You must be joking, the only thing JP seems to serve is itself, and not even very good at that.
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If I was working for JP, and thank God I am not, I would be very worried that these “sub-intelligent” people pushing out this drivel and believing in it. They seem to live in some unreal world out in space. One day the downfall of JP and the goons running it will make a very funny play, except for the poor souls who have lost jobs because of their stupidity.
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Desperate times Desperate Remedies – I don’t think you should link London with the South East in saying that that’s where the Conservatives’ power comes from. Here’s a map of London parliamentary constituencies based on 2015 General Election results:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=london+election+results+map+2015&view=detailv2&&id=5F50533FCE241DB7535C61D372C77E622A98AFF3&selectedIndex=1&ccid=D3Imxjbt&simid=608033886696637455&thid=OIP.M0f7226c636ed46be40da8179cd5e4b0co0&ajaxhist=0
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From the UK Press Gazette story linked in Steve Dyson’s Article:
Primary: – ‘The email said the primary group will “benefit from having a more consistently executed audience and commercial strategy” ‘
Core: ‘It said: “These brands make a significant contribution and are important brands which sit right at the heart of Johnston Press. We will manage this group to achieve a high degree of best practice driven by a balanced and consistent approach.’
Sub-core ‘The email said: “We have a number of smaller brands which need simple solutions to ensure they serve their communities effectively and profitably. Internally, we are calling this group ‘Sub-Core’.” ‘
It looks to me as if readers of the sub-core group are getting the best deal – they’re only ones where there seems to be any recognition that the papers have to serve their communities; the other two really inward looking and just doing things to their readers and/or papers
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So-called sub-core publications in Northern Ireland have the uber cover price of £1.50 and are wafer-thin rubbish, awaiting the Newsroom of the Future, the final nail in their coffin. This morning my wife bought the Daily Mail, the Mirror and the Sun for a total of £1.60! Nuff said…
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I can tell Ashley exactly what is wrong with my once-proud but now tatty local JP paper but I would want a hefty fee. Here’s a clue. It isn’t local any more. Fills holes with whatever is to hand because it has no local staff sniffing out proper stories.
I am not naming it because it is unfair on the poor under-staffed devils trying to put it together way off patch.
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Wonder how much they paid their corporate advisers to come up with this nonsense? Probably more than the salary of one of the news editors they’re about to lay off.
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Well said Dyson.and Streatham2 .
I see that my local paper has been named as ”sub-core” and yet it’s a very good read. Is this what’s meant by being off-message?. Staff morale must be through the floor over this latest exercise in crass stupidity.
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I had to share this from a financial article I just read.
“And what is the company worth now? The value placed on the whole of Johnston Press through its London Stock Exchange listing is barely above £40m.
In investment terms, it looks grim. Using a comparable share price, the current price of about 40p has fallen from a peak of more than £60.
So suppose you had invested £1,000 in Johnston Press in the month that it took over The Scotsman, when the price had already fallen 13% from the peak.
Ten years on, that would now be worth around £7.50.
That’s right. A grand reduced to seven-fifty.”
Staggering.
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utterly pathetic and disgusting. All the buzzwords and convoluted language in the world doesn’t compensate for poor products- and the rest
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Is ‘uber’ short for “uber-rated”?
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“We apologise for the error in the last press release. The newspaper categories should have read: Uber, Black Cab, Charabanc and Shanks’ Pony, the latter being our more pedestrian titles.”
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JP is on the way out. Management dug the company’s grave and are slowly lowering the coffin in, whilst still doing their best to get as much out of it for themselves as they can. Ashley and pals still earn huge money as do the various ‘experts’ who are asked to help turn the ship around. When the ship finally sinks, the top brass will jump somewhere else to no doubt do the same again. Ash must know he can’t turn things around, just make things look more rosey for the share holders. I was a JP snapper and it’s sad to see what has become of the papers! As the old saying goes, ‘you can’t polish a turd’, but Ash is having a damn fine go!!!
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