A regional publisher is seeking voluntary redundancies as part of a restructure which could also see sub-editors relocated.
Staff at the Midland News Association, which owns Wolverhampton’s Express & Star and the Shropshire Star, are currently in discussions with the company over plans to introduce more “efficient ways of working.”
The company has admitted some redundancies may be necessary, although the number of job losses understood to be in single figures.
The MNA is also considering transferring some sub-editing roles from Wolverhampton to the Shropshire Star offices in Telford, although it says no firm decision has yet been made on the proposal. The changes are set to be completed by April.
The MNA said in a statement: “The MNA has begun discussions with editorial staff in order to introduce more efficient ways of working to meet the changing needs of readers of our growing print and digital portfolio.
“As part of the changes, a small number of redundancies may be necessary.
“Voluntary requests are being sought and no decision has been made with regard to sub editors moving to Telford. Discussions with staff are ongoing.
“Our aim is to complete the changes by the beginning of April.”
The proposals come after MNA announced in November that five out of 12 photographic roles were at risk of redundancy.
At the time, the National Union of Journalists warned further cuts could be at the pipeline at the group despite its “long history of commitment to real local news”.
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Another day another round of job losses announced,and further sign if any is needed, that news print publications are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
The worrying thing in broader terms is that unless publishers radically overhaul their operations and diversify into other more credible areas and invest in quality staff with time and facilities to produce qquality publications on a more specific or local theme many will cease to exist by year end.
Very soon it will be only sales reps,managers and juniors running the press and if thats the case we might as well wave a big white flag and go home.
comiserations for thoes affected in this latest announcement.
2016 will be a big year in terms of the future of the uk regional press
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Braganza’s analysis is spot-on. I very much doubt JP and NQ will exist as separate companies by the year’s end; Archant will probably be in its last throes, its ill-fated TV venture an embarrassing memory; and the joined up TM/LW would have shed hundreds of jobs, as outlined in the small print of the takeover document (£3.2m to come off “content generation”, for example). Stories such as this one will be all too frequent and I urge anyone who exercises their professional talents in this business ( ie. people with real media skills and not suits) to make contingency plans. It’s dire and will quickly get worse.
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Paradoxically, if oil prices continue to drop it will cause a recession instead of encourage economic growth. This in turn will hasten the demise of titles in the big groups. Nor will hyperlocals be immune because the first thing small businesses do in a recession is stop advertising..
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MNA certainly needs more efficient ways of working, but its CMS, which came in when I was there, has made things even more inefficient than they were before. The structure of the E&S could be simplified considerably. Multiple editions, zones within editions, one weekly version of the E&S and several more variations. It’s not always the staff who need to be more efficient, sometimes the product needs reviewing as well.
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Yes, it is grim reading, but we are merely seeing large companies struggling with outdated business models. If I were a fully trained journalist in my 30s, I would be looking seriously at setting up something myself – the implosion of The Big Four is presenting opportunities for anyone wanting to do things properly but on a small scale, hyper local level. It’s extremely hard work, but would be far more rewarding than standing in line in a grim game of Ten Green Bottles.
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@braganza and @dickminnim have the complete summary between them.
The big four as quoted are all in the same boat and for all the same reasons: under investment , a focus on digital over print, going for the cheap and lazy option with regards to quality staff and content, decisions being made by bean counters only interested in profit over content people want to buy to read, and jumping on the bandwagon of web revenues and in the case of Archant embarrassing local tv starting that no one wants and is doing more harm than good to the overall state of the company’s finances.
They’ve only themselves to blame by their arrogance,their yes man cultures and complacency but as always it’s those least to blame that will end up paying the price.
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only mid way through January and another story about job losses.
By the way, sacking people does not make firms more efficient. It might make them more economical, but if eg, you have ten reporters and sack five the others must become less efficient unless they double their hours.
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I would suggest any journalist ( or ad rep) worth their salt and with belief in their abilities makes the contingency plans @dick talks of as let’s be honest, it’s not a case of whether you’ll get the push,but when.
Far better to have irons in the fire and options to choose from rather than wait to be thrown on the scrap heap when the company decides to do so and at a time when there’s a lot of you in the same position chasing a very few jobs.
I speak from experience as one who handed his notice in having had enough of the mind games,lack of direction,dumbing down of the department both in terms of numbers and quality, the lack of leadership and suffering from decisions being taken by accountants with no interest in the newspaper business other than making short term money to keep the bosses off their backs each period end.
The good thing is I now work less hours, for considerably more money with a better quality of life and for a company and employers who value their staff and respect their customers/ readers.
No one will thank you for the extra hours or added responsibilities so think of yourselves and your long term futures now, as sure as eggs is eggs your employers aren’t thinking of it for you.
Best wishes to all affected in this latest cull, you certainly won’t be the only ones in this position this year
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London Dave you are correct. Anyone in newspapers needs to have a plan in place for when you get made redundant. I decided to hang on until I got the chop for financial reasons having done 20 years for my former employer, so got the equivalent of over a years salary, which hasn’t been touched. Have a website ready if you plan to go freelance, it may cost a bit, but consider it an insurance policy.
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The first casualty of MNA Media’cull should be its “Knowledge” copy editing system. In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg’s CMS was quicker and more user friendly.
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Lots of sound sense by some old hands on here and it really does make sense to have an exit plan in place.
when the top floor suits put your name on their list ,or move it up the longer list ,no amount of discussion “consultation” or reasoning will matter,if your names on the bullet then it and you will be fired.
if you want to see a pattern emerging you only have to look back through last year and most spectacularly to only this year so far to see the way things are going;downsizing,consolidation and restructures are becoming the daily norm,so take my and many others advice and think of yourself and your families future and plan your get out route now before someone plans it for you,many of us have and I`ll bet all of us are living a better life for it
you owe it to yourself.
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London Dave… It’s ‘fewer’ in this context, not less. “I now work fewer hours…” is so much nicer.
Sorry, once a sub, always a sub.
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This is happening almost every week now. What else can we say other than to sympathise with those losing their jobs and express solidarity with them. I was a sub, who was given the heavo in 2013 and haven’t looked back. There is a whole new world outside the regional press.
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Once a sub, always stuck in his ways. In this context it’s less, not fewer. Fewer is used in relation to individual items. Oxford Dictionary has: “Use less when you’re referring to something that can’t be counted or doesn’t have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain). London Dave works less hours, not fewer. He always drives less than 40,000 miles a year and earns less than £1 million.
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I’ve got an idea! Why doesn’t the CEO earn some respect and get rid of the overpaid out of touch directors at the top who still think they are in the 1980s, and only saving the axe because of loyal staff covering for them! How many managers do they need in circulation to look after less than 30,000 sales of the Shropshire Star? And really, TWO directors in Advertising and a circus management team! Get a grip!
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What a joke? I see this caring family company would still rather keep the property portfolio in Monte Carlo and the sports car sat on the ground floor in Wolverhampton than see loyal staff once again loose there jobs! Any directors going this time? No I didn’t think so, might tarnish those pension pots which are just in a sight for a few!
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Phil Deane happy to be pedantic and point out what he feels is an inaccuracy but not to comment himself or support those people soon to be out in the cold, as he himself said’ once a sub’
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