A regional publisher has announced a cover price increase at 17 of its weekly newspapers.
The increases by Johnston Press affect 12 of its weekly titles in Scotland and five in Yorkshire.
Thr price rises came into effect last week and range from between four and 10 pence.
Johnston Press declined to comment on the changes when approached by HTFP.
In Yorkshire the Dewsbury & Mirfield Reporter, Batley & Birstall News and Spenborough Guardian have risen from 95p to 99p, and the Morley Observer & Advertiser from 90p to 99p,
The Whitby Gazette, which was announced as weekly newspaper of the year at last week’s O2 awards for Yorkshire and the Humber has also gone up in price from £1.20 to £1.25.
In Scotland the Lanark Gazette, Carluke Gazette, Linlithgow Gazette, Queensferry Gazette, Bo’ness Journal, Motherwell Times, Bellshill Speaker and East Fife Mail have all increased in price from 95p to 99p.
And the Fife Herald and St Andrews Citizen have risen from £1.05 to £1.10, the Hawick News from 95p to £1, and the Southern Reporter from £1.20 to £1.30.
Always a sign of complete desperation and a lack of anything other to offer to offset out of control costs,when people stop buying your paper or advertising with you nothing shouts ‘ panic’ louder than a cover price rise, no wonder they declined to comment.
This will simply cause current buyers to reconsider their purchase and will lose more revenue longer term than the short term spike it might give, and hands up,does anyone know when the alarm bell tactic of increasing your cover price and passing your losses on to the end user has ever worked?
No, me neither
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Seems they haven’t got the bottle to take The Reporter series to or over the £1 mark. Might have a lot to do with there being a superior and far more readable weekly in the town at half the price. They didn’t balk at lifting the price of the neighbouring Brighouse Echo from 95p to £1.05.
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JP share price down another 10% early this morning to below 3p! Price rises won’t help that. The latest huge collapses in the share prices over recent weeks have gone unreported. I fear what the next trading update will bring – and the excuses, warm summer, World Cup etc. Can anyone enlighten us what is happening with the share price and is there a red line when it’s game over?
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