A video from TamesideAdvertiser.co.uk, reporting on the job cuts and changes at MEN Media, as reported here on Journalism.co.uk on Tuesday.
TamesideAdvertiser.co.uk: Video report of MEN Media cuts
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Category Archives: Job losses
MediaGuardian: 20 compulsory redundancies at Independent
“Management at the Independent newspapers hit staff with about 20 compulsory redundancies yesterday, less than a week after the National Union of Journalists suspended industrial action,” MediaGuardian reports.
Letter to GMG Regional Media’s Mark Dodson from MEN NUJ chapel
A letter from the Manchester Evening News National Union of Journalists chapel to GMG Regional Media chief executive, Mark Dodson, following yesterday’s announcements.
Dear Mark,
At a lengthy and very well-attended MEN NUJ Chapel meeting earlier today, members unanimously passed the following:
“The Chapel utterly condemns this week’s announcements of sweeping job at the MEN, our Greater Manchester weekly newspapers and the
group’s publications in Surrey and Berkshire and believes they will have a devastating effect on local democracy and regional journalism.We also condemn the redundancies inflicted on other sectors of our business.
The Chapel rejects absolutely any compulsory journalistic redundancies, which are especially unpalatable at a time when the organisation is still making a profit. The total number of proposed redundancies is unjustifiable and unsustainable. We demand an early explanation of how you envisage a future MEN/weeklies newsroom will work.
Management should be under no illusion that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our colleagues. We will be meeting again shortly to discuss our next steps.
However, since it is clear that these executive decisions have been demanded by the GMG board and sanctioned by the Scott Trust, we request that Dame Liz Forgan and her fellow trustees come to Manchester as soon as possible to speak to us.”
NUJ Release: Johnston Press strikers go south
“Strikers from Yorkshire demonstrated at a London PR firm today as their employers – Johnston Press – announced more big profits,” a release from the National Union of Journalists said.
“The Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post journalists were joined by NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear as they leafleted JP chiefs and city workers about their fight against job cuts,” the report continues.
Also, a photograph of the protest over at Jon Slattery’s blog.
Major MEN changes ‘are designed to protect the business and its journalism for the future,’ says GMG Regional Media statement
Following the news that 150 jobs – 78 of those journalists’ – will be cut in GMG Regional Media, this statement has been released from the group:
“MEN Media, publisher of the Manchester Evening News and weekly titles across Greater Manchester, has today briefed staff on a range of proposed changes to the business.
“The local and regional press is facing the worst conditions in living memory as the economic downturn exacerbates and accelerates longer-term structural changes in the behaviour of advertisers and readers.
“The viability of local and regional titles is under threat due to steeply falling revenues that we do not expect to return to previous levels even when economic conditions improve. Publishers therefore need to find a sustainable new model if they are to survive.
“The major changes announced at MEN Media today are designed to protect the business and its journalism for the future through a new model with significantly lower fixed costs.
“By far the largest cost within the business is salaries, and while we have examined every option short of job losses, it has become clear that it is impossible to bring stability to MEN Media without substantially reducing the number of people we employ. We expect approximately 150 positions to be made redundant across MEN Media.
“While we will seek volunteers for redundancy wherever possible, we anticipate that compulsory redundancies will be unavoidable. Those people affected will be offered significantly enhanced severance terms.
“MEN Media has reviewed all aspects of its business. In addition to salaries, we have targeted various other costs and looked at how we can
improve in areas such as advertising sales, working practices and editorial systems.“The proposed changes announced today are summarised below:
- Approximately 150 positions across all functions and disciplines to be made redundant within MEN Media. This includes 78 journalists across 23 titles.
- One consolidated editorial team for the MEN and weeklies at Scott Place in Manchester, working across MEN Media’s various titles and websites.
- All branch offices apart from Stockport will be closed in the coming months. Offices in Accrington, Ashton, Macclesfield, Oldham, Rochdale, Rossendale, Salford and Wilmslow will be closed.
- Reporters will continue to work their patches, but no longer from a local office. There will be increased remote working to support this.
- Investment in a new editorial system common to all titles, and training for all users. The new system has improved web and multimedia capabilities, and will enable journalists to work across MEN Media’s different outlets.
- New layout and design for weekly titles.
- Central section of common pages for the weeklies, drawn from the MEN’s leisure/entertainment content.
- Greater sharing of content between the MEN and weekly titles.
- A new house agreement to cover the new editorial department.
- A revised pay schedule for journalists based on the current weeklies pay schedule. Journalists who are paid in excess of the schedule will have their pay ring-fenced and protected.
- Fewer free copies of the MEN and weekly titles distributed.
- Reduced pagination of the MEN.
- Revamped advertising sales operation with greater focus on growing new business and selling multimedia solutions.
- Better targeted advertising sales strategies, with improved use of customer data.”
Mark Dodson, chief executive of GMG Regional Media (parent company of MEN Media), said:
“MEN Media’s role is to produce great journalism for our readers, users and viewers in Greater Manchester. If we want to continue to be able to do this, we need to find a new, sustainable, lower-cost business model to support it. The economic viability of local and regional newspapers is under very real and imminent threat.
“The decision about job losses has been a very difficult one to make, and I deeply regret that it has been necessary. Nonetheless, I do believe this is the right decision for MEN Media’s future and for the majority of staff who will remain with the company.
“There is a successful future for local and regional journalism in the commercial sector, but we need to protect our businesses now to give ourselves the best chance of reaching it.
“This is a worrying time for everyone working in the local and regional press. Some argue that our industry has no future. I think this is completely wrong – people still want local and regional journalism, and advertisers want to reach those people.”
MediaGuardian: Manchester Evening News weekly offices to go – 150 jobs axed
“MEN Media, the publisher of the Manchester Evening News and 22 weeklies based in the north west, is closing all editorial offices of its weekly newspapers and axing 150 jobs,” reports MediaGuardian.
Production of the group’s weekly newspapers will be centralised in the MEN offices in Scott Place in central Manchester, the report continues.
Editorial redundancies at Archant Norfolk: UPDATED: 34 to go
Archant Norfolk, which publishes the Eastern Daily Press and Evening News amongst others, has announced 54 [since updated to] 34editorial redundancies as part of ongoing plans to integrate news operations at the division.
The new system, the implementation of which began more than a year ago, involves a £2 million investment by the publisher.
The publisher will enter into a consultation with staff, it confirmed in a press release.
“We have reduced staff numbers in our other departments such as marketing and advertising sales recently and editorial has not been subject to any major review in the last two years,” said Stephan Phillips, managing director, in the release.
New York Observer: Bloomberg TV using off-air staff on camera
According to the Observer, Bloomberg has turned to its behind-the-scenes staff to try out in front of the cameras to boost its news output follow layoffs.
The Business Insider: Is the party over for MediaBistro?
MediaBistro owner WebMediaBrands, formerly known as Jupitermedia, has laid off 60 employees – about 25 per cent of its total staff, Nicholas Carlson of The Business Insider reports.
The remaining employees will get a 5 per cent pay cut.
Jupitermedia recently completed its sale of Jupiterimages to Getty for $96 million, about half the original bidding price that prompted protracted negotiations last year, according to Photo District News (PDN). Things look non too rosy for Jupiterimages staff either, with Getty similarly poised to make swingeing cuts.
In a memorandum to WedMediaBrands staff (reproduced in full by The Business Insider), CEO Alan Meckler blames the cuts on a major downturn in jobs board revenue for MediaBistro (which Jupitermedia bought for $23 million in 2007), plus a decline in general advertising and event registrations.
RBI staff vote against further industrial action
National Union of Journalist (NUJ) members at Reed Business Information (RBI) have voted against further industrial action following a strike ballot at the publisher.
In the Wednesday ballot, 111 voted against further action being taken in response to proposed merger of production desks at Flight International, ICIS and Contract Journal and issues of compulsory redundancies.
According to an internal memo seen by Journalism.co.uk, the NUJ chapel will meet with the company again on March 4 to discuss new offers to staff, with separate meetings to be held for members at New Scientist and Estates Gazette.
In the ballot, 64 NUJ members voted in favour of taking industrial action.
Last month the group announced 35 staff redundancies in the UK, citing ‘long-term structural needs’ and the new challenges of the economic downturn.
Parent company Reed Elsevier recently extended loan arrangements for its $2 billion debt.
In December Reed terminated the sale of magazine arm RBI, as a result of ‘the recent deterioration in macro-economic outlook and poor credit market conditions’.