Rumours about Mark Dickinson’s new role at Trinity abound. Prior to his return from Birmingham eight weeks ago, the word on the streets was, among other weird and wonderful conspiracy theories, that he was coming back to shut the Post.
Dickinson
Disappointingly for some, his new role as business development director, Trinity Mirror North West and Wales, is – for public consumption at least - about addressing print challenges and developing new commercial opportunities.
A native of London, Dickinson graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Psychology and returned to London to start his career as a trainee with Macmillan Journals.
However, he missed his friends and northern life and when an opportunity arose at a young Manchester listings/investigative title, the New Manchester Review, he moved back to join the title, securing in the process freelance work as a sub at the Daily Telegraph in Manchester.
He took two years out in the late 80s to write a book about the rise and fall of the GMC (Greater Manchester Council), “a much read work in the Dickinson household….”
A sub for 16 years
Sixteen more years subbing in increasingly senior positions led him to Aberdeen where he ended up as chief sub at the Evening Express before Trinity lured him to Newcastle as assistant editor of the Journal. In 1996 he was appointed editor before Trinity asked him to move to Liverpool in 2000 as editor of the Echo and editor in chief of Trinity’s North West papers.
In 2005 he was sent to Birmingham to try to sort out the mess that the Birmingham Post and Mail had become. All he will say of this period is that he “had two good years in the Midlands and am proud to have brought in two extremely good editors.”
However with the decision to off-load its Midlands interests taken, there was effectively no job for him in Birmingham so he was brought back to address a different but similar set of challenges at a franchise that Trinity is determinedly keen to retain.
In his new role, he has responsibility for a number of business activities including new channels (primarily outdoor and TV), the contract/book publishing division Sport Media and finally, and primarily, digital.
“I guess it’s fundamentally about developing new ideas and new channels to accelerate the growth of our business in a number of ways” he says.
Sport Media, which he founded in 2002, will be publishing 21 books this year and “not just things related to Merseyside” he adds, pointing to a publication being produced for Bristol City FC.
Sport Media also produces the match day programmes for both LFC and EFC and a weekly magazine for LFC which sells 16,000 copies a week, of which 4,000 are sold outside Merseyside. It also produces all of LFC’s official publications.
There are plans however to increase the division’s output in areas such as heritage and culture and with the new emphasis he adds “we will be changing its name this year.”
59 web sites by end 2007
By the end of 2007, Dickinson says TMNW will have 59 web sites: a mixture of ‘print companion’ sites and vertical channels, including jobs, motors and property, “where we’re developing a great deal of expertise.
“We laugh” he adds “when we hear about classified advertising migrating to the web because we’re also capturing that web migration.”
But at what ad rates?
“That’s the challenge” he concedes. “It is tough but it’s also the exciting bit of the job. It’s interesting commercially and intellectually.”
When pressed on just how exciting the job can be when new digital platforms and operators are taking substantial bites out of his already declining commercial revenues, he replies that the situation TMNW faces is no different from that faced by newspaper owners, particularly regional owners, across the UK and internationally.
“Ten years ago we were all in a relatively simple business, the publishing of paid and/or free newspapers.
“Our challenge is how do we make the most out of our trusted brands? That’s a big opportunity for us.
The Echo is loved by the people of Liverpool
“The Echo has a fundamentally different position in Liverpool than, for example, the MEN in Manchester. It is loved by the people of Liverpool and that trust is one of our most valuable assets.”
The future scenario for Dickinson will be a multi media one fraught with issues battling against “interlopers with clout such as Google and eBay.”
In this brave new world, Dickinson is adamant the Post has a sound future but people have to be realistic. “Just over 6,000 copies are now free and we’re aiming at a combined circulation in the future of 23,000 across our patch.” Such a circulation figure, he believes, combined with a variety of related digital offerings, will maintain the title’s supremacy on Merseyside for content and commercial opportunities.
Otherwise it’s on to other pastures new for Dickinson and his business development team.
Deals – as broken by How-Do on 10/5/07 - have been struck to launch Echo TV in black cabs in a JV with Liverpool’s Red Hot Media and also with Street Broadcast to launch (working title) Street TV. Street TV will be fighting for footfall attention in the increasingly competitive world of digital outdoor advertising sites in high street locations. TMNW’s contribution to Street TV will be both content and sales. Liverpool will be the test bed and other cities may follow.
It’s a far cry for the 56 year old from his days working for peanuts on an agitprop magazine. But with a wife, four kids, two cats and three dogs, he’s happily ensconced on Merseyside and adamant he’s going nowhere. “I am” he says “enjoying myself immensely here.”
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