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MEN Media to close five of its regional newspaper offices | Print |  Email to a friend
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
MEN Media, the group behind the Manchester Evening News and a portfolio of 20 regional titles, is readying itself to close five local offices in what it calls “a prudent move.”
MEN Media, the group behind the Manchester Evening News and a portfolio of 20 regional titles, is readying itself to close five local offices in what it calls “a prudent move.”

How-Do contacted the group after hearing that it planned to shut its Trafford/South Manchester office. However, this proved to be the tip of the iceberg with Heywood, Middleton, Beswick and Wilmslow also due to follow suit in the imminent future.

Nevertheless, in a statement prepared for How-Do, the group denied that there would be job losses as a result of the closures, explaining that staff would be relocated to alternative locations.

The cuts were occurring, it was stated, due to the fact that “these offices reach the end of their leases” over the next few weeks.

The statement continued: “The editors and staff from these offices will relocate to other MEN Media weekly offices and will operate as normal from their new bases, the individual newspapers will not be affected.

Editors and staff will relocate to:

Heywood and Middleton to Rochdale
Beswick to Ashton-under-Lyne
South Manchester / Trafford to Stockport
Wilmslow to Macclesfield

There will be no journalist job losses.”

It concluded: “As a business we are constantly seeking to make operational efficiencies and the merger of some of our existing branch offices is a prudent move at this time as several of our leases in these areas were up for renewal.

“We remain fully committed to the localities we serve with our weekly titles and these closures will not result in any decrease in the numbers of local journalists we employ nor editorial focus we give to our local markets.”

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

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  Comments (17)
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 1 By centrallocalnews, on 16-09-2008 09:12
A poor judgement indeed, these papers will inevitably loose thier local identity and leave a gap in the market for real local papers.
 2 By Trafforder, on 16-09-2008 09:23
I have to agree. a cost saving on the building leases could end up costing them dear in terms of their standing in the local communities. 
 
There's a depressing trend going on in the local-regional press at the moment.
 3 By Cyla, on 16-09-2008 10:38
This isn't a new trend. Having started my career in local newspapers (for the MEN)back in the late eighties, there was always a tension between the advertising and editorial divisions; the former believing that it was they who generated the money, therefore it was they who should be paid better and make the decisions. Naturally, none of them even read the editorial content - just skimmed their own ads - or appreciated that those ads only stood a chance of being seen by anyone else because of the editorial content, the very reason the publication is picked up by advertisers' targets in the first place. It sounds like stating the bleeding obvious doesn't it? But the bleeding obvious has never managed to filter upwards to the money men at the MEN who continue to believe that the reading public will absorb any old shite and continue to read regardless. Rather than protect and invest in the quality of journalism, they ensure that nobody who doesn't still live with their mum can survive on the editorial wages - i.e. still young and inexperienced - and even then make their jobs harder by expecting them to write about their community remotely. Result? The relevance and quality dips and readers go elsewhere, followed eventually by the advertisers. Put journalists back in control of newspapers and you will have newspapers that people want to read, where advertisers want to advertise, and where good journalists want to work.
 4 By Million12, on 16-09-2008 11:27
I notice Crains are looking for a reporter. They seem to value the product and know that editorial quality drives ad and circ sales , maybe you should talk to them.
 5 By £££, on 16-09-2008 12:10
Million12 - ahem, if editorial quality drives ad sales then the standard in Crains must be awful. There's no ads.
 6 By Mr Sock, on 16-09-2008 12:11
Why is it that nearly every post about the MEN/Crains/Insider et al has to feature a comment from some randomer saying "Oh look at Crains" or "but Crains is doing....". Crains is a business paper, the MEN Media locals don't focus on business, but perhaps they should have some focus on this as it is always interesting to read about business closer to home rather than just across the whole of Greater Manchester in general.
 7 By Pauly, on 16-09-2008 18:28
I think Crains gets mentioned because it's a great example of good old-fashioned reporting, rather than PR regurgitate (MEN) or in-jokes and ego trips for a professional services boys club (Insider). I really hope it stays around.
 8 By centrallocalnews, on 16-09-2008 13:55
Lets hope that the demise of the region's local papers will see a serious publisher move in to fill the gaps. In Wilmslow and in Macclesfield the Express offices are in prime retail space. You can shed the expensive real estate and introduce flexible working within a streamlined premises without abandoning the town completely. 
If they judge the time to close the office as when the lease expires, expect more closures to follow.
 9 By Realist, on 16-09-2008 20:17
You think a serious publisher will move in to fill the gap? Last I heard Newsquest is going down the same path and there are rumours - not confirmed - that Gannett is going to sell.
 10 By centrallocalnews, on 17-09-2008 08:27
There is always hope. You don't need to be a huge outfit to be serious about publishing. Advertisers and readers will know the difference. May take some time, but when one company cuts back or takes its eye of the ball, it creates opportunity for others.
 11 By Mr_Osato, on 18-09-2008 07:44
Gannett is going to sell? Happy days are here again! If you want to see the contrast between what MEN media is doing and what a serious media organisation does look at this Media Guardian story on News International www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/17/newsinternational.pressandpublishing 
 
Google, to use another example, spends millions on its staff facilities, because it knows staff are the key to everything - while newspaper publishers close offices because they fear losing ground to Google. Well duh!
 12 By Laurie Lode, on 18-09-2008 07:59
There are always vacuums created by the so-called 'big boys' for good local publishing. If there is an investor out there with not too deep pockets I would be interested in exploring some options.
 13 By centrallocalnews, on 18-09-2008 10:19
That's the spirit Laurie. Anything is possible.
 14 By MEN Staffer, on 18-09-2008 11:27
I think all these comments have missed the point. The MEN aren't closing any papers - just the front desk offices. If you read the article it states "the editors and staff will relocate and operate as normal from their new base".
 15 By Laurie Lode, on 18-09-2008 13:12
No points missed MEN Staffer.  
If there is anyone, I know how to make it work - I'm doing it elsewhere.
 16 By Mr_Osato, on 19-09-2008 07:12
MEN Staffer - who's pulling your strings? How can staff 'operate as normal' when they're working 10 miles away from the patch they cover. It's a farce.
 17 By centrallocalnews, on 22-09-2008 08:31
MEN Staffer we can read! Perhaps you can try to read the comments next time before you respond. 
Some of us live in an area where the office is closing, call it a front desk if you want, but it is a building that will no longer house its local newspaper. 
Hey guess what? Some of us believe a local news paper should be local.

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