More cutbacks for Newsquest with round of compulsory redundancies - North West Media News

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More cutbacks for Newsquest with round of compulsory redundancies

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Thursday, 07 May 2009

How-Do understands that Newsquest looks set to continue with its drive to pare back costs in the North West, as at least ten staff from its Lancashire titles are slated to lose their jobs in a round of compulsory redundancies.

The Gannett-owned business has, like many of its peers, seemingly been hit hard by the recession and has responded with a variety of measures that have seen it losing staff, closing numerous titles, offering unpaid holiday and closing a state of the art printing facility in the region.

In the latest development, which How-Do only heard of yesterday evening, it is understood that five sub editors, four IT staff and one of the firm's regional web editors will be forced to take redundancy.

Our source at the firm confirmed that there is to be no voluntary option offered to staff and that their fates will be decided through the use of a 'skills matrix'.

Sub editors from the Bolton News and Bury Times are also believed to be relocating to Newsquest's Blackburn office.

At the time of writing How-Do was awaiting a response from Newsquest with regard to the story.

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Comments (9)

1 By Sad news - again, on 07-05-2009 01:08
When will it end? It won't basically.

If you can, get out now and retrain as quickly as possible.

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2 By Mr_Osato, on 07-05-2009 10:10
Well done Newsquest - show that you believe in that digital future you witter on about by getting rid of web editors - the people who are going to make that happen for you. Plus subs, who prevent the quality of your title from declining even further and IT people who ensure that your antiquated computers manage the ever-increasing number of tasks you thrown at them.

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3 By Jonesy, on 07-05-2009 10:57
It is actually quite sad to see Newsquest's weekly titles in such rapid decline - particularly the 'paid-fors' which are now a mere shadow of their former selves. The former Warrington Guardian Series titles are prime examples - they really are very poor in terms of content and production quality.
Enormous numbers of unsold copies remain in stores a week after publication. It can only be a matter of time now before they close most of them altogether.

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4 By Clive, on 07-05-2009 15:28
Very sad news and very short-sighted, but this is only the latest in a long line of sad and short-sighted measures by the MD in Blackburn, who just doesn't understand daily newspapers

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5 By Stuart M, on 07-05-2009 15:47
'Rubber Bulletts - 10cc

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6 By Jonesy, on 07-05-2009 16:13
Stuart M - I think you posted a comment against the wrong article!

Clive - Couldn't agree more. The MD in question is, in my opinion, the one who should have gone earlier - certainly before Eric Henshaw anyway. At least he understood the industry's needs.

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7 By Mr Jones, on 07-05-2009 16:53
A very shrewd insight by Clive. Janet Lever, the MD of Blackburn, is a former weekly newspaper editor which is no bad thing at all but it is plain there is a lack of understanding over the workings of a daily newspaper. It would seem obvious that a daily newspaper would operate far more effectively if its sub-editors were based on site but with Bolton that will not be the case, it seems, if the rumours printed here are correct as I suspect they are. This will have wider implications for the bosses at The Bolton News, I would think. Without sub-editors in the office there would be less of a need for deputy and assistant editors. Past experience from other newspapers (I now work in the south but used to work at Blackburn and have seen it first hand) suggests that management cuts are inevitable and given that so many people "on the ground" are being given their cards, Newsquest would have to consider this option in the future unless it really has taken leave of it's senses and operates a protection policy of keeping those at the top in cushy jobs while the grafters at the bottom are shunted out of an industry they have been loyal to.

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8 By Troubled, on 08-05-2009 10:56
Redundancies announced practically every day, offices closing, departments merging. Why in heaven's name has nobody been sacked from 'the top'. If the newspaper industry was a football team, we'd have gone through three managers by now. What is going on? The industry is dying, pure and simple. Soon there won't be ANY newspapers printed regionally or locally and by then it will be too late to do anything about it. Get rid of the senior management who have left us in this ridiculous position before they run us into the ground and ride off with a hefty pension and bonus.

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9 By Clive, on 08-05-2009 13:41
Massive lack of understanding on the workings of a daily newspaper. Incredibly, one of her first actions was to close the district offices (before it was the trend to do so). It's been downhill from there ever since

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