Welcome to the weekly Wrap from How-Do - media news for the North West.

The Wrap's guest editor this week is Mark Dickinson

  Armageddon sick of puns in headlines

These are frightening days for many businesses across the UK and the media sector is no exception. But the more competition for extreme metaphors grows, the more thoughtfulness and imagination is required.

So when the politicians start signing sanctimonious Early Day Motions deploring job losses at local newspapers, reach for your gun.

We may never have had it so bad (since records began), but that should inspire creative solutions around how the new economic order can support as diverse and truly multi-platform media as possible.

Thus on Wednesday Trinity Mirror announced a merger of North West and Wales businesses into a new super region. As revenues contract, convergence is unavoidable within media structures and must also happen across the industry. That means changing outdated competition laws which relate to the Olden Golden days.

Who could have imagined even six months ago the BBC discussing the sharing of news resources and iPlayer with ITV and Channel 4? Why stop there? Why not share resources with multi-media news organisations providing public and community content across video and online platforms? Necessity is the mother of all clichés.

We have already seen a number of loss-making newspaper titles disappear. It would make sense for the Government and backbenchers to get their heads swiftly around the new media landscape before we are left with Google searching a million worthy community websites, closed libraries and politicians’ blogs.

The latest, Mandy ‘Huffington’ Mandelson’s maunderings, launched this week. And, not to be outspun by Obama, a really scary avatar is now at large in Second Life. Claiming the era of controlling the media has passed, Mandy now exhorts us all to embrace the democratic revolution.

Now that really is frightening.

Mark Dickinson is business development director for Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales

Elsewhere on How-Do this week: 

• Reflections and resolutions: 08 and 09 in a nutshell
• TBWA launches 'hard-hitting' Hillarys campaign
• Reform appointed by Visit Blackpool
• Paver Smith wins six-figure World Expo brief
• Manchester Business School tasks Ascension with international brand-building
• Love and Music secure place on £1.5m Arts Council roster
• CBJWT gives birth to new (bmi) baby
• Multi-media MEN sells Ronaldo crash pictures
• Gary Stein takes top spots at Key 103 and Magic
• (Five) Axed Trisha Goddard staying at City Talk
• Assured Events put Kellogg's staff on space hoppers
• Three agencies shortlisted for Liverpool's new brand vision
• Hollyoaks stars branch out to Rock FM
• Momentum launches new Cereal Partners campaign
• Was Liverpool teen paid to handle guns on Panorama?
• Senior positions up for grabs at Northwest Vision and Media
• Nicky Campbell: 'Salford isn't Helmand Province'
• Fluid signed up for NHS digital tasks
• Gyro to reposition Presspart brand
• Mere wins two new sports accounts
• WFEL defence engineering brings in Citypress
• MEN Media disbands its dedicated motor sales team
• Wilde's new remit as Trinity Mirror merges Welsh and Liverpool divisions
• Grade: BBC deal would secure ITV regional news until 2016
• Salford Univ signs up for 100,000 sq ft at MediaCity
• Unforgiven proves ITV ratings winner
• Made in Manchester unearths the real Sid Vicious for Radio 4
• Local Radio Company to decentralise more operations to individual stations
• Fat Media delivers new Booths website
• McCanns returns to Manchester after 30 years with new digital operation
• Paver Smith wins blackcircles.com
• Parasol appoints Which Media
• IAS and Gyro rounded up by Forensic team for £2m brief
• Acrobat cooks up new brand look for Delissential
• Lancashire Magazine publisher Peter Bourhill made redundant
• 'PC' Corrie infuriates vicar
• Mando lands three contract from Mersey Ferries
• International lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender site launched
• Ph Creative confirms acquisition of BeVisible
• New jobs for Emma Beck and others
• Bird promotes first phase of £200m LCC ground development
• Rio Ferdinand gets digital magazine
• Smooth signs up Splenda as sponsor of mid-morning shows
• BBC deal to save ITV regional news gets closer
• Of Time and the City gets Bafta nod
• Rippleffect takes South Yorks transport online
• Unpaid leave for 31,000 US staff at Newsquest owner Gannett
• W00t!media doubles client list

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