is the..

public sector destroying local newspapers?

Media You Can Trust

the threat of council publications

Introduction

LondonThe battle ground…

• Most have their own publication

• They look like local newspapers

• Half publish fortnightly or monthly

• 90% take advertising

• 54% take non-council news

Case StudiesEast End Life

– Weekly publication, 75,000 distribution.• East London Advertiser dropped from 20k to 7.5k• The News Barking and Dagenham – fortnightly, 90k distribution, costs £500k pa• Archant - £250k loss of council advertising. Rates of Barking Post undercut.

Hammersmith and Fulham News– Fortnightly, 75k. Carries 12-pages props, gardening, crossword.

• Chronicle – sales drop to 1.5k and falling• Soon H&F will be only local paper in area

Lambeth Life– fortnightly, distribution 132k (London’s highest)

• South London Press – 25pc reduction in public notice revenue• Greenwich Time – weekly, carries TV listings and sport

RegionalLess threat but growing…

• 94% councils produce magazine or newspaper

• 64% carry advertising

• 85% have news

Case studies• Birmingham City Council ‘Forward’

– fortnightly, distribution 390,000

• Your Cornwall

– Cornwall Council. Scrapped after costing £693k per annum

• Doncaster News

– 129k distribution. Scrapped by mayor on first day of office

On “my patch..”Kent TV (Kent County Council)

Launched: 2007

Costs: £1.8m to date

• News feed from rival media firm

• Pledged to cover cost from advertising

• Offers free listings service to users

• Uploading facility available

• All cabinet members interviewed but no opposition

• Iceland cash crisis: ‘All positive’

• Independent board chaired by chief executive.

On “my patch..”• Medway Matters Medway Council

– Medway Council, bi monthly

• circ. 112,000

• Here & Now

– Tonbridge & Malling Council

• quarterly

• Maidstone Matters

What the industry wants• OFT review into impact of council newspapers on local press

• Less frequency

• No pick ups

• No non-council news

• No non-council listings

• No third party advertising

So..

Are council newspapers destroying local press?

IN SOME AREAS.. YES

So..

Can they co-exist?

YES