The Daily Telegraph has continued its recruitment drive, hiring one of Britain’s best known and most influential business commentators Jeff Randall as its new editor-at-large, contributing two weekly columns to the paper.Randall will leave the BBC, where he has been business editor for the last four years, to take up his new post, leaving behind… Continue reading Telegraph Poaches BBC’s Randall For Business Role

Johnston Press has announced the acquisition of two regional newspaper businesses in Northern Ireland, adding Local Press Limited and Leinster Leader Limited to its publishing portfolio. The two companies bring a combined total of 18 publications into the fold, with Local Press bought for £65 million and Leinster Leader for £138.6 million. In a statement… Continue reading Johnston Extends Reach In Northern Ireland

Chrysalis has announced plans to dispose of its loss making and none-core books division for £12.5 million, allowing the management to concentrate on the group’s core music radio and music businesses. The company’s books business will be sold to a new company to be formed by Robin Wood, chief executive of Chrysalis Books and other… Continue reading Chrysalis To Sell Books Division

Freeview penetration is predicted to overtake BSkyB as the UK’s leading digital television platform by 2010, with research from media consultancy Spectrum Strategy forecasting the platform to enjoy a healthy performance over the coming years. The latest figures for digital adoption in the UK, published by Ofcom yesterday, reveal that 63% of UK households have… Continue reading Freeview To Overtake Sky By 2010

Outdoor advertising in the states is outpacing all other media, with new figures from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) for Q2 2005 showing the medium to have reached revenues of $1.8 billion, an increase of 10.2% year on year. According to the figures, industry revenue reached $3.2 billion for the first half of… Continue reading Outdoor Advertising Outpacing Other Media

The Guardian is reporting a sales rise of 40% on Monday when it was relaunched in its new mid-sized (Berliner) format, with an updated masthead, expanded, daily sports section and the creation of a fully-fledged news magazine in the shape of G2.“Early reports suggest we have had a fantastic first day performance with a minimum… Continue reading Berliner Guardian Sees 40% Increase In Sales

The Advertising Association has published new research by the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC), showing an increase in consumer spending on magazines, topping the £2 billion mark for the first time.The new figures also show expenditure to have increased by £54 million year on year, equating to a rise of 34% in real terms over… Continue reading Consumer Magazine Spending Tops £2 Billion

According to a report in the Times this morning, ITV chief executive Charles Allen has called for an end to the complex Contract Right Renewal rules, which he says threaten to cost the company £150m next year.The cap was demanded by the Competition Commission as part of the merger conditions for Carlton and Granada, and… Continue reading Allen Calls To End Contract Renewal Rules

Culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, is expected to confirm media watchdog Ofcom’s proposed date for the switchover from analogue to digital, marking the 2008-2012 period as the start of the process.Speaking tonight at the Royal Television Society Cambridge convention, Jowell looks set to affirm Ofcom’s plan for the UK, switching the country to digital region by… Continue reading Jowell To Endorse Switchover Date

US online advertising expenditure is predicted to surpass the $10 billion mark for the first time this year, reaching $12.9 billion by the end of 2005, according to new predictions from eMarketer. The analyst forecasts that in four years time, companies will spend nearly $10 billion more on internet advertising, hitting a total of $22.3… Continue reading US Online Adspend To Hit $12.9 Billion In 2005