City AM has signed an agreement with Reach to provide daily business and financial news to the latter’s titles.
The Media Leader understands that talks between the two companies have been ongoing since 2018.
Under the two-year deal, City AM editorial content will appear in print publications including the Express, the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo. Content will also be published online in brands including BusinessLive, other Live sites and the Express.
The partnership is part of City AM‘s strategy to move beyond London to become a national publication.
Harry Owen, City AM’s chief operating officer, said: “This partnership has provided us with an incredible opportunity to combine resources and provide readers with best-in-class journalism that tackles both local and national issues under one roof.”
David Higgerson, chief digital publisher at Reach, added: “Working together will give us the opportunity to strengthen our quality business journalism offering across our portfolio and them the chance to get their content in front of our engaged audiences, both nationally and locally around our strong regional centres.”
The news comes at a time when Reach has been busy diversifying its own offering. The publisher launched Reach Studio in March as an audiovisual production arm, while it has experimented with WhatsApp to bolster reader engagement amid a decline in search and social media traffic.
Reach claims to reach 72% of the UK online population via over 120 brands.
Change at the top
At the same time, City AM has announced the appointment of a new editor-in-chief.
Christian May, who was previously editor-in-chief during 2015-2020, will rejoin the company in the same role at the end of August.
Under his previous tenure, May led the integration of City AM’s print and online operations. He will now have a particular focus on digital and video content.
May said: “The business and the newsroom are poised for an exciting future, thanks to the combination of a committed new owner in THG, the leadership of Harry Owen and the incredible work of Andy Silvester and his editorial team. It’s an honour to take the reins.”
Silvester announced his exit earlier this month after almost four years as editor-in-chief. Before that, he was deputy editor under May.
Meanwhile, City AM is set to move to a new office in the City of London, although it has declined to provide further details.
City AM went into administration in July 2023 and was later acquired by ecommerce group THG, the owner of Cult Beauty.
Alongside the daily freesheet, City AM claims to have 2.4m unique visitors per month.
