Regional newspaper groups form alliance

The chief executives of the UK’s top regional newspaper groups have joined forces to pressure the government into relaxing merger restrictions.

According to a report in the Financial Times, the Local Media Alliance came into being in January and then held a secret meeting at Claridge’s with communications minister Lord Carter on February 2.

The seven executives that make up the LMA represent companies in control of 72% of the UK market. They are Sly Bailey of Trinity Mirror, John Fry of Johnston Press, Paul Davidson of Newsquest/Gannett, Mike Pelosi of Northcliffe, Carolyn McCall of Guardian Media Group, Adrian Jeakings of Archant, and Andrew Thomson of DC Thomson.

According to the FT, “Lord Carter said the group had a strong emotional case but needed to prove empirically that the government should intervene.

In order to achieve this, the LMA has employed the consultancy OC&C, with the work on the case being headed by Paul Zwillenberg, head of the company’s media practice division.

Roger Parry, who steps down as chairman of Johnston Press later this month, has been appointed chairman of the LMA group. He told the FT: “This is not a lobbying organisation but a way for the regional press to act quickly and efficiently to provide information and responses to government in a fast-moving situation.”