Regional Press Laws Are Outdated, Says Tim Bowdler

Representatives of the regional press have called for the relaxation of ownership laws surrounding the industry. At a Newspaper Society Forum, chief executives of the UK’s largest regional press groups said that current regulations were outdated.

Tim Bowdler, chief executive of Johnston Press said: “There is an overwhelming need for change in the media ownership regime which originated in the radically different media environment of the 1960’s”. Laws surrounding the industry have not kept pace with rapid changes in today’s media climate, thus inhibiting its progress.

Bowdler welcomed the Competition Commission’s decision earlier this week to clear the three proposed bids for Newscom (see Competition Commission Clears Newscom Bids), but not the prospect of political intervention in the Trinity Mirror merger (see Trinity And Mirror Seal Merger In £2bn Deal). He said that regulators of the regional press had not fully appreciated the growth in the amount of advertising alternatives in recent years and thus the necessity to further consolidate and strengthen the market.

In light of this the Newspaper Society’s media owner working party has commissioned the National Economic Research Associates (NERA) to assess the regional press market and identify pointers for future regulation. Its preliminary findings have discovered that regional press consolidation still trails behind other media sectors, common ownership may not lead to a reduction in diversity, and that a strong case can be made for the relaxation of controls concerning local newspaper groups’ ownership of local radio stations.

It is expected that the conclusions to the inquiry will call for a relaxation in current regulation.

Newspaper Society: 020 7636 7014