Regional Press Must Evolve To Keep Pace With Advertisers
The Newspaper Society has called on the regional press to evolve to keep pace with the changing needs of advertisers.
Speaking at the Newspaper Society’s annual advertising conference, Tim Bowdler, chief executive of Johnston Press, said: “In an ever-more competitive landscape it is vital that regional newspapers evolve to meet the changing needs of our advertisers and to maintain a hold on our trading currency.”
Bowdler, who is also president of the Newspaper Society, insisted that if regional newspapers can increase their share of national display advertising by just 1%, they will enjoy an additional £80 million advertising revenue. He said: “The UK’s regional and local newspapers have realised that the potential rewards from developing our national business are great, and that presents us with a tremendous opportunity to build on our heritage and strength.”
The Newspaper Society has been an outspoken critic of the Government’s draft Communications Bill, claiming that its proposals on newspaper mergers will increase the regulatory burden on the regional and local press.
Bowdler renewed the society’s stance on deregulation, arguing that “truly modern, customer-centric businesses” are currently being hampered by the special ownership regime governing regional newspapers. He said: “In this new media age of increasing convergence, the lifeblood of our business, our advertising revenues, is under even greater pressure.”
Last month, in its final submission on the Communications Bill, the Society warned the Government against the dangers of creating a highly complex regime that would extend the existing regulations to smaller local newspaper publishers, which are currently free of special controls (see Newspaper Society Levels Further Criticism At Draft Bill).
Newspaper Society: 020 7636 7014 www.newspaperasoc.co.uk
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