Neil Benson, Editorial Director of Regionals, at Trinity Mirror, and the three Editors of the Birmingham titles that have merged, have completely changed the approach to newsroom management by combining workforces to cut costs.

To follow up on last month's Weblog story on the Trinity Mirror's complete overhaul of its workflow, which anticipated the transition, a series of photos have been published which demonstrate the restructured newsroom, combining "all-in-one" news conferences to share ideas and stories, and to maximize output.

The Birmingham Post, Sunday Mercury and Birmingham Mail represent three facets of news delivery organizations: business, tabloids and evening papers, respectively.

The work environment is greatly affected by the actual environment in which reporters work. Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves noted that the space is a "fresh" environment, with "windows all round, an open-plan, no-secrets environment with a central hub making all editorial decisions in the open."

Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson said that the transition has gone without a major "hitch," with each paper still providing its daily service.

The merger focuses its flow through a central "hub" where editorial decisions are made for all three papers.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

See also: Interview with Neil Benson