UK: Daily Mail and General Trust to merge regional and national papers

Posted by John Burke on March 28, 2006 at 1:27 PM

After having taken Northcliffe off the block in February, The Daily Mail and General Trust has announced that it will merge its regional newspaper group with its national newspaper company, Associated Newspapers. The move also includes the cancellation of plans for a new printing press that will help reduce the regional group's costs by GBP 10 million a year.

The company's statement said, ""The board believes that Northcliffe has an excellent future as an integrated provider of local media services.

"It is positioned to provide its local and national customers with the information and advertising they seek through a range of media channels and brands.

"These will comprise primarily paid-for daily and weekly newspapers, free newspapers and a significantly increased online presence, but will encompass other delivery mechanisms, where appropriate. In particular, the combination of print and online will provide a differentiated product range that will be unequalled in its local markets."

The Guardian reports that redundacies at Northcliffe have not been ruled out as an additional cost-saving measure. A representative of the group also hinted that its online operations would become increasingly important.

Sources: Hold the Front Page, The Guardian

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