Northcliffe relaunches two West Country titles

LONDON - Northcliffe Media, the regional newspaper group, is to relaunch two of its West Country titles as part of an overhaul of its operations that could potentially lead to the loss of more than 20 jobs.

Northcliffe: two West Country titles to relaunch
Northcliffe: two West Country titles to relaunch

The Western Morning News, based in Plymouth, and the Bristol-based Western Daily Press, are to combine back-office functions, including production and content management, as part of the changes.

Editorial resources, including columnists, will be shared across both titles. The cost-cutting move is expected to lead to fewer than five redundancies.

The two Northcliffe-owned titles will relaunch on 12 April with new fonts and smaller headlines. Both will retain their 45p weekday cover prices.

The titles will look similar to News International-owned The Times, according to editor-in-chief Alan Qualtrough, previously editor of the Western Morning News.

Further changes in the region include the setting up of a new centralised hub, which will see journalists in Plymouth produce a number of Nortcliffe-owned  titles, including the Torquay-based Herald Express and The Express and Echo in Exeter.

Some 20 sub-editing posts at Torquay and Exeter are at risk as part of the move.

Northcliffe Media, like other regional powerhouses, has suffered from declining circulations in recent years. The Western Daily Press was hit by editorial cuts in 2009.

According to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABCs) figures, circulation of the Western Morning News fell 6.5% on the year to 35,352.  The Western Daily Press dropped 10.7% to 34,109.

Northcliffe Media is owned by Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT), publisher of The Daily Mail.

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