Manchester Evening News to be sold off? A few thoughts
A potential £40 million sale, including other sister papers and Channel M is reportedly at an early stage.
This could be good news for the MEN.
When I attended a protest meeting about the loss of 80 journalists in March at GMG I was surprised at what was said.
I had believed that it was the recession and the Internet that had created a perfect storm for newspapers. I would show my support, but nothing could be done. How wrong I was about the views and sentiment of the meeting.
The MEN had always made money and quite a lot of it. Its sister papers had done the same and it was only now that the recession had meant margins were low. The speakers were angry that the Guardian Media Group in their opinion used local papers to prop up the flagship publication.
When I told associates they were surprised. I was surprised, initially. But this sale is not quite the surprise it could be.
If Trinity Mirror, which runs the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, wants the MEN let it buy it. I do not know much about Trinity Mirror, how it conducts itself so I am going out on a limb. But if the journalists at that meeting are right then surely it is a reasonable, even highly positive solution for everyone including the readers.
Update
Perhaps the change of ownership will contribute investment, ideas and re-vitalise the brand. I hope this signals a re-invetment in local media – it has a place alongside social media, we benefit from a strong established traditional media scene, whatever the social media evangelists say, and I count myself as one
Tags: Manchester Evening News