This lunch I was lucky enough to be invited by Manchester Science Park to hear Kevin Feddy.

Here is a synopsis of what Kevin, who runs the MEN business desk, had to say:

“It is all about (the business pages) people, innovation and ideas….how ideas relate to the public at large.  It is much more than figures, it is about people, dreams and aspirations.”

SMEs are of interest as much as the blue chips.  In fact there is a lot of room for stories about smaller concerns.

Kevin is especially interested in hearing from businesses that he feels will emerge from this recession in a very healthy state:

• Internationally trading companies / exporters
• Green technology
• Innovation – companies that will shape the way we live
• Technology – but make sure the layman can relate to it.  The MEN business readership is general and professional in nature and stories must be understood by all.

The key point is that business titles such as the Manchester Evening News want to hear from all types of business, of all sizes that have something to say.  As a PR I ask potential clients, “What can we say, what do you want to say?”

Everyone can have a voice, offline and online, providing their company, service or product, is of interest.

On Friday I was at the the Manchester Chapter of the NUJ’s meeting to fight the proposed job cuts.

It was a passionate and compelling event and one that certainly opened my eyes.

The received wisdom that many might have is that digital media is the main cause of print media’s demise and in turn the local media – it’s an unstoppable force.  Well the speakers eloquently expressed a different side to the debate.

One of the key messages and this is especially relevant to the Manchester Evening News and the Guardian Media Group is that the publishers are still making a profit.  And those profits were more than healthy when redundancies were made over the last two to three years, including at the MEN.

One fact that might surprise it that The Guardian is not the money maker at the GMG.  It was stated that The MEN and local papers actually propped up the flagship paper.  What is perhaps more galling for local journalists is that there are no substantial cuts at The Guardian, not that anyone wants any cuts anywhere.

It is the ridiculous effort to prop up unsustainable and ludicrous profit margins that is a prime driver behind the redundancies programme.

One speaker pointed out that Tesco expects to make a profit of 9.8p on every pound spent whereas some publishers expect nearer 40p.  Coupled with executive bonuses it is clearly an unsustainable policy.

The result is that if the proposed cuts are to go ahead then the quality of local media will be seriously compromised.

Newspapers are already relying on wires and press releases to a greater extent than ever before.  But the figure of 12% that was quoted as the percentage of news that is researched and sourced and written by the journalists themselves was shocking.

What is more journalists are already responsible for taking images, uploading stories onto the web and taking on the subs work.  Standards will inevitably diminish and quickly if the proposed cuts are made.

So what is the solution?

Whether news is conveyed in print or web is not the issue here.  The issue is the standard of local media and indeed its survival.

And it can survive and prosper.

Initially we all have to as a community make sure the publishers are aware of community feelings and that pressure can be brought to bare.  It is up to the community and if it is not interested in defending our local media then we deserve none.  But I think there is enough of us that do – many attending the meeting were not journalists but members of the public showing their support.

Writing to politicians and the papers themselves might be a start – express support and make sure the publishers know the depth of feeling.  To their credit there were politicians in the room including John Leech MP for Withington, so that is promising.

One solution could be that journalists take over local titles or set-up co-operative style managed media – an emphasis on quality and not weighted on profit.

Whatever the solution is, the current model of bleeding the local media to sustain unsustainable profits is certainly not the way forward.

The news space is suddenly becoming more crowded in Manchester with Crain’s Manchester Business, The Business Desk and Nxt Book.  And there is now City AM, due to join us in 2009.

My initial reaction:  Is there the advertising revenue to secure the future of all these new ventures, especially when a recession is on the way / has arrived?

(Don’t get me wrong, I am pleased they are all here.  I spent 4 or 5 entries in the past 18 months lamenting the demise of NW business magazines: YE, Talking Business North Manchester, Business Connections, NW Enquirer all disappearing.  I take note the new titles are completely or very much Internet based and these are print essentially).

So when Business Desk recruited Chris Barry, the business editor, at the MEN joined them I have to say I was surprised.  Is that not a risky move?  In turbulent times moving from an established newspaper to a new publication is brave.

Now Joanne Birtwhistle, of NW Business Insider fame, has moved from Crain’s.

Crain’s has a strong editorial team and the MEN has an experienced hand in Kevin Feddy, so things move on.

The new appointments give Business Desk a strong team (and former MEN business editor Sheryl Moore is working with Business Desk and the MEN).  It gives The Business Desk instant credibility on this side of The Pennines.

All these new appointees are seasoned journalists, so I trust their judgement.  But the question still remains: How will Business Desk finance itself and survive in this downturn?