BEGINS an announcement issued today by the publishers of The Herald newspaper: “It was not only an interest in the political system which was given a boost by the Scottish independence referendum; it appears it sparked an enduring interest in current affairs as well.
“The Herald newspaper saw its print sales rise by 7,500 copies the day after the vote, and by almost 10,000 copies the day after, as Scots tried to get to grips with the implications of their democratic decision.
“The Sunday Herald, the only paper to openly come out in favour of independence, saw its print circulation rise by 64 per cent in September 2014, compared with the September before, peaking at just under 50,000 copies the weekend after the vote.
“However it’s in online readership and digital subscriptions where the most lasting legacy of the referendum may be felt.
“Tim Blott, managing director of the Herald & Times Group commented: ‘We enjoyed increased print circulations and reached an unprecedented 2.9 million users on Heraldscotland.com alone in September, and were able to play a highly influential role in the wider discussions playing out on social media. Our digital, paid readership is growing faster than ever as a result and, having announced we had reached 10,000 paid digital subscribers by July, we saw that rise to 13,500 in just three months, by the end of September.'”
The Herald’s sister paper, the Evening Times, covers the story, here.
And it is also picked up by The Guardian’s media commentator, Roy Greenslade – here.
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BEGINS an announcement from the publisher of The Scotsman, Johnston Press: “The company [has] announced proposals to undertake a share capital re-organisation. [It] will consist of: a sub-division and consolidation of the company’s Ordinary shares, amendments to the company’s Articles of Association, [and] amendments to the rules of the company’s employee share schemes.”
Read more, here.
Said The Scotsman on Saturday, the move gives “investors one share for each 50 they hold, to reduce the ‘very large’ number of existing shares in issue”.
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A RECENT former business editor of The Press and Journal has been named director of marketing for a law firm.
Ryan Crighton has been appointed at Aberdein Considine – as announced here, in a media release posted on allmediascotland.com.
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THE Scotland division of the magazine publishers body, the Professional Publishers Association, is inviting applications for the role of vice-chair.
The call follows the imminent ending of the two-year tenure of chair, Alan Ramsay, and the elevation of current vice-chair, Neil Braidwood.
Director of CMYK Design, Braidwood, becomes chair of the PPA Scotland at the Scottish Magazine Awards, on December 11, when Ramsay, MD of Connect Communications, steps down.
Says Nikki Simpson, business manager at PPA Scotland: “Alan has been a fantastic leader of PPA Scotland.”
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HIGH praise for broadcasters, STV, on the back of an announcement – noted here – that is has applied to run local TV stations serving Aberdeen, Ayr and Dundee.
It comes from Scotsman columnist, George Kerevan, writing in the paper’s business section on Saturday.
STV already operate a local station serving Glasgow and is soon to launch a similar operation for Edinburgh.
Kerevan writes: “Market analysts were sceptical that local TV would find a sufficient audience to generate advertising, but STV’s strong brand, low costs, and genial young presenters seem to have done the trick.”
Read more, here.
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THE sports supplement in Saturday’s edition of The Scotsman carried – by way of further tribute by the paper – three articles penned by former chief football writer, Glenn Gibbons, who died last Monday, aged 69.
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THE deadline is looming for the latest batch of nominees to be inducted into The Radio Academy Hall of Fame.
Nominations have to be submitted by Friday, 1700 hours.
View those already inducted, here.
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BEGINS Scott Wright in today’s Herald newspaper: “Frame, the Glasgow-based creative marketing agency, has embarked on a joint venture that will see it move into consumer public relations for the first time.
“The company has joined forces with Edinburgh corporate communications and strategy specialist, Charlotte Street Partners, and experienced PR operator, Stephen McCranor, to develop the business.”
Read more, here.
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ROGER Cox, in The Scotsman today, follows up a piece penned in June (as noted here on allmediascotland) about Edinburgh-based Trafika Europe, “an online radio station celebrating European literature in English translation”.
Read more, here.
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