REPORTS the website, holdthefrontpage: “Plans to close a weekly newspaper leading to possible redundancies have been announced by Johnston Press.
“JP says it is considering proposals to close the East Lothian News, which also includes the Musselburgh News, as part of a review of its print portfolio.
“The plans would leave ‘a small number of roles’ at risk of redundancy, and come after the company closed 11 newspapers [UK-wide] as part of its ongoing cost reduction programme earlier this month.”
Read more, here.
And says pressgazette.co.uk: “Johnston Press is planning to close two weekly newspapers in Scotland and ‘reposition’ a third as a ‘community newspaper’.
“The publisher has said the East Lothian News and and Musselburgh News ‘may close as a result of a current review’.
“The proposed closures may result in a ‘small number of roles’ being placed at risk of redundancy.
“Johnston Press also plans on ‘repositioning’ the Midlothian Advertiser as a ‘community newspaper’. This would see an ‘increase in content contributed by readers’.
Read more, here.
A Johnston Press statement says: “The East Lothian News (including the Musselburgh edition) may close as a result of a current review of JP’s print portfolio. Its future is currently being considered and staff have been informed that a small number of roles may be placed at risk if the proposals to close the title go ahead. A decision will be made in due course and staff updated accordingly.”
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BEGINS The Herald: “Storm ID has scooped the top prize at the 2015 Herald Scottish Digital Business Awards.
“The Edinburgh-based digital agency collected the award at a packed prizegiving and dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow last night.”
Read more, here.
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THE Glasgow-headquartered media and marketing magazine, The Drum, reports, of its latest intitiative: “The Drum is to produce new research as it aims to compile a list of the Best UK [marketing services] Agencies.
“Scheduled for a release in December, The Drum’s Best UK Agencies publication will research and rate marketing services agencies depending on client and award wins from the year, as well as its financial performance and peer ratings by working with a number of expert partners.
“As a result of the review, a final list of 50 agencies will feature in a book profiling them and exploring their success for the year.
“The Drum will work alongside former Campaign deputy editor and editor of The School Report, Jeremy Lee in creating the Best UK Agencies list, as well as Brandwatch, The Gunn Report, the Recommended Agency Register (RAR) and Kingston Smith, who will provide data to be reviewed.”
Read more, here.
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THE website, Scottish Legal News, is carrying a story headlined, ‘Lord Advocate calls for media restraint in Sheku Bayoh inquiry’ – here.
The story is picked up by, among others, The Scotsman, here.
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AND says the standfirst to a story in the Daily Record: “Former Daily Record journalist, Bob Shields, and business partner, Don Lawson, are seeking £300,000 damages in dispute with Tartan Army magazine.”
It’s to do with the rights to the name, ‘Tartan Army’, as reported, here, by the Record, and also here (The Herald) and here (The Scotsman).
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A FORMER sports editor of The Press and Journal has died.
Says the P&J: “Alastair MacDonald, a Press and Journal sports journalist and Dons fanatic who was lucky enough to see and write about his beloved club’s most famous and successful years, has died aged 85.
“Mr MacDonald was the paper’s sports editor at the time Aberdeen were a force to be feared in European football and witnessed the ‘Gothenburg glory’ of 1983 when the team beat Real Madrid to lift the European Cup Winner’s Cup.
“His career also saw him follow the Tartan Army around the world with Mr MacDonald travelling to watch Scotland’s performances in four World Cups.”
Read more, here.
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MORE from Scot, David Dinsmore’s speech at the Society of Editors conference – as noted here, in Wednesday’s Noon Briefing.
He was speaking in his capacity as chief operating officer at News UK, and this latest report is on the website of the News Media Association.
Read more, here.
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BEGINS holdthefrontpage.co.uk: “A fight to give animals better protection in law is set to be taken to the Scottish Parliament by a regional daily.
“The Greenock Telegraph launched its Justice for Pets campaign in June after it revealed a man suspected of bludgeoning defenceless animals to death with a golf club at a petting zoo on its patch would not face justice.”
Read more, here.
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