Local alliance targets ownership rules

by Maisie McCabe, mediaweek.co.uk 10-Mar-09, 07:30

LONDON - The regional newspaper industry is drawing up an extensive audit of the state of the sector to persuade the Government to abolish local media ownership rules.

The sector, which last week formed the Local Media Alliance to make its case to government, plans to present far-reaching data to communications minister Lord Carter. Carter, as part of his Digital Britain report, has asked the Office of Fair Trading to review media ownership rules.

The information, compiled by consultancy OC&C, will map the entire media environment in each local region, to demonstrate why the ownership rules are now irrelevant.

Roger Parry, chairman of the alliance and outgoing chairman of Johnston Press, said OC&C will pursue a "very rigorous data collection exercise" and its research will include surveys with advertisers.

Parry said the seven major regional publishers were joining together because it would be easier to prove their case if there was "uniformity in survey techniques" and the data will have more impact if they can demonstrate it is "identical across the country". Regional publishers' association the Newspaper Society is involved in the alliance, but is not a full member.

The Local Media Alliance's research plan is a response to Carter's request that the sector prove empirically that the Government should amend local media ownership rules.

A secondary function of the alliance will be to examine the case for regional newspaper publishers investing in video and audio services, with a view to aiding the provision of local news as firms such as ITV scale back their public service broadcasting provision.

The alliance is made up of the chief executives of Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press, Newsquest, Archant, DC Thomson, Northcliffe and Guardian Media Group.