New chief executive named at Johnston Press

Johnston Press has announced that Ashley Highfield, whose background is in digital media rather than print, will be its new chief executive, succeeding John Fry who will stand down at the end of October.

Highfield is a vice president of Microsoft, responsible for the UK consumer and online business, including the UK's largest content portal MSN.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Highfield was director of new media and technology at the BBC, where he was responsible for the launch of the BBC's iPlayer and editor -in-chief of BBC Online, following which he was CEO of Project Kangaroo, the video-on-demand BBC/ITV/C4 joint venture.

He started his career with Coopers and Lybrand Management Consultancy from where he became managing director of Flextech (now Virgin Media) Interactive. Highfield is a graduate of the City University Business School, a Chartered Information Engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Ian Russell, chairman of Johnston Press said "I am delighted to announce Ashley's appointment. His combined online and media sector pedigree will be a major strength in enabling us to grow our business again. On behalf of the board I would also like to thank John for his major contribution to the Company and wish him well for the future".

• Highfield will be awarded £500,000 of shares under the Company's PSP (LTIP) scheme on his commencement of the chief executive role on 1 November 2011.
• In 2003 Highfield was awarded the Digital Innovator internet award by the Sunday Times (UK) who said his vision of a 100% digital Britain was a "tour de force".
  
• In 2004 he was named ‘most influential individual in technology’ by online technology news site Silicon.Com
• In May 2006, Broadcast Magazine said Highfield is "increasingly coming to be recognised as one of the most influential figures in world media".
  
• The Times in a 2008 profile said analysts described Highfield as a man with “the vision thing”.

NUJ calls for ACAS role over South Yorks strike

The NUJ is calling for Johnston Press to go to arbitration service ACAS in a bid to end the indefinite strike called by union members at its South Yorkshire Newspapers division over job cuts.

The cuts have been proposed at the South Yorkshire Times, Doncaster Free Press, Epworth Bells, Selby Times and Goole Courier.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary said: "We are calling on Johnston Press to enter into meaningful negotiations to resolve the dispute. We want to make sure local news reflects the communities it serves and this battle is about quality and resources. The impact of the cuts is a stark threat not simply to our members’ livelihoods but to local news and the future of the industry.”

The NUJ chapel has agreed a motion stating: “The senior management of South Yorkshire Newspapers (SYN) and indeed Johnston Press (JP) has shown that it is absolutely incapable of producing or expediting any kind of fair or lawful consultation on a redundancy plan which we believe will fatally damage its titles, our jobs and futures, and which will harm a free Press in this country.

"Instead the company has relied on a combination of bullying, harassment and bunker mentality to deliver a no-consultation approach in unlawfully pushing through these proposals. For this reason, the SYN chapel now calls on the auspices of the Government in the form of ACAS to intervene in this dispute.

"If the company yet again fails to engage, this demonstrates the complete moral, managerial and strategic redundancy of SYN and JP itself. The SYN NUJ chapel re-iterates its willingness to meaningfully negotiate a settlement of this dispute which does not harm our titles, our members or the future of the Press.”

Striking editor reveals Johnston Press editorial pay

Jim Oldfield, the editor of the South Yorkshire Times who is supporting an indefinite NUJ strike starting today at Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Newspapers over redundancies, has revealed his salary and those of other members of the editorial staff.

Speaking at an NUJ meeting in London last night, Oldfield said his annual pay after 37 years in journalism, which has included working for the national press, is £25,500.

Oldfield said trainee journalists at South Yorkshire Newspapers were on £14,000; page designers £15,000; senior reporters £18,000; and assistant editors £24,000.

"How can we continue to attract and keep the people we need to get the news stories that keep this country free?," he said. "It's a scandal."

In contrast, he said the union had discovered that the company's former md at South Yorkshire Newspapers was on £91,000.

Oldfield estimated that Johnston Press have cut more than 230 journalists' jobs in the last year. "They've nothing left to asset strip and are now picking at the bones to make a thin stew."

He claimed that he and other NUJ members at South Yorkshire Newspapers had been targeted for redundancy because they were in the union.

Oldfield also revealed that he had got a story about the strike into this week's issue of the South Yorkshire Times but only after a five-and-a-half hour stand-off with Johnston Press management as the paper was due to go to print.

• More South Yorkshire Newspapers pay figures here and how they compare to other workers.
• Francois Nel at UCLAN in Preston has started a survey of journalists' pay after reading this post.
  

Pic: Jon Slattery

Editor puts paper's NUJ strike story on front page

The NUJ today congratulated the editor of the South Yorkshire Times for putting details of a potential journalists' strike against editorial job cuts at the Johnston Press-owned paper on the front page of the newspaper this week.

It follows the Johnston Press move to make half of the paper's editorial staff in Mexborough redundant. The editor, the editorial assistant and a reporter, out of a staff of six, are facing losing their jobs.

NUJ members at South Yorkshire Newspapers have already voted unanimously to ballot for strike action over the proposed redundancies.

South Yorkshire Times editor Jim Oldfield said: "This is real journalism in action. The Times is currently fighting a brave and protracted battle to keep its core towns from decimation during this recession, I make no apology for acquainting our readers with the changes being proposed for their champion title.

"I am pleased that the company appear to have had an adult reaction to the story."

NUJ Northern and Midlands regional organiser Chris Morley said: “So often news about local job cuts and industrial action are given prominence in local and regional newspapers – except when those newspapers are the subject for these.

“It is time editors stopped self-censoring their newspapers for fear of displeasing the corporate owners who are robbing them of the editorial resources to produce their own newspaper and website. I congratulate the editor of the South Yorkshire Times for being prepared to carry out his duty to the community his newspaper serves. It is important readers know the facts about the cuts and that Johnston Press hear from the staff and communities affected by the their cuts."

NUJ general secretary-elect Michelle Stanistreet said: "This is a great example of our members standing up for quality journalism and we hope other editors will follow the example set by the South Yorkshire Times."

• Click on 'Strike looms' story to make it bigger if you can't read it. In a statement, carried inside the South Yorkshire Times, a JP spokesman said the company is planning a new multimedia editorial hub in Doncaster and the new plans "will allow the South Yorkshire Times and its sister titles to meet the challenges faced by newspapers in today's very tough economic marketplace."
  

South Yorkshire journalists to ballot on action

Nearly twenty journalists at the Johnston Press-owned South Yorkshire Newspapers are to ballot on industrial action over 18 threatened redundancies after members of the NUJ chapel voted no confidence in their management.

The NUJ claims the redundancies would cause particular damage to the weekly South Yorkshire Times title at its office in Mexborough.

NUJ Northern and Midlands organiser Chris Morley said: "Management’s proposals show how flimsy are the Johnston Press claims to believe in local journalism to serve the communities where its newspapers circulate.

"The company has chosen to attack the editorial department of one of the best performing titles for circulation in its stable. The South Yorkshire Times has fought hard for its reputation as a campaigning newspaper that digs out stories people want to read but this seems to cut no ice with the corporate bean counters.

"Our members are in no mood to accept these wholesale cuts which merely undermine the jobs that remain for the future. It is a disastrous blend of hopelessness and defeatism and shows that Johnston Press has no idea or strategy to grow the business or defend its staff and customers with a positive strategy.”

More jobs to go at Johnston Press in the North

Journalists at Johnston Press centres in South Yorkshire and Humberside face more job cuts under plans unveiled to staff today, says the NUJ.

The cuts, part of 18 redundancies sought across South Yorkshire Newspapers, would have most impact on the weekly South Yorkshire Times, according to the union.

The NUJ says the proposals include closure of the Goole Courier's office and the reduction of the editor's role at both Goole and Mexborough leaving a single editor based at the Selby Times' office to manage all three titles.

In addition,a reporter's role at Mexborough as well as an editorial assistant's post would be cut. Journalists working at the Doncaster centre for the sister Sheffield Star title are also being told that they will now report to the Doncaster editor-in-chief, as well as Sheffield editorial management.

The NUJ added that the company has blamed the cut-backs, which it wants to conclude within a month, on "underperforming advertising and circulation" and the need to reduce costs.

NUJ members will be holding an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the developments.

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern & Midlands Organiser, said: "These proposals show how flimsy are Johnston Press's claims to believe in local journalism to serve the communities where its newspapers circulate. How can a newspaper and website properly engage with the town when it has no editor?

"The ironic element here is that in this announcement, the company has chosen to attack the editorial department of one of the best performing title for circulation in its stable. The South Yorkshire Times has fought hard for its reputation as a campaigning newspaper that digs out stories people want to read but this seems to cut no ice with the corporate bean counters."

• More grim news for regional newspaper jobs. HoldtheFrontPage reports today: "Trinity Mirror is set to axe 26 jobs in Newcastle as one of its flagship evening titles moves to early-morning printing. The Newcastle Evening Chronicle, currently printed mid-morning, is to move to a single-edition structure with the aim of getting the paper into shops 2-3 hours earlier. It will mean a restructure in the editorial department that places 11 jobs at risk of redundancy, with a further 15 print jobs also under threat."
• On Monday the NUJ warned of a journalism jobs meltdown across the industry, in broadcasting and print, even before the latests job cuts were revealed.
  

NUJ not game for Johnston Press free bingo offer

The NUJ has scorned a Johnston Press offer to the group's journalists to play free games of online bingo.

According to the union, JP is telling its staff that they can now play 40 free games of Johnston’s online bingo, proclaiming that this "staff offer is even better" than the 30 free games available to the group’s newspaper readers.

Noting that the group have made 230 journalists redundant in the past year, NUJ negotiator Jenny Lennox said: “It seems that the real lottery for journalists at Johnston’s is whether or not they will still have a job in a year’s time.

“We have been warning for more than a year that the Johnston Press group is being run into the ground. This once-proud newspaper group has destroyed the bond of trust with its journalists, and is destroying a well-regarded brand, further reducing the credibility of the titles in the eyes of its readers.

“It will take a lot more than Bingo to restore that reputation, and the NUJ demands that Johnston management begins today to work with its skilled and dedicated journalists to rebuild a stable of newspapers of which readers, staff and the group can be proud.”

NUJ's letter to Johnson Press shareholders

The NUJ handed out this open letter to Johnston Press shareholders at the company's AGM in Edinburgh today.

Dear Shareholder,

You’ll know only too well that management of your investment has produced little to celebrate in recent times. The current share price stands at just 8p. John Fry, who is finally leaving next March, has presided over a slump in share price from last year’s low of 17p and just over 30p at the 2010 shareholder’s meeting.

The performance of Johnston Press under John Fry’s stewardship has been unimpressive to say the least. Despite the downturn in the company’s fortunes, Mr Fry enjoyed a 4.3 per cent rise in pay to £1.01million in 2010, on top of this he received an additional 32.5 per cent of his base salary as pension contributions. That’s a £1.18million pay package in total. In return he has failed to develop a clear recovery and growth strategy for the company – something of grave concern to employees, shareholders and the many loyal journalists the company surreally claims not to employ.

The Johnston Press annual report boasts about ‘local content,’ ‘teams of local experts’ and proclaims that ‘Content is King’. Yet behind the corporate jargon, the company has reduced staff in its editorial teams dramatically in the last 12 months, with so-called ‘back-office functions’ - which include newspaper content creators - being moved sometimes miles away from the communities they serve.

The much-hailed new content management system is ‘operational’ across the business. This is purely down to the hard work of journalists. The company’s failure to invest in new hardware made the shaky implementation of the system exceedingly difficult. Similar systems have been introduced successfully at other newspaper groups who recognised this was a key investment that couldn’t be brought in on the cheap.

Over 230 editorial staff have been made redundant; significantly, 85 per cent volunteered to leave, a testament to the poor morale amongst staff. Those made compulsory redundant were often treated badly - in some cases individuals were given only a few hours to make a choice between a huge pay cut and imposed relocation or being forced to leave. All of this has taken place at a company that claims to belong to ‘Investors in People’.

The Chairman’s Statement says of Johnston Press – “Our core competences are providing strong local news and information coverage and attracting advertising and associated revenue. Our content and brands are established and well respected in their local communities. Our vision is to utilise that local news and information to create and sustain strong local brands which operate both in print and digital media. To support that vision, our strategy is to innovate locally to maintain print circulation and maximise advertising revenue; develop profitable partnerships which allow us to continue to grow our digital revenues; and develop associated revenue streams which capitalise on our strong local brands”. For anyone familiar with the group’s recent history, those are hollow words indeed.

The future of Johnston Press deserves the diligent attention of shareholders. We hope you will join with us in raising these important issues at today’s meeting and encourage the management to work with us to secure a better future for the company – for shareholders and staff alike.

National Union of Journalists