Now even firms going through the hoop can avoid local newspapers!

Why oh why is the Government being SO nasty to the Newspaper Society? And, yet again, Big Dave (who, to be fair, probably has rather more cosmic matters on his mind) has failed to come to their rescue.

The latest crazy idea to deprive newspaper publishers of their 20+ percent returns is that businesses that have gone bankrupt will no longer need to advertise creditors' meetings in two local papers.

Can you imagine just how many angry creditors will now miss those important engagements? Mad.

MPs criticise newspaper publishers

Where's that David Cameron when he's really needed?

I'm sure his friends in the Newspaper Society will get him to come and rough up the nasty oiks who have had a go at them:

Austin Mitchell, Labour MP for Great Grimsby, said: "I think what’s overdone is the companies' loss of profitability.

"When you look at the figures, Trinity Mirror had an operating profit [margin] of 19 per cent, Johnston Press 29 per cent.

"Compare that with Tesco - six per cent. Why are they out to make such huge profits out of the media?"

Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, said: "Newspaper conglomerates have been allowed to build up massive profits over the years.

"They have not invested properly, yet they still want to cream off as much profit as they can. The government must act."

(as reported in Press Gazette)

The best that any of Dave's acolytes could do was ask for special treatment:

Ed Vaizey, Conservative MP for Wantage and Didcot, and shadow culture minister, said the industry decline was clear.

"One major regional news group has seen its advertising decline by 55 per cent in the fourth quarter," he said.

"We all buy our local newspapers assiduously, and we can all see the physical manifestation of what we're talking about. The papers are thinner and the coverage is sketchier."

Vaizey added that the government should "sweep away" legislation that stopped local newspaper groups merging.

No sign of the BBC's big foot here?

Another newspaper closes - BBC not to blame

Well, more evidence that the newspaper industry does not need the BBC's "great big foot" to stamp all over it as it is so good at the job itself.

From Press Gazette

David, David we need you again ...

It seems that Sky News is taking up where the BBC left off, considering an increase in its local news coverage (according to Press Gazette, who heard it in the Lords).

In the interests of justice and fairness, one can only hope that David Cameron will be summoned by the great and good of the Newspaper Society to tell Sky to keep its great big boots off the lawns of local newspapers.

Jut remind me again, who owns Sky?

Long break, new idea

There have been so many acts of self-sabotage performed by the local newspaper industry, none of them being attributable to the BBC's great big foot, that I cannot begin to think about cataloging them.

So, before I start again, take a look at a piece by Richard Addis, from his Shakeup Media blog. Some of the ideas seem to correspond with thoughts expressed on my magazine-oriented blog (Magblog), notably: "Create one single national website for local news."

Jon Slattery gets with it!

I have every respect for Jon Slattery, a veteran reporter of the media scene, but a recent blog post seems to indicate that he has been inhabiting a different planet for a while.

Where, he asks, is the money to come from to run a good local news website? He notes there is not enough advertising revenue to support such an operation, which is why newspapers are such a good idea.

Err, Jon ...

No more local news from local newspapers

Well, David Cameron's speech warning the BBC to keep its "big foot" out of local news looks more perceptive by the day as local newspapers continue to shed jobs and close down wholesale without appearing to offer anything by way of replacement, online or not.

The latest development is:

Eleven Newsquest newspapers to close

leading the NUJ to accuse the publisher of abandoning communities altogether.

In addition, Trinity Mirror in Wales are about to announce swingeing cuts, including getting rid of all but one training officer and possibly a raft of subs.