Free newspaper Metro will no longer include local content generated by regional journalists after announcing that it was closing its operations outside the capital.
Three journalists in Birmingham were among about 30 journalists told at the end of last week that they are likely to be made redundant at the end of a statutory 30-day consultation period.
Midlands editor Annete Rubery, her deputy Dan Davies and staff writer David Baldwin – who all contributed Midlands content to the paper’s Metro Life section – were told their fate following a meeting with management last week.
The paper – which is owned by Associated Newspapers but produced in partnership with rival groups in the regions – has also closed its operations in Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Glasgow in an attempt to make savings.
The company said in a statement: “The redundancies are part of Metro’s cost reduction plans, in response to the challenging economic conditions we face. We will be consulting fully with employees affected by this announcement.”
The news came on a particularly bleak day for the national media with both the Johnston Press and Independent News & Media both posting significant losses.
The INM’s UK business – including its operations in Northern Ireland as well as the Independent – fell into the red in the six months to the end of June as revenues dropped 28.5 per cent to 82.6 million euros, making an operating loss of 3.8 million euros.
Johnston Press revealed further pain from the advertising slump as it reported widened half-year losses of £94.2 million.
It said it had axed another 439 jobs to take its workforce down to 5,969 in the first half, following a 15 per cent headcount cull last year.
But the publisher of The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post offered some hope the worst may be behind it as ad revenue declines eased from a 32.7 per cent plunge to a drop of 26.1 per cent in the first two months of the second half.
Johnston’s half-year losses almost double the £53.7 million seen a year earlier after a further £126 million write down in the six months to June 30 as the recession continues to lower the value of its titles.
The Edinburgh-based group was forced to play down reports earlier this week that it was in talks to sell The Scotsman to a consortium of Scottish businessmen as speculation over a sale of the title gathers pace.
