The three online brands set to close are: KentLive, AberdeenLive and GalwayBeo.
According to Reach Chief Content Officer David Higgerson, “This is not a reflection of the work done on these titles, or the commitment of the journalists on them. The decision is based on our market position in these areas.”
In a note to staff this morning, Higgerson said: “We are in the middle of a mammoth shift in how audiences want content and journalism. To ensure a sustainable future for our journalism, we must focus our investment in the areas where our audiences spend the most time and where our revenue reflects the value of our work. In our newsrooms, that means less emphasis on story volume and more on original journalism and distinctive brands. It also means that ‘active engaged time’ will become our north star metric, over and above page views, by the end of the year.
“Today’s proposals mean that we are removing approximately 220 roles from our editorial structure, while at the same time creating more than 60 editorial roles. The roles being created are ones which are needed to drive digital revenue growth, particularly in subscriptions and in longer-form video, and enhance brand reputation through well-read journalism which creates loyalty.”
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
