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Local media ownership review looks at survival of newspapers
Mark Sweney Guardian Friday 13 February 2009
DATELINE: 14/2/09
The Office of Fair Trading has today (13 February) launched its review of local and regional media ownership with a focus on whether existing rules should be relaxed to help the beleaguered newspaper industry.Competition regulators have begun the review, which was promised in communications minister Stephen Carter's interim Digital Britain report last month, by seeking views from stakeholders on the key media ownership issues to focus on. The OFT said today (13 February) that the main focus of the review will be on print media.
The review will also look at areas including the extent to which regional newspaper markets are self contained either in relation to advertisers or to readership, and the extent to which public service broadcasters, local authorities and other public sector bodies that provide news are in competition with commercial local media companies.
Competition regulators will also look at whether the requirement for a sufficient plurality of views in newspapers in each market in the UK is realistic, or desirable, in the digital age. Regional newspaper and commercial radio executives have been calling for the government to relax ownership rules as their businesses come under increasing pressure from the double whammy of the recession and the rise of the internet hitting ad revenue.
A relaxation of ownership rules could pave the way for more consolidation in the regional print sector and for newspaper publishers to buy more local radio stations."Local and regional media is an important part of the economy, which is currently subject to a range of pressures," said Amelia Fletcher, senior director of mergers at the OFT."Initially we are asking for views on the key issues the review should focus on.
Following this we will engage in detail on how the current media merger regime is operating in both protecting competition for relevant audiences and advertisers, and maintaining media plurality," Fletcher added. The review will be handled by a steering group made up of senior officials from the OFT, media regulator Ofcom, the Competition Commission, and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
A full discussion document on the review will be issued in mid-March. The OFT plans to complete the review by mid-April, and submit findings to government to fit the timescale for the publication of Lord Carter's final Digital Britain Report, which is due in early summer.David Newell, director of the Newspaper Society, the body that represents regional publishers, said: "The NS welcomes today's announcement that the OFT is reviewing the local and regional merger regime within the timeframe of the Digital Britain report.
It is helpful that the government has specifically asked for the review to examine a number of the main issues which the NS has been asking the government to address as a matter of urgency. "Newell added that the priorities were diversity of competition, need for clear competition authorities guidance on specific local media mergers and the extent to which public service broadcasters and local authorities constitute competition to independent local media.
"We look forward to the opportunities that Digital Britain will give regional and local media companies to enable them to develop public service content across all media platforms including regional TV news," he said. "We will meet with the OFT and Ofcom this month and will respond to each of the review stages between now and its completion in mid-April."
Last modified: Thursday, March 5, 2009
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More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
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UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
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Previous stories
Media Ownership
Local media ownership rules 'likely to be relaxed'
BSkyB loses appeal ruling
Appeals tribunal rules BSkyB must sell ITV stake
Tribunal to rule on BSkyB's ITV stake
TUC condemns erosion of civil liberties and press freedom
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Lords take stand against media barons
BBC Trust concludes its review of bbc.co.uk
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