MEN publisher warns of BBC regional dominance
The Manchester Evening News is fighting for survival, according to the chief executive of its owner, Guardian Media Group, who also warned MPs that BBC plans for local online video news services could kill off regional newspapers.
Carolyn McCall told a House of Commons select committee that regional newspaper publishers would not be able to compete with the BBC's spending on local news websites and warned: “If you start losing local newspaper local websites you end up with a very strong BBC and nothing else."
The BBC Trust is currently running the rule over the Corporation's plans to spend £68m on video-based news websites across 60 regions of the UK through a public value test, but McCall says the trust has already made it clear it plans to enter the local market.
She brought into question the BBC's proposals at a time when margins in the regional press are already being squeezed 'very hard', an effect GMG has felt through its local title in Manchester. "The Manchester Evening News is fighting to survive - that's not a dramatic phrase,” she said.