News UK seeks 'more autonomy' in Scotland with News Scotland rebrand
News UK has rebranded its Scottish operation simply as News Scotland.
On the 30th anniversary of the company launching in Scotland, News UK is hoping that the move will grant “more autonomy to operate as its own entity, while maintaining close ties to the business’s London headquarter”.
Rebekah Brooks, News UK chief executive, said: “The launch of News Scotland comes at a time when our titles and digital offerings are excelling in the market. One in five adults in Scotland now read our papers – I’m extremely proud of this and have no doubt that we’ll continue to be front and centre of the Scottish news agenda in this exciting new era.”
Richard Bogie, who was appointed as News Scotland general manager last March, was tasked with working across the Scottish Sun and Scottish editions of The Times and The Sunday Times.
On the move, he said: “This is the start of a new chapter for our Scottish business and products and underscores our great belief and confidence in our Scotland operations. Our digital audiences are growing at an unprecedented rate and our commercial business is thriving.
“We made huge inroads with our exceptional coverage during the Scottish referendum and General Election and this re-brand signals a further commitment to delivering the best news, commentary and analysis for the issues unique to Scotland.”
The move comes just two days after reports that at least 100 jobs would be cut at News UK, mostly from the group’s commercial divisions. The move is part of a wider cost-cutting plan being introduced by Brooks to bring the separate commercial divisions at the group under one unit.
Elsewhere, the company is dealing with the fallout after David Dinsmore, former editor of the Sun, was convicted of breaching the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act for publishing a pixelated photo of a girl who was sexually abused by footballer Adam Johnson.