All of News International’s newspaper titles have been told to cope with flat editorial budgets for the next three years.
In
a briefing to staff, executive chairman Les Hinton said the cost
savings were needed because of circulation pressure and because
advertising revenue has “slowed in a tough retail market”.
According
to the News International briefing, costs at the company have risen by
£135m over the past three years as a result of higher production and
marketing costs, increased editorial because of more pages and a rise
in the cost of newsprint.
The “increasing demand for expensive CD and DVD promotions” was given as another factor.
News International consists of The Sun, News of the World, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Hinton
also told staff at the briefing that News International aimed to become
the “leading online news, entertainment and sports provider in the UK”.
And he said the first of the new £600m presses, announced a year ago, would be operational in 18 months’
time in Broxbourne, north London.
The News International announcement follows Trinity Mirror’s announcement in November of plans to cut up to 770 jobs.
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