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70 jobs go as Record and Sunday Mail merge editorial

By Owen Amos

The Daily Record and Sunday Mail are merging editorial teams with the loss of 70 jobs, parent company Trinity Mirror announced today.

Trinity Mirror said a “single integrated editorial production operation” would produce both papers, plus free weekly The Glaswegian and free business weekly Business7. The titles currently employ 276 editorial staff.

A consultation for affected staff has begun. The National Union of Journalists is meeting with management this afternoon.

Last year, Trinity Mirror introduced a similar move in Birmingham, cutting 65 jobs and creating one editorial team for the Birmingham Post, Birmingham Mail, Sunday Mercury, Coventry Telegraph and 40 weeklies.

Daily Record editor Bruce Waddell has become editor-in-chief of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, while Sunday Mail editor Allan Rennie has become editorial development director.

Rennie’s role, according to Trinity Mirror, “will include transfer of best practice across the portfolio contributing to product and content development initiatives”.

While making job cuts, Trinity Mirror said it is making a “mutli-million pound investment in cutting edge technology””.

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Software called ContentWatch will allow a “three-step” editorial process to replace the current “five-step” system.

“The current, five-step editorial process – from reporter to newsdesk to designer to sub to revise – has remained largely unchanged for decades,” a statement said.

“This will be replaced with a new, three-step process – content creation, multimedia desk, page finishing – driven by simplified workflows and supported by cutting-edge technology.”

Waddell said: “The Daily Record and Sunday Mail are Scotland’s best-read and most iconic titles. They will remain so.

“They both have fantastic news, sport and features content. Nothing will change in that respect.

“As part of this, we will integrate our growing digital operation into the overall editorial structure.”

Mark Hollinshead, Trinity Mirror’s managing director for nationals, said: “These are extraordinary days in our industry. No business, including ours, has escaped the economic downturn.

“This reorganisation, plus the investment in technology and retraining of staff, will better position us for the future in what will be a dramatically different media economy and commercial environment.”

In January, the Daily Record’s circulation was 354,302 – down ten per cent year on year. The Sunday Mail’s circulation was 442,103, down 9.4 per cent year on year.

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