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Metro Herald Newspaper Ceases Publication

  • 15-12-2014 6:43pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,562 ✭✭✭


    Metro Herald has shut down.

    http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1215/667055-metro/
    13 full-time jobs are to be lost as the Metro Herald and its online version GoMetro.ie print their last editions on Friday 19 December.

    According to Paul Crosbie, managing director of publisher Fortunegreen Ltd, the business model has become unsustainable in a difficult advertising environment.

    Another newspaper bites the dust.


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭Greenmachine


    Now what am I supposed to read on the bus?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,562 ✭✭✭JTMan


    More on this breaking news from The Irish Times here.
    Fortunegreen is owned equally by The Irish Times Ltd, Independent News & Media (INM) and DMG Ireland Holdings Ltd, which publishes the Irish Daily Mail. The title was printed by The Irish Times Ltd at its plant in Citywest.

    IN&M, IT and DMG were not willing to put more money into this newspaper.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,438 ✭✭✭✭Loafing Oaf


    the business model has become unsustainable in a difficult advertising environment.

    Well if it couldn't break even with only 13 employees I think that's safe to say...

    Still presumably I won't have to dodge the Ali G guy handing out Metros at the entrance to GC Dock Dart any more, so, every cloud...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,885 ✭✭✭IRE60


    At one point in 2006 there were about 130,000 'free newspapers' being distributed every morning - between the two. Their last ABC was 40,000, the previous year it was 60,000 - writing firmly on the wall.

    IN&M only got into the market to stymie the efforts of the origination Metro - so, they never really had that much skin in the game.

    Again, the two big shareholders, Times and IN&M probably trying to focus on their core products - and this was only a distraction.

    But as mentioned in another post on the Landmark situation, publishers will be ruthless to the under performing products over the next few months.

    C


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,438 ✭✭✭✭Loafing Oaf


    IRE60 wrote: »

    IN&M only got into the market to stymie the efforts of the origination Metro - so, they never really had that much skin in the game.

    C

    And presumably cannibalising sales of the (already struggling) actual Herald so kind of a no-brainer for INM...


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,349 ✭✭✭✭super_furry


    The letters page was usually funny.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,885 ✭✭✭IRE60


    And presumably cannibalising sales of the (already struggling) actual Herald so kind of a no-brainer for INM...

    Oddly, it didn't have a huge impact to the Herald's sales. The Metro AM reader was different cohort.

    There should be a 'Dead Pool' started for the products remaining - with the publication and the month/year of their demise. Closest to the first victim wins - the accolade of Media Shamen.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,562 ✭✭✭JTMan


    IRE60 wrote: »
    There should be a 'Dead Pool' started for the products remaining - with the publication and the month/year of their demise. Closest to the first victim wins - the accolade of Media Shamen.

    Ha! :D Count me in!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 380 ✭✭ScottSF


    It is very sad to learn of their closure. I'm surprised the growing and young population of Dublin could not support a free daily newspaper. It had a large daily readership and their on-the-street staff always had a smile on their faces.

    A large number of large metro areas have one or even two free daily newspapers given out on the street and near public transport. And typically they contain a lot more pages of articles, ads, and event listings. London is an obvious example but many smaller cities too. The Dublin Metro was thin which I'm not sure if that was a way to reduce printing costs or because they couldn't afford more journalists and get more paid advertising.

    As someone who very rarely buys a "regular" newspaper, I'll certainly miss their informative and entertaining bit of news. So many people have stopped buying newspapers so the free model (like most news websites online) was the natural evolution in my opinion. Bummer! I hope a new publisher see this opportunity and enters the market, especially to promote Dublin events - there is a lack of "What's On Tonight" content in the local media.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,438 ✭✭✭✭Loafing Oaf


    ScottSF wrote: »
    So many people have stopped buying newspapers so the free model (like most news websites online) was the natural evolution in my opinion.

    i was just thinking about this last night actually. A lot of talk about freesheets being the way forward in light of the success of the Evening Standard but if the Metro Herald couldn't make a go of it with the Indo, Irish Times and Irish Daily Mail behind it and only 13 full-time staff...I think that's a pretty definitive verdict on this model for the Irish market anyway.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,885 ✭✭✭IRE60


    ScottSF wrote: »
    It is very sad to learn of their closure. I'm surprised the growing and young population of Dublin could not support a free daily newspaper. It had a large daily readership and their on-the-street staff always had a smile on their faces.

    A large number of large metro areas have one or even two free daily newspapers given out on the street and near public transport. And typically they contain a lot more pages of articles, ads, and event listings. London is an obvious example but many smaller cities too. The Dublin Metro was thin which I'm not sure if that was a way to reduce printing costs or because they couldn't afford more journalists and get more paid advertising.

    As someone who very rarely buys a "regular" newspaper, I'll certainly miss their informative and entertaining bit of news. So many people have stopped buying newspapers so the free model (like most news websites online) was the natural evolution in my opinion. Bummer! I hope a new publisher see this opportunity and enters the market, especially to promote Dublin events - there is a lack of "What's On Tonight" content in the local media.

    I think you have to remember that the Metro and Herald AM started in 2005 and in the intervening years a lot has happened.

    The proliferation of tablets coupled with the huge increase in free wi-fi access available in public transport would have had an impact.

    The paper was sustainable, but only at a certain level of readership and a circulation of 40,000 wouldn't have delivered too much.

    The cost of distribution at those levels would be vaguely prohibitive. And the models of Free papers in other cities across Europe and here was different. There was a massive reluctance by D.C.C. and other councils to have distribution from 'drop bins' as you'll find in other cities. That meant that they had to be delivered by hand - in a huge number of drop points for the Standard they are un-manned - so there's huge cost savings there.

    There's plenty of other subtle but cost impacting differences between the Metro distribution here and in other cities outside the Republic- but at the end of the day it made for a more costly model.


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