The Birmingham Post will be developed as a multimedia brand with a comprehensive 100-page minimum weekly print title covering in-depth business news and analysis. The new weekly title will be complemented by a brand new daily online breaking news and comment service. Daily publication of the print title will cease.
The Birmingham Mail will move to overnight production early in the new year. The title will be on sale earlier giving readers and advertisers an unbeatable local news and advertising service.
In addition to these developments, it is proposed to streamline the editorial operation by introducing a new, two-step process, centred around 'smart templating' of pages. Successfully adopted by Trinity Mirror's North West region earlier this year this method involves reporters writing into pre-determined story shapes and offers the flexibility to turn content into finished pages at speed.
This means most of the roles in the production unit at Fort Dunlop, which serves the Mail, Post, Sunday Mercury and Coventry Telegraph, are at risk of redundancy.
There will also be a reduction in the number of photographers in the Midlands and a small reduction of staff on Trinity Mirror's Midlands weekly titles.
In total, approximately 40 editorial roles are at risk of redundancy. As many of these as possible will be sought through voluntary means.
As well as affecting the editorial departments these proposals will clearly have a significant impact on the transport, distribution and newspaper sales departments which, combined, will result in further anticipated redundancies of approximately 42 job roles.
The changes announced today are the result of a detailed review, launched in the summer, to address a forecast £6 million loss facing Trinity Mirror's Midlands business in 2010.
Managing director of BPM Media, John Griffith, said: “In reaching the decisions we are announcing today, we have taken great care to consider all the options and we have sought the views of our staff, advertisers and key contacts.
“We believe the changes we plan to introduce offer the best way forward for the business, to help us tackle the immediate issue of the forecast deficit and to set us up more effectively for the longer term.”
