The announcement follows what the publishers claim is the significant investment and successful implementation of ContentWatch, a web-based state-of-the-art content management system. The new system and processes enable the production of high quality content across multiple channels while ensuring each title retains its quality, integrity and unique identity, say the publishers. Importantly each title retains its own editor.
The transformational plan developed by the senior editorial team includes the outsourcing of elements of the subbing process; the merger of news and features on each title into single content units creating super pools of reporters and writers; the merging of digital and print publishing teams and the end of editionising the Mirror titles in Scotland.
It is anticipated that this will result in around 200 editorial job losses across the three titles, of which a significant number are not employees of MGN Ltd but casual workers. Mirror Group Newspapers has now entered into a period of consultation with those staff likely to be affected. The company has also launched a voluntary redundancy programme.
Richard Wallace (pictured), editor of the Daily Mirror, said: "Our future is a multimedia one and we need to transform ourselves into an agile media business, ready to grasp the opportunities and challenges of the multimedia world we now inhabit."
"Our traditional skills and processes have to change to embrace the emerging platforms and keep our titles in good health. We cannot continue to do what we do in the way that we have always done it. We simply have to evolve in order to keep our historic and world famous newspapers as relevant and successful as when they first launched over 100 years ago."
