Newry Democrat is bought by Alpha Group
Media group Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH) has sold one of its regional newspaper titles, The Newry Democrat, to the Alpha Newspaper Group in Northern Ireland for an undisclosed sum.
The deal, which was announced yesterday, is subject to approval by the Competition Authority.
The Newry Democrat has been part of the TCH group since 2001.
The Alpha Newspaper Group is owned by former unionist MP Lord Kilclooney.
Patrick Short, company secretary, said: “The Democrat will strengthen the Alpha Group and the Alpha Group will strengthen the Newry Democrat.
“The Democrat will continue with its existing ethos and operate from its present offices in Newry city. Newspread will continue to distribute the Democrat.
“As the Gazette in Armagh City and the Outlook in South Down are both Alpha titles the addition of the Democrat will provide a cluster of three titles in South Down; Newry City.’’
The acquisition comes just days after the Alpha Group closed three of its newspapers in the Republic of Ireland.
Management informed staff earlier this week that three titles - the Athlone Voice, the Longford News and the Roscommon Champion - would close with immediate effect leading to the loss of 40 jobs.
The NUJ said the closures had been done with “indecent haste’’ but Irish Secretary Seamus Dooley said it was still not too late to save the papers.
Mr Dooley said: “The Athlone Voice is a new title in a difficult market. The Roscommon Champion and the Longford News are long established titles and form an important part of the landscape of the Midlands. The closure of the newspapers represents a blow to media diversity as well as a significant blow to the economy of the Midlands.
“Alpha Newspapers entered the market in the south fully aware of the tough competition in the region.”
He added: “It is not too late to save the newspapers and we would urge Lord Kilclooney and his board to take a step back, even at this stage. We would also urge local politicians to use their influence with Lord Kilclooney at this crucial time.”
No one from the Alpha Newspaper Group was available for comment.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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