Twist in the Tribune tale

There is a fascinating twist in the Sunday Tribune story. At first, it looked as though the Tribune, which called in the Receiver this week and suspended publication, had appeared on Ireland's news-stands after all this morning. In fact it was four pages wrapped around the Mail on Sunday. There is inevitably lots of outraged reaction from Tribune readers and staff and an explanation from the MoS editor. The story is covered by RTE. But all of that aside, it's interesting to see there are still newspaper sales departments with some 'street' creativity. My favourite newspaper marketing story comes from the 1980s when a strike meant that the Daily Express and Daily Star would not be printed. The Birmingham Mail ran the story of the strike and then went into Wolverhampton - the home of the Express & Star - with bill posters declaring No Express and Star today. Good tale ... although it may well be apocryphal. If anyone knows anything more, I would love to hear it. 

Can Sunday Tribune survive for a third time?

Twelve months ago I was delivering training to a newsroom of talented and dedicated journalists at the Sunday Tribune in Dublin. It was then a traditional broadsheet with a lighter touch and renowned for its excellent sports coverage. Edited by experienced Dublin journalist Noirin Hegarty, it went compact in September and there is a video of the design changes here. In newspaper terms it is a Johnny-come-lately, having been set up in 1980, but it has given a good account of itself in a crowded market over the last 40 years. Recently though, with the Irish economy in a parlous state, its sales have dropped alarmingly from more than 65,000 in 2009 to around 54,000. Today the 43 staff have the sword of Damocles hovering just above their heads. The journalists are writing stories for a newspaper that may well not appear. The Receiver was called in yesterday after Independent News & Media, which owns 30% of the paper, withdrew its backing. The staff should find out today whether they still have jobs and whether there will be an edition this weekend. If it does close it will be the second Irish Sunday to disappear in a month, following the Irish Sunday Star's demise in January. The Tribune is a tough old paper though - and no stranger to threats of closure. It survived receivership in 1982 and ten years later it was saved from bankruptcy when IN&M stepped in. Here's hoping it can survive a third time. There is a Facebook 'Save the Sunday Tribune' campaign and also an organised move to get people to buy the paper if it does come out on Sunday. Get your orders in. 

Old and new media = a cracking tale

At the broadsheet Sunday Tribune in Dublin this week where the dominant story is a fascinating mix of old and new media - spiced up with a bit of sex and politics. Pencil Sharpener