When will the Echo and Western Mail merge?

News that Trinity Mirror has merged its Welsh operational management with that of North West England, leading to the redundancy of its MD in Wales, (one of whose last tasks was to escort the Prime Minister around the office) must bring closer the day when the group merges the Western Mail and the South Wales Echo.

Over the last year, the two papers have come closer together, with journalists writing copy for both. A few weeks ago the Echo started appearing in newsagents in the morning at the same time as the Western Mail.

Trinity Mirror's weekly titles saw recent mergers of offices and editors, ( an action we were able to fight off three years ago) and prices have gone up yet again. (The Rhondda Leader now costs 75p: six years ago it was 32p).

They will deny it now I am sure, but in the near future we will see a new paper called the South Wales Echo and Mail, or something like it.

Meanwhile, the BBC is bailing out ITV's regional news operation.

Comments

[wayne nowaczyk]

That battle three years ago was to stop the merger of the Leader and Observer titles ie having effectively one newspaper representing Taff Ely and Rhondda.
As the current editor of both titles, I have reorganised things so that the news team of six on site now effectively works for both titles.
However, I can categorically assure readers that the Rhondda Leader and the Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer will continue to have their own distinct identities since they serve completely different communities with different interests.
In the coming weeks, the communities will be seeing far more of our reporters and there will be much more community news - district news has already grown by 25% to four pages. Much more is on the way.
Yes, in a global recession that's seen thousands of redundancies, public bail-outs of banks and major companies going under, costs are under pressure.
But the Leader is still around half the cost of a half pint of beer, a third of a pack of 10 ciggies and about the cost of a pastie.
And it's much better for you than all of the above....Wayne