Tories urge support for newspapers

Published on Thursday 12 March 2009 20:28

TORY media spokesman Ted Brocklebank has called on the Scottish Government to re- consider its decision to switch its advertising to the internet in a bid to tackle the financial problems in the newspaper industry.

Brocklebank wrote to enterprise minister Jim Mather asking him to act after Scotsman owner Johnston Press on Wednesday reported pre-tax losses of 429.3 million and said advertising revenues were down 19.5 per cent year on year.

Brocklebank said: "I believe the SNP administration has to address the question of governmental advertising, particularly public notices, many of which are now being switched to the net."

He also highlighted the recent 600m government bail-out to the French media industry.

A spokesman for Mather said: "We recognise that Scotland's newspaper industry is facing a number of challenges in the current climate.

"There is an absolute shared conviction that newspapers still have an important role to play in the economic and democratic fabric of Scotland."