10 Informed Spotlight


proposed handing “a large measure of control” of newspaper websites to press officers from outside bodies. Te Local World consortium sold up to Reach for £220m in 2015, making a heſty profit for its founder. At the age of 72, Monty is back on the


David Montgomery: sack-and-slash manager or media moderniser? Ian Burrell profiles the new owner of JPI Media


With his drab-coloured suits and dour demeanour, David Montgomery embodies the cold aura of the Victorian business magnate yet seems to view himself as an inveterate media moderniser with the tech savvy of a Silicon Valley visionary. It is one of many dichotomies of a man who, while dull and aloof in person, has been one of the most compelling figures


in the British press for 30 years. Another striking contrast is the juxtaposition of his unwavering belief in the value of newspapers with his willingness to sacrifice the jobs of journalists who work for them.


But could that be about to change? Montgomery’s latest adventure as a press owner follows his acquisition of JPI Media, the regional publishing stable that includes Te Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post, for the giveaway price of £10.2m through his investment vehicle National World. To some surprise, he is promising to give back control to local newsrooms and is encouraging staff to pursue “exclusive content” over “clickbait”. Such a strategy is different from the one he pursued at Local World, his previous local press venture, when journalists were told to follow a centralised model and to “skim” content from the internet as part of a “content harvesting” process which


frontline. “On a personal level, I think it’s just remarkable that he has taken on this difficult challenge, ” says the media commentator Raymond Snoddy, who has closely followed the career of his fellow Northern Irishman. “I don’t think cost- cuting is an option - he’s going to have to do something to bring these papers back to life.” Steve Auckland, former chief executive of Local World, expects Montgomery to grow the business. “I think JPI was shockingly run from central command over many years and had lost sight of local journalism.” But Laura Davison, the NUJ’s national organiser, points out that, aſter a long period of cost-cuting at JPI Media, reinvigoration can only be achieved by spending money. “People have seen good colleagues leaving the business,” she says. “What they are looking for now is investment and stability.” Te NUJ will meet with Montgomery’s team next month. Te takeover comes amid a crisis in the local press, highlighted by the Cairncross Review and by research published in October showing that daily print circulation of local titles in 2019 was at 31 per cent of 2007 figures, while weekly circulation was at 39 per cent. Te pandemic has exacerbated this circulation decline and sent advertising revenues plummeting. Now reduced to three dominant publishers, the regional sector is having to rethink its model. Newsquest has introduced metered paywalls, while JPI Media had also moved towards a subscription model under a “digital acceleration” programme. Montgomery has built a senior management team with deep experience of the local press, including former employees of Reach/Trinity Mirror, finance chief Vijay Vaghela,


Mat Kenyon


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