After months of speculation that Trinity Mirror would make some drastic changes to its Midlands portfolio, the publisher has finally confirmed that the Birmingham Post is to become a weekly and the Birmingham Mail will become an overnight, morning title.
From 12 November, the Post will be published on Thursdays as a 96-page tabloid with two to four regular supplements. The Mail, which is published on the day as news happens, will be printed overnight from early next year.
It’s not hard to see why Trinity Mirror has come to this decision. With print advertising still declining, and facing dramatically falling sales, regional newspapers have been hit hard and the Birmingham Post and Mail are no exceptions. In the first six months of the year, the Post lost 23.8% of its sales to sell just 6,489 copies a day, while the Mail dropped by 15.1% to 54,699. The changes will address a forecast £6m loss that looms for Trinity Mirror’s Midlands business in 2010.
Trinity has yet to disclose any details on how much the Post will cost as a weekly, but hopefully, for the sake of retailers selling both newspapers and the future of regional press, any lost revenue from the lower frequency will be recouped by a renewed interest in the titles.
