Salmond joins bid to seize control of publisher
ALEX Salmond has joined a bid to install new leadership at the publisher of The Scotsman, it was confirmed yesterday.
The former First Minister would become chairman of the Johnston Press group if plans l ed by Norwegian i nvestor Christen Ager- Hanssen are approved by shareholders.
Mr Salmond, who lost his Westminster seat in June’s general election, said he would not have editorial control and each of the 300 or so newspapers in the group should be ‘a champion of the community of interests they represent’.
‘Under our plan, The Yorkshire Post will be pro-Yorkshire, The
‘New direction for the company’
Scotsman pro- Scotland, and The i trusted everywhere for the quality and accessibility of the i nformation i t provides,’ the former SNP leader said.
The Scotsman did not support independence in the run-up to the 2014 Scottish referendum when Mr Salmond was leading the push for a Yes vote.
Since losing his Gordon seat, Mr Salmond has hosted a chat show at the Edinburgh Fringe and a weekly radio programme on LBC.
He said Johnston Press titles had been a ‘constant part’ of his life, with his first job selling the Edinburgh Evening News and his first published letter printed in The Linlithgow Gazette.
‘The Johnston Group has great titles and some great people,’ he said. ‘What it needs is a senior management team to match that commitment.
‘Every local newspaper will be valued for the journalistic reach it can bring to the group and all of the 300 communities covered by the titles will be treated with respect.
‘ Christen Ager- Hanssen is a visionary and I am delighted to be working with him. He is a man with the necessary thought leadership to help this great company move forward confidently in the Information Age.’
Mr Ager-Hanssen, 55, who owns a Scandinavian version of the Metro newspaper and is a share- holder in Johnston Press through his Custos Group, is expected to call an emergency general meeting to put his plans forward.
He said: ‘Alex and I are agreed about the new direction we need to take to save Johnston Press, reinvigorate its staff and transform the company into a digital media powerhouse.
‘We are committed to advocate a new direction for the company which we believe will protect and enhance its future and provide it with real leadership.
‘Central to our vision are the interests of shareholders, staff, pensioners and the communities who trust and rely upon the Johnston titles to provide them with information and news.’
A Johnston Press spokesman said: ‘We’re continuing to focus on producing great newspapers and delivering big digital audiences.
‘In the most recent ABCs, The Scotsman recorded both a print circulation and digital audience rise, which together has helped it increase advertising revenues year on year.
‘More broadly, the i newspaper is performing very well, with revenues up 17 per cent in the quarter, and our digital revenues are up 16 per cent in the quarter.’