Landmark Media CEO exits as Irish Times swoops for group
THE CEO of Landmark Media, whose titles include the ‘Irish Examiner’ and ‘Evening Echo’ newspapers, has exited the business following the acquisition of the company by ‘The Irish Times’.
Tom Murphy told staff at the ‘Irish Examiner’ that consolidation in the media industry is necessary “to enable it to compete”, adding that the acquisition of Landmark by The Irish Times DAC is the best way to preserve the newspaper brands and related assets.
The deal involved the purchase of the entire business of Landmark Media, whose other titles include the ‘Evening Echo’, ‘Western People’, and ‘Waterford News & Star’ newspapers, and the ‘Roscommon Herald’, as well as the ‘Nationalist’ newspapers in Carlow, Kildare and Laois.
Landmark, which employs some 400 people, also owns two regional radio stations – Beat and WLR FM – and has a 17pc share in Red FM, as well as a number of online publications.
Last night officials from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) met ‘The Irish Times’ management ahead of a meeting between ‘Irish Times’ CEO Liam Kavanagh and ‘Irish Examiner’ staff in Cork today. NUJ secretary general Seamus Dooley said the union welcomed “any development that secures the future of all the titles involved”.
He said the NUJ had secured a number of guarantees from ‘The Irish Times’ including that there would be no merging of editorial functions and there would be a commitment to preserve the “distinct identity” of the ‘Irish Examiner’.