INL goes it alone on advertising

By Duncan Bridgeman

Monday 16th September 2002

Independent Newspapers yesterday further signalled its break away from the newspaper cartel with plans to establish its own advertising network for three of its papers.

The new advertising network is being set up to represent the Dominion Post, Waikato Times and the Press, Christchurch, and will be based in Newmarket, Auckland.

INL group advertising and business development manager Ian Wells said the consolidated advertising network would eliminate duplication of work by sales staff and the change would take effect from October.

The Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB) would still provide booking and billing services for the new service, he said.

INL was also establishing its own advertising network in Australia to be run by former INL sales executive and owner of the Media Company in North Sydney, Moira Penman.

The move to establish its own advertising network, outside of the NAB, fits in with INL's plans to break away from the New Zealand Press Association and set up its own pseudo news agency.

It follows the appointment of a single editor to handle the business sections of the Press and the Dominion Post amid plans to share resources between the company's nine daily papers, two Sunday publications and 60 community newspapers.

It is also incorporating standalone publication Infotech Weekly into the Dominion Post's Monday business pages.

The company is yet to announce a replacement for former chief executive Tom Mockridge, who has been dispatched to Italy.

INL is also considering shutting a printing press used by the Manawatu Evening Standard and printing the newspaper on more modern presses near Wellington. The move has concerned Palmerston North mayor Mark Bell-Booth as 20 jobs would be lost.

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