Newspaper business dead? Think again!

Like it or loathe it, you can't dispute the Daily Mail's success as a money-making venture.

Indeed, all those who suggest that the newspaper business is dead should reconsider when they scan the business's new figures.

The Mail is part of a media group, incidentally, which includes Welsh titles such as the South Wales Evening Post, Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal.

Effective Communication MD Alastair Milburn pinged me a story link today which revealed that the Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) had reported a 23% leap in annual profits.

A key factor was a record performance at its Daily Mail and Metro newspapers. One of those freesheets is seen regularly by South Wales commuters.

DMGT's underlying earnings rose from £201m to £247m in the year to October 3 following a bounce in ad revenues and growth in the business publishing divisions.

DMGT's UK consumer businesses achieved a sharp improvement in profitability as a result of cost cuts and growth in national ad revenues. Major advertisers increasing their marketing spend.

Yes, DMGT's regional newspaper wing, Northcliffe Media, saw advertising turnover fall 7% since the end of the fiscal year, with a lower local authority spend a major factor - but group success shows that newspapers can still be tremendously robust vehicles for wealth generation.

Businesses: Ignore newspapers as a marketing tool at your peril.

July 30's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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Social Media Twitter #Swansea
7.24am - SouthWalesNews: Amman valley OAP who launched terror campaign on ex-partner is jailed ... http://trim.li/nk/310H
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Print Carmarthen Journal Click
News - International rugby referee Nigel Owens believes Ammanford's Alex Jones will cope well with her new role as BBC TV One Show presenter. He said: "She'll keep really level-headed.".
Education - Recipients of honorary degrees from Carmarthen's Trinity University College included rugby star Gerald Davies, tenor Dennis O'Neil and Castell Howell Foods founder Brian Jones.
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Broadcast Real Radio 105-106fm Click
News - Last night saw the station's Real People of the Year Awards, with an exclusive performance by Lee Ryan, of boyband Blue. The band are planning a reunion.
Sport - Former Welsh sprinter Iwan Thomas has tipped Llanelli's Dai Greene to become the 400m hurdles European Champion in Barcelona tomorrow (Saturday).
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Links Twitter | Website
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July 16's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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Social Media Twitter #Swansea
08:50, thecolourmill - Congratulations to all Swansea Metropolitan University students who are graduating today.
09:07, SwanseaUni - Massive Increase in Research Investment at Swansea University: Research investment is set to soar at Swansea... http://is.gd/dp6BT

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Print Llanelli Star Click
Commercial 1 - Llanelli's refurbed Greenfield Mediterranean Restaurant advertises an "opening extravaganza" complete with belly dancing.
Commercial 2 - A half-page ad for the National Botanic Garden of Wales flags up two outdoor theatre shows - Romeo and Juliet (Aug 1) and Great Expectations (Aug 15).
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Print South Wales Guardian Click
News 1 - The fight to keep Ammanford courthouse open was being taken to Westminster this week. Local MP Jonathan Edwards was arguing for the retention of the 97-year-old facility during what was likely to be an impassioned debate at Westminster Hall.
News 2 - Monty the python is still on the loose in Tycroes, the man on his trail has disclosed. Reptile expert Geraint "The Snakeman" Hopkins has received around 30 calls from concerned members of the public after last week’s Guardian reported the hunt for the African Royal.
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Print Carmarthen Journal Click
News 1 - Nolan Nicholas established Nolan Windows to create a service-focused business. As the Carmarthen-based firm approaches its 20th anniversary, Nolan believes this ethos has led to it becoming one of Wales' largest independently owned uPVC companies.
News 2 - Visitors from Mexico said an award-winning public toilet in Carmarthen was so disgusting they would have preferred to have gone in the street. The operators denied there was a problem.
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Links Twitter | Website
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June 18's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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Print Carmarthen Journal Click
News - Prince Charles has spoken of the vital role the Carmarthen Journal plays in the lives of the people of West Wales. He praised the paper on its 200th anniversary.
Commercial - Front page promotional hook-ups this week with Haven (half-price family holidays offer) and Ffos Las Racecourse (win tickets for its Father's Day event).
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Broadcast BBC Radio Wales 93-104fm 657 & 882mw Click
News - A Welsh council is writing to all the public bodies it deals with, asking them to stop discriminating against parents who don't live with their children.
Sport - Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips has urged his teammates to make history tomorrow by beating the All Blacks for the first time in nearly 60 years.
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Online Western Mail Click
Words - The BBC has denied allegations by QI host Stephen Fry that intelligent, early evening British TV had been replaced by programmes suitable only for children, such as heavily-promoted shows like the BBC Wales-produced Doctor Who. Click
Pictures - Check out this short but colourful fun slideshow of yesterday's Ladies Day event at Trimsaran's Ffos Las Racecourse. Click
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March 12's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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See you there – The Swansea Business Show takes place at the LC today – well done to blog radio star Mike Leahy for arranging it. Click
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Online BBC Cymru Wales Click
Editorial - Guitarist and singer Micky Jones, one of the founders of Welsh prog rock band, Man, has died aged 63 in Swansea. Click
New life - A Swansea University scheme plans to bring back to life the now dilapidated Hafod copper works which were founded 200 years ago. Click
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Broadcast Bay Radio Click
Editorial – The people of Swansea have been thanked for giving such a warm homecoming this week to the Welsh Guards.
Commercial – Typical ad break ... Chic Blinds Swansea, DVLA driving licences, Trade Centre Wales Neath Abbey, MobilesMeanMoney.Com.
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Print Llanelli Star Click
Editorial - A Llanelli mum who fought leukaemia has spoken of her life-or-death struggle.
Commercial – Great promo for a new Kidwelly retailer ... The Original Factory Shop is offering one Star competition winner a free £250 shopping spree.
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Make every penny count! Andy Pearson can guide your business through the media minefield.
Links Twitter | Website
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March 5's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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Special mention Carmarthen Journal Click
Why – Because it’s 200 years old this week. Congratulations to all who’ve helped in creating such a remarkable media heritage. Media Master salutes you.
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Online BBC Cymru Wales Click
Key local story - A businessman jailed for not fully paying £200,000 for falsely claiming benefits is being charged 8% compound interest on £166,000 he still owes. He was given a suspended prison term at Swansea Crown Court last year. Click
Publicity power – Healthy, pictorial plug for the 30 April-3 May Mumbles blues and jazz festival. They hope to link up with Brittany and Ireland soon. Click
Don’t miss – Volunteers at a bird sanctuary have started cleaning 23 swans covered in cooking oil at a lake in Swansea. The birds were rescued by the RSPCA and taken to the Tinker's Hill Rescue Centre in Amroth, Pembs. Click
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Broadcast Real Radio Click
Key local story - Swansea City manager Paulo Sousa says the club may not sign any more Welsh players due to the treatment of defender Ashley Williams by Wales during this week's Sweden friendly against Sweden.
Typical ad break – Millennium Centre: Mamma Mia, Vauxhall UK, Barratt Homes, British Gas, The Times.  You heard it here - Pop star Lady Gaga has developed a taste for fish and chips; after a Cardiff gig, her entourage ordered 35 portions.
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Print Llanelli Star Click
Promo power – The Mothers Day publicity’s kicked in good and proper; this week Monks health club offers a £59 day of pampering bliss. If your business needs a promotional boost in the build-up to March 14, call Media Master, 07758 745240.
Lead story - The family of a Burry Port nurse who died after an overdose have blamed her death on the Hywel Dda Health Board.
Key opinion – The transformation of Llanelli’s North Dock appears to be gathering pace, brining the promise of development and jobs. Such moves are to be welcomed.
Don’t miss – An ongoing Domino’s Pizza publicity campaign – a free pizza with two Llanelli Star tokens. It’s the sort of campaign that could work for other businesses too.
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Make every penny count! Andy Pearson can guide your business through the media minefield. Phone 07758 745 240. Email andy@andypearsonpublicity.co.uk
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The Links Twitter | Website
What’s missing? Tell us what you’d like to see in these bulletins - email moreplease@andypearsonpublicity.co.uk
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Former Swansea Bay editor makes his garden grow

David Hardy left his post as Carmarthen Journal editor around four years ago. But his influence on the Swansea Bay media scene lives on.

Today he’s the avuncular head of marketing and communications at Llanarthne’s National Botanic Garden of Wales.
One duty is to oversee production of the Garden’s regular magazine Yr Ardd. And very colourful it is too.
The spring issue’s just out (pictured) and features the usual mix of news, background features and publicity for forthcoming events.
Two elements in particular display how the Garden genuinely wishes to embrace the Swansea Bay community – and suggest that there’s plenty of room for other commercial partners and associates.
The first is a full-page ad for the Severn Link, the “flying cat” service due to plough a Swansea-Ilfracombe furrow from this spring. It reveals a marketing tie-up between the two enterprises. I hope it works well for both – and I urge other tourism-related organisations to hop aboard both the ferry and the garden.
The second is a glossy A4 flier insert from the Scarlets. It advertises four imminent home games which have publicity tie-ins with the likes of Princes Gate water, Pembrokeshire’s Bluestone Resort and Llanelli’s Stradey Park Hotel. The flier offers 10% off matchday ticket prices to Garden visitors. In these days of cluttered promotional markets, this is a fine effort by the Garden and the rugby region.
To discuss other creative routes to publicity, give me a call on 07758 745 240.

Swansea Bay media chiefs mull over figures

The shifting sand that is the local news business, including that of the Swansea area, was illustrated dramatically this week.
Six-monthly circulation figures saw online readership rocket but print readership continue to decline significantly.
For instance, although the website of the South Wales Evening Post, Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal was more than 25% up, the print titles fell 8.8%, 4.3% and 5.3% respectively.
The picture from the industry standard ABC was similar for those media folk over in Cardiff, with Swansea-interest titles The Western Mail and Wales on Sunday rising in e-form but sliding in print.
The situation has already seen Establishment-baiting blog Inside Out inquire as to whether it’s time to consider a print equivalent of the BBC in Wales - a nationalised Welsh press power.
Unlikely, I would say – but there’s certainly a case for new, independent operators to start looking at business models which don’t demand large profit margins for people in Lond.
Incidentally, the web and print audience trends of South Wales newspaper publishers are reflected across the UK. Challenging times all around. Who’ll hire – or nurture - the visionary who can convert web traffic into riches?

Audience figures (Jun-Dec 09)

Online (average daily unique users, average monthly unique users, change year on year)
www.walesonline.co.uk (35,570, 758,276, 3.3%)
thisissouthwales (11,524, 196,703, 25.5%)

Print (sales, change year on year)
Dailies
South Wales Evening Post (43,644, -8.8%)
Western Mail (30,133, -10.6%)
Weeklies
Carmarthen Journal (18,576, -5.3%)
Llanelli Star (13,880, -4.3%)
South Wales Guardian (7,028, -12.4%)
Sunday
Wales on Sunday (32,268, -10.3%)

Today's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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Print Carmarthen Journal Click
Key regional story – Council tax hikes of up to 12% are on the horizon as Carmarthenshire Council faces up to the recession.

Key opinion – Council tax: After this year, things start getting pretty scary. Taxpayers could see their council tax bills rise significantly over the next three years.
Promo power – Trimsaran’s splendid new racecourse, Ffos Las, has rightly been aggressive in its marketing. This week’s Journal carries a quarter-page competition panel with the winner getting a family pass for the February 18 raceday.
Other weeklies’ lead stories – Llanelli’s proposed £14m theatre and arts complex will go ahead (Llanelli Star), A family running an international prostitution ring from Pembrokeshire has been jailed (Western Telegraph)
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Broadcast Real Radio Click
Key Welsh story – An Assembly report reveals a that Wales’ maternity services are a postcode lottery. Mums in some areas get better treatment than those in others.
Promo power – Real now have attractive online listings pages, great for some free publicity. Click
You heard it here – Wales rugby star Jamie Roberts is confident ahead of tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland in Cardiff. He says last weekend’s defeat came with a scoreline which flattered England.
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Online BBC Cymru Wales Click
Key local story - Investigations are launched as a man is treated in hospital after cutting his throat with a knife in a Swansea Tesco Click
Publicity power - Marvellous PR for a gallery exhibition: One of Britain's most famous photographers is exhibiting some of his celebrity pictures, including one of actor Richard Burton in the bath. Click
Rugby – Gay referee Nigel Owens says a comment about his sexuality by Welsh international Jonathan Thomas on Twitter was "just banter." Click
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Community Radio Tircoed Click
News - Ministers are due to announce the M4 in south Wales is to become a "hydrogen highway" with alternative energy refuelling points at set locations.
Music - Double plays today from Shania Twain
Appeal - Llys Nini Animal Centre need blankets, rugs and bedding for the dogs, cats and other animals there. Drop them off at the centre in Penllergaer or at any of their shops.
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Make every penny count! Andy Pearson can guide your business through the media minefield. Phone 07758 745 240. Email andy@andypearsonpublicity.co.uk
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The Links
Twitter 
Website Coming soon
What’s missing? Tell us what you’d like to see in these bulletins - email moreplease@andypearsonpublicity.co.uk
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Green dream for Swansea Bay media dynamic duo

Spotted today at the National Botanic Garden of Wales: two influential figures on the Swansea Bay media circuit - Llanelli Star editor Bede MacGowan and former Carmarthen Journal editor David Hardy.
Bede was taking advantage of the Garden's January-free-entry scheme with his lively young family. They lunched in the on-site restaurant, with lamb cawl being one of the dishes showing up on their receipt.
A special events promotion in the Garden's main entrance foyer reminded me that the Star and sister title the Carmarthen Journal are running a promotion that's successfully raising the Swansea Bay profile of some decent local businesses.
The token-collect competition will see the winning couple scoop a wedding at Llanelli's Diplomat Hotel - and a considerable saving on their big day.
Other businesses involved through sponsorship include Welsh Chocolate Fountains, Mike Clarke Printing, Fine Wines Direct UK and the Lush Model Agency.
Courtneys Bridal Wear, of St Clears, are there along with Pure Creations Photography, Saul Cass Jewellers and the ever-reliable Dyfed Menswear.
It's a good move by those enterprises because they're guaranteed publicity on a number of levels.
David, incidentally, is now the Botanic Garden's marketing man and was there on the Sabbath to help the extra workload created by the entry offer. He was last spotted taking something that resembled a sudsy J Cloth to a few of the restaurant tables ...