Bristol Media firm commits commercial suicide…

…or, at least, according to a contact of mine, in Bristol at the moment a publishing house is just about to.

Heard through the grapevine of a Bristol-based business magazine publishing house today which has made redundant its editorial department. Nothing new there, we’ve seen hundreds of UK journalists made redundant in the last six months.

But here’s the kicker.

The magazines are still, allegedly, to be published. Each and every month. But who, you may ask, is going to provide the content for the two monthly 94-page, sector-leading, business to business magazines? According to my contact, the Managing Director is doing it. A highly-trained…salesman, no less. The competing magazines must be rubbing their hands with glee today.

Yep, this publishing firm – in the middle of the Media Gem of the South West that is Bristol, with its increasing commercial community, excellent workforce availability and proximity to the business hubs of London, Birmingham and Manchester – is going to lose its full-time editorial staff and write the copy for its publications. In-house. By the very own MD’s hands. Without any training or journalistic knowledge. Using press releases only. No exclusives. No researched features. Oh dear.

Myself and my contact have placed a sweepstake – he reckons the firm will go down in six months. I estimate three. Your guess?