Johannesburg – Struggling Independent Media is ringing in the changes to its print newspaper titles that will see the disappearance of the Pretoria News and other weekend publications.
Amid squeezed margins, the newspaper group has opted to merge several of its publications.
The Bulrushes has it on good authority that Pretoria News – which has evidently failed to recover from its “Tembisa 10” story that falsely claimed a woman had given birth to a record 10 babies – will be reduced to an insert in The Star.
Just weeks after asking staff for suggestions on how to save the group’s loss-making newspaper titles, radical changes are being implemented by CEO Takudzwa Hove.
Pretoria News will be consolidated into The Star, Saturday and Sunday Weekend Argus will become a single weekend edition, and Isoleswe will combine the weekend titles Isolezwe ngeSonto and Isolezwe Ngomgqibelo into a weekend publication named Isolezwe NgempelaSonto.
In addition, Sunday Independent and Sunday Tribune will be consolidated into a single Sunday edition.
While The Bulrushes could not establish the fate of the editors whose publications had been merged, the company said in an internal memo that engagements with affected staff were underway.
Independent Media has about 1 000 employees.
