FirstFoot has spent a wee bit of time chronicling
the less than successful media career of PMPH
(Pock Marked Potato Head) during his tenure as Editor-in-Chief
of Edinburgh based "The Scotsman" newspaper.
Despite throwing millions of pounds of promotional
money at The Scotsman and slashing the cover price to between
20 and 30 pence, sales are on the slide and now full price copies
are running at less than 65,000. And sliding.
So. Let's have a wee look at yer actual track record
here then PMPH.
- The Barclay twins buy the Scotsman. Circulation
is around the 70,000 to 80,000 mark.
- PMPH appointed editor. Slashes cover price,
gives loads of free copies away. Spends lavishly on promotion.
- PHMPH throws lavish party at swanky London
hotel to announce The Scotsman has gone through the 100,000
readership mark.
Yet, the paper has lost 20% of it's paid for readership.
Why should this be ?
Although the free market, right wing principles
of PMPH may have been common currency in the South East of England,
they cut little ice in Scotland where there are now no Tory MP's
at Westminster and where for the most part people have seen through
the pap peddled by Thatcher and her ilk.
However, this has not stopped PMPH introducing
Thatcherite principles into editorial and bringing columnists
on board who would have found a more natural home writing freesheets
for Genghis Khan.
The allegedly insensitive management style
caused a couple of editors to stick two fingers up to PMPH and
many of The Scotsman's best and most experienced journalist to
bugger of to join The Herald and the new Herald on Sunday. The
latter paper was launched opportunely by a savvy Glasgow media
operation sensing a severely wounded opponent in Edinburgh.
The Scotsman is now a broadsheet version of
The Daily Mail. Dumbed down, middle brow, right wing and vacuous.
The only thing that stops a lot of readers from defecting to The
Herald is that the crossword in The Herald is crap. For all it's
woes, The Scotsman has held on to it's syndicated crossword compilers.
(Note to the editors of The Herald .... c'mon guys, get a decent
crossword and you can take readers by the thousands).
To add salt to the wound, London-based national
press have been queuing up to stick the boot in. Recent articles
in The Guardian and The Independent have speculated on how long
PMPH can last.
They have lambasted his track record, questioned
his business sense, and noted that even his radio show has been
given the old heave-ho !
They are even taking pleasure from PMPH's
personal investments in a number of dotcom companies which if
they haven't gone titsup, are producing figures suggesting that
it is only a matter of time. (Of course FirstFoot takes no pleasure
from this).
The FirstFoot conclusion ? In the words of
a famous Tartan Army song:
"Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio,
Cheerio,Cheerio, Cheerio,
Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio,
Cheeeerrrrio"
Usually sung at losing opponents. How very
apt.
