British daily newspaper for North West England
The
Manchester Evening News
(
MEN
) is a regional daily newspaper covering
Greater Manchester
in
North West England
, founded in 1868. It is published Monday?Saturday; a Sunday edition, the
MEN on Sunday
, was launched in February 2019.
[3]
The newspaper is owned by
Reach plc
(formerly Trinity Mirror),
[2]
one of Britain's largest newspaper publishing groups.
Since adopting a 'digital-first' strategy in 2014, the
MEN
has experienced significant online growth, despite its average print daily circulation for the first half of 2021 falling to 22,107. In the 2018 British Regional Press Awards, it was named Newspaper of the Year and Website of the Year.
History
[
edit
]
Formation and
The Guardian
ownership
[
edit
]
The
Manchester Evening News
was first published on 10 October 1868 by
Mitchell Henry
as part of his
parliamentary
election campaign, its first issue four pages long and costing a halfpenny.
[4]
The newspaper was run from a small office on Brown Street, with approximately a dozen staff.
[5]
Upon the newspaper's launch, Henry said: "In putting ourselves into print, we have no apology to offer, but the assurance of an honest aim to serve the public interest."
[5]
Henry's quote is displayed on the entrance wall to the newspaper's modern offices.
[5]
With his Parliamentary bid unsuccessful, Henry lost interest in the business, selling the publication to John Edward Taylor Jr., the son of newspaper proprietor
John Edward Taylor
, founder of the
Manchester Guardian
(now
The Guardian
). The newspaper became the evening counterpart and sister title to
The Manchester Guardian
and the two titles began sharing an office, located on Cross Street, from 1879.
[6]
Taylor brought his brother-in-law Peter Allen in as a partner in the
Manchester Evening News
and, after Taylor's death in 1907, the
Guardian
was sold to its editor
C. P. Scott
while the
Evening News
passed into the hands of the Allen family. In 1924, C. P. Scott's son
John Russell Scott
reunited the papers, buying out the
Manchester Evening News
and forming The Manchester Guardian and Evening News Ltd, which in turn later became the
Guardian Media Group
(GMG).
[7]
In 1936, John Russell Scott formed the
Scott Trust
in order to protect the company from
death duties
, following the deaths of his father and younger brother
Ted
in close succession.
[7]
The contents of the original deeds were not disclosed by the company, but a copy obtained by
The Independent
revealed the terms compelled trustees to "use their best endeavours to procure that the [...]
Manchester Guardian
and
Manchester Evening News
[...] shall be carried on as nearly as may be upon the same principles as they have heretofore."
[8]
[nb 1]
During the editorship of
William Haley
(who later became the
Director-General of the BBC
and subsequently the editor of
The Times
) in the 1930s, the newspaper's circulation grew to over 200,000.
[6]
By 1939 the publication was the largest provincial evening newspaper in the country.
[10]
The newspaper was a
cash cow
for its parent company and kept its stablemate
The Manchester Guardian
afloat. The financial success of the
Manchester Evening News
was reflected in Haley's salary, which was even greater than John Scott's, with Scott himself acknowledging, "after all, you make the money we spend."
[6]
In 1961, The Manchester Guardian and Evening News Ltd bought out the
Manchester Evening News
'
s ailing rival, the
Manchester Evening Chronicle
, and two years later, merged the papers.
[6]
Following this, the
Manchester Evening News
'
s circulation increased to over 480,000.
[11]
From 2004 until July 2009, the newspaper collaborated with
Channel M
to produce that Manchester-area TV station's flagship programme, the 5pm weeknight edition of
Channel M News
.
The programme later expanded to include bulletins at breakfast,
[12]
lunchtime
[13]
and late evening, a weekly review programme, and also occasional live specials.
Trinity Mirror acquisition
[
edit
]
In December 2009, GMG confirmed it had held "exploratory talks" about selling the
Manchester Evening News
,
[14]
following a report by
The Daily Telegraph
which named
Trinity Mirror
as a potential buyer and claimed the "disposal would amount to a fire sale" due to the current value of the business.
[15]
The title estimated the
Manchester Evening News
alone to be worth about £200m prior to the collapse in newspaper advertising.
[15]
In February 2010, the
Manchester Evening News
was sold along with GMG's 31 other regional titles to
Trinity Mirror
, severing the historic link between
The Guardian
and the
Manchester Evening News
.
[16]
The sale was valued at £44.8m ? £7.4m in cash and the remainder from GMG extricating itself from a £37.4m decade-long contract with Trinity Mirror to print its regional titles.
[17]
The sale of GMG's regional arm was negotiated to offset company losses, with
The Guardian
and its Sunday title
Observer
accruing losses of £100,000 a day.
[18]
The sale was described by stockbrokers
Numis
as "the deal of the decade" for
Sly Bailey
, Trinity Mirror's chief executive,
[18]
while
The Guardian
'
s Steve Busfield said the sale was indicative of the declining business value of regional media, comparing the sale to that of
Johnston Press
's acquisition of 53 regional titles including
The Yorkshire Post
eight years earlier, for £560m.
[19]
In the year prior to the newspaper's sale, GMG had reduced the number of journalists at the newspaper to 50.
[8]
Judy Gordon, the
National Union of Journalists
mother of the chapel
, said: "
The Guardian
has not got any money of its own. It has only got what other people give it. We've made all those changes to stem the fact that our profits are dropping. Then they ask: 'How much can you give us now? Nothing? OK, Bye.'"
[8]
The
Manchester Evening News
headquarters were relocated from Scott Place in the
Spinningfields
area of
Manchester city centre
to an existing Trinity Mirror plant in
Chadderton
, where other Trinity Mirror titles in
North West England
are printed.
[20]
In 2013, the title surpassed 10 million monthly online readers for the first time, recording 10,613,119 visitors.
[21]
Editions
[
edit
]
Despite its "evening" title, the newspaper began publication of a morning edition in November 2004, a controversial move which brought union members to the brink of strike action over new work rotas.
"Football Green" and "Football Pink"
[
edit
]
For years the paper was famous for its "Football Green" edition. After the MEN merged with the rival
Manchester Evening Chronicle
in the 1960s, its more popular "Sporting Pink" was adopted as the "Football Pink". The "Football Pink" was first issued in 1904 as part of the
Manchester Evening Chronicle
, which was owned by
Manchester City
chairman
Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet
.
The "Green" and "Pink" names came from being printed in paper of those colours. In the 1970s the
Saturday sports paper
began using white newsprint, which had become by then the industry standard. The football results were added to a pre-printed newspaper using small presses in newspaper vans usually parked near the stadiums. The "Pink"'s final edition was dated 12 August., 2000.
MEN Lite
[
edit
]
In March 2005 the paper launched a cut-down afternoon version of the paper titled
MEN Lite
, which was distributed free to commuters within Manchester's city centre.
Part-free
[
edit
]
On 2 May 2006 the
Evening News
dropped the "Lite" edition in favour of a "part-free, part-paid" distribution model for the main paper. Copies were free in Manchester city centre, while readers outside that area continued to pay for the paper.
In December 2006, the paper also began free distribution at
Manchester Airport
and hospitals throughout
Greater Manchester
.
In December 2009, the newspaper announced that as of January 2010 the paper would no longer be handed out free Monday to Wednesday in the city centre and other selected locations. Instead they would be handed out free as previously on Thursdays and Fridays, but would regain their paid-for status in these locations at all other times.
Manchester Weekly News
[
edit
]
A free weekly version of the
Manchester Evening News
, the
Manchester Weekly News
, was launched 2 April 2015. The paper is delivered to over 265,000 homes in Greater Manchester.
[
citation needed
]
City Life
affiliation
[
edit
]
City Life
-- originally an independent political and cultural magazine for the Manchester area -- was a acquired by GMG in 1989. In December 2007,
City Life
ceased independent publication, subsequently becoming a 20-page supplement to the Friday issue of the
Manchester Evening News.
[22]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Notes
- ^
Clause 9 of the Trust Deed states: "The Settlors whilst not purporting to impose any binding trust or obligation in that respect desire that the persons becoming entitled to the Settled Funds shall use the best of their endeavours to procure that the business of the Company shall be continued and that the
Manchester Guardian
and
Manchester Evening News
or any other paper or papers or other medium for collecting and disseminating news comment or opinion in which the Company the Company's successors or any subsidiary company of either of them shall then be interested shall be carried on as nearly as may be upon the same principles as they have heretofore been conducted and carried on while under the guidance of the said John Russell Scott and his family and the Trustees of the 1936 Settlement."
References
- ^
"Sarah Lester appointed as editor of the Manchester Evening News"
. 3 July 2022.
- ^
"Manchester Evening News"
.
Audit Bureau of Circulations
. 26 January 2024
. Retrieved
2 March
2024
.
- ^
Sharman, David (11 February 2019).
"First Sunday edition hits newsstands as MEN goes seven-days a week"
.
Hold the Front Page
. Retrieved
12 February
2019
.
- ^
"Manchester Evening News"
.
British Newspaper Archive
. Retrieved
17 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
Keeling, Neal; Osuh, Chris (10 October 2018).
"
'In putting ourselves into print, we have no apology to offer, but the assurance of an honest aim to serve the public interest' ? The Manchester Evening News, 150 years of telling your stories"
.
Manchester Evening News
. Retrieved
17 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Tryhorn, Chris (9 February 2010).
"Manchester Evening News: intertwined with the Guardian for 142 years"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
17 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Key moments in the Guardian's history: a timeline"
.
The Guardian
. 16 November 2017
. Retrieved
18 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
Herbert, Ian (22 February 2010).
"End of the old guard: The sale of the Manchester Evening News"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
20 October
2018
.
- ^
Gallagher, Paul (9 October 2018).
"1868 Quiz: Which of these great Manchester institutions have been around longer than the M.E.N.?"
.
Manchester Evening News
. Retrieved
18 October
2018
.
- ^
"History of Manchester Evening News"
.
Manchester Evening News
. 22 August 2011
. Retrieved
22 October
2018
.
- ^
"Channel M Breakfast Show,"
19 April 2010, updated 12 January 2013,
Manchester Evening News
retrieved 25 June 2023
- ^
"Channel M lunchtime news,"
19 April 2010, updated 12 January 2013,
Manchester Evening News
,
retrieved 25 June 2023
- ^
Brook, Stephen (17 December 2009).
"Talks held on Manchester Evening News sale, says Guardian Media Group"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
22 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Neate, Rupert (17 December 2009).
"Guardian discusses selling Manchester Evening News"
.
The Daily Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
22 October
2018
.
- ^
Mostrous, Alexi (9 February 2010).
"Guardian Media Group offloads regional newspaper arm"
.
The Times
.
- ^
Busfield, Steve (9 February 2010).
"Guardian Media Group sells regional business to Trinity Mirror"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
18 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Neate, Rupert (10 February 2010).
"GMG sells Manchester Evening News for £7.4m cash"
.
The Daily Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
18 October
2018
.
- ^
Busfield, Steve (10 February 2010).
"What are regional papers worth if the MEN sale is the 'deal of the decade'
"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
22 October
2018
.
- ^
"Manchester Evening News sold by Guardian Media Group"
.
Manchester Evening News
. 9 February 2010. Archived from
the original
on 9 September 2012.
- ^
Halliday, Josh (28 August 2013).
"Regional newspaper website traffic brings relief to decline in print sales"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
18 October
2018
.
- ^
Donohue, Simon:
"City Life hits the scene with live events"
17 February 2007, updated 22 January 2013,
Manchester Evening News
retrieved 25 June 2023
- ^
"The case that haunts our chief reporter: The unsolved murder of Lisa Hession"
.
Manchester Evening News
. 4 January 2023
. Retrieved
3 July
2023
.
Bibliography
- Taylor, Geoffrey (1993).
Changing Faces: A History of The Guardian 1956?88
. Fourth Estate.
ISBN
9781857021004
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
National newspapers
| |
---|
Regional newspapers
| |
---|
Live brand
| |
---|
|