Wyvern Media
Wyvern Media is the collective trading name and trademark for one of Britain’s largest independent Publishers in newsprint, currently producing 28 titles either weekly or fortnightly.
All the titles under the Wyvern banner, are owner run, by a Sales Director, in concert with other board members within the group, this is due to the method of organic growth that has been the modus operandi, as the company invests in its brightest and best employees and ultimately goes into business with talented individuals who are motivated by the pride of ownership. This has led not only to a very robust business model, very few Wyvern Media titles have succumbed to a recession which for the free newspaper sector has been devastating, but even to a steady growth, where the most talented publishers have secured the best media sales people, in a market that has witnessed a devastating shrinkage in local and regional newsprint.
Obviously it would be good to boast about unmitigated success, but inevitably Wyvern too has its failures. Running a free newspaper business in this part of the 21st century is far from easy, and is very stressful, it is not surprising therefore that some Wyvern titles have crashed during the last few years. ‘Success it can be said has a hundred proud Fathers, failure is a friendless journey’, fortunately Wyvern has many more of the former than the misery of the latter!
The shape of the business at present, is spread over 10 regional offices, the activity in each is as follows:
Derby: This is the home of the accounting functions and the production facility for all the publications, as well as the sales office for the Surrey and Hampshire Express, this is also where Wyverns’ Managing Director Jon Rivers is based.
Nottingham: Home of the Nottingham and Trent Valley Journal, and the Lancashire Advertiser, published by the energetic duo Phil Cound and Phil Copson.
Coventry: Situated over two floors of Charterland House, in the centre of Coventry, Kiera Byrne is responsible for the Southern Chronicle, the Wiltshire Guardian, and Holiday and Leisure Today. Carly Knight brings forth the London & Thames Express. Sarah Taylor is the parent of Central Advertiser. Mike Masih is both Mother and Father to the Greater London Advertiser, and the Eastern Counties Echo.
Rugby, where Tom Chamberlain is the indefatigable publisher of the Western Counties Express, and North Thames Press. Matthew Walker is midwife to the South East Press
Leamington Spa: Dennis Draper publishes the London and Home Counties Today. Sam Thompson is the progenitor of the Herts and Beds Express. Andrew Simpson oversees the Media Today Online electronic publishing facility
Slough: The dynamic Joanne Spicer presides over Surrey and Sussex and HantsTelegaph, the Middlesex and Thames Valley Review, Kent and Sussex Advertiser.
Gloucester: Phil Fletcher hand crafts the Caledonian Gazette, sold through the news trade in Scotland, and the Yorkshire Gazette.
Bristol: James Dalton publishes Midlands Express and the Northern Advertiser, James Cooper produces the South East Gazette, and Matt Brewer brings forth Southern Times Today, and West Country Times Today
Weston Super Mare is home to Martin Sanders’ Home Counties Times.
Taunton, where Mark Pillinger publishes both the Education Today Supplement, and the Public Sector Review.
Advertisers needs are met with prices that undercut the mainstream local media competitors. In the UK most Regional and local Newspapers are consolidated so that virtual monopolies are formed. Although the regional press in the UK is of a very high standard, which is no consolation to an advertiser who has no choice available in choosing whether or not to pay the very inflated advertising charges in their local newspaper. Wyvern titles do at least provide for a salternative, offering display advertising at an affordable and attractive rate, albeit without the saturation coverage that is clearly offered by the mainstream options. The free newspaper sector has failed to thrive in Britain, probably because most of the more successful brands were acquired during the latter part of the 20th century, by the same publishers that went on to close them down during the recessionary times of today. After all if you are already the publisher of the established market leading local newspaper, there is little point in competing with yourself!
What should therefore be a gloomy prospect in the sector, has provided an opportunity for the Wyvern niche. Advertisers are ready to accept a realistic deal on well priced advertising space, often accompanied by editorial which furthers the advertiser’s sales message. Regardless of the commercial attractions of an advertisers product, it is impossible to trade unless the public can be apprised of both the content and availability of a product or service. Advertising remains the life blood and heartbeat of our economy, and therefore the means of disseminating it are essential.
All newsprint is by its very nature ephemeral, and although electronic media has to a large extent proved its value, it is also polarising. Some individuals spend a large proportion of their lives in workplaces where IT is both available and essential, the utility of personal computers cannot be paralleled, but in terms of conveying advertising for an individual advertiser clearly new technology has its limitations. Whatever goes online stays online, and the veracity and check-ability of information is exceedingly variable in its quality. Most view points have an axe to grind! Whereas in print if something continues it is because an advertiser is ensuring that it does, each and every week, this is a demonstration of effort that is a continuum of their chosen vocation which is evident to all readers, whether or not they find the use of IT either convenient or desirable, and even if they do. There is a pleasure in reading newsprint that is simply absent in the incoherence of the internet. Newsprint still has much to offer both the reader and the advertiser alike.