Media group which publishes Ross-shire newspapers set to take over trio of titles in Turriff, Inverurie and Ellon
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Scottish Provincial Press, the publisher of the Ross-shire Journal, North Star, Inverness Courier and Highland News, has agreed to take over the operation of three local newspaper titles from W Peters and Son Limited of Turriff.
The Turriff Advertiser, Inverurie Advertiser and Ellon Advertiser have been serving their respective towns for many generations, with the oldest title, the Turriff Advertiser being established in 1933.
The move gives immediate additional certainty to the future of the newspapers as part of the bigger SPP Media Group in an era when investment in publishing systems and new technology are essential for the survival of local newspapers.
Commenting on the move, David George, managing director of W Peters & Son Limited said: “We are delighted to be able to pass on the Advertiser series to our friends at SPP. Their ability to invest in online news delivery and in advanced publishing systems will breathe new life into our beloved papers, helping secure their future, something that we were finding increasingly difficult to do in the digital era.
“Our core business is a really successful commercial printing organisation and this move allows us to fully focus on growing our business and delivering for our valued customers.”
Managing director of Scottish Provincial Press, Stuart Birkett, said: "The Turriff, Inverurie and Ellon Advertisers are a great fit for SPP. They will quickly benefit from our recent investment in efficient publishing systems and, for the first time in their long history, the titles will soon have an online presence for their news.
“We are delighted to add them to our portfolio in Aberdeenshire and the north of Scotland and hope to continue to provide news, information and advertising services to the people and businesses in this corner of the north-east for many years to come.”
The titles will be run by Scottish Provincial Press from July 1, with the same editorial and sales staff working on the titles after the move, so readers and advertisers shouldn’t notice much difference in the short-term, apart from a slightly different page size as printing is transferred to SPP’s printers.
