Mr. Frank Mulrennan:

I am grateful for the invitation to address the committee. I am representing Local Ireland and I am accompanied online by Mr. Johnny O'Hanlon, executive director with Local Ireland. We represent 46 weekly paid-for local newspapers of record with a membership spread across Ireland. Our titles are read by 1.5 million readers weekly across the various platforms and we generate 90% of the published local news coverage in the country. We employ over 1,000 reporters, correspondents and columnists and are, in effect, the largest local news agency outside of Dublin and Cork cities.

Each week, our titles publish vital, trusted public interest information ranging from what is happening in these Houses to information on local authorities, local courts, local education and training boards and policing authorities, not to mention sports, community events and life in regional Ireland as it happens. Our readers have trusted us through the decades but there is a serious threat to the financial future of our titles, caused most immediately by the pandemic but in reality, our industry has been so badly impacted by the last recession and the dominance of Facebook and Google as we work to build a sustainable digital model to counter the migration from print media.

In terms of the pandemic, an audit of member titles for the period from April to November 2020 reveals that our circulation, advertising and event income revenues have seen a staggering decline of €6.38 million or almost 22%. While the combination of the PUP and the wage supplementary schemes were most welcome, as was increased government advertising spend, these measures pale against the ongoing income loss.

Our request at this time is for parity with the subsidisation given to the local broadcasting sector last June in the form of a similarly structured once-off grant of €2.5 million to be distributed to the newspaper publishing sector. Without this level of support, our ability to sustain the current high level of employment and coverage will be severely impeded. We strongly welcome the great news about the vaccine but we face several more months of difficult trading ahead and this once-off grant would be significant in preserving a local news industry which is intrinsic to the culture of our country.

I am conscious of the tight time constraints. Along with my colleague, Mr. Johnny O’Hanlon, who is online, I would welcome continuing this discussion when it suits.