Importance of NS Membership

The NS operates as a full service member organisation. It covers:

• Strategic lobbying, marketing, research, regional media promotion and communications leadership, representing the industry nationally and internationally.
• Individual needs of member companies underpinning day-to-day commercial and editorial work from editorial press cards and Royal or Olympicrota passes to agency recognition advice.
• Featurelink advertising revenuesfor the industry to agency pitch advice.
• Major research and insight initiatives for agencies and advertisers including the wanted ads and Loving Local.
• Employment, HR, editorial and media legal and regulatory advice services, including ad copy clearance, protecting members from criminal prosecution, legal claims, tribunal actions and complaints to the PCC and ASA.
• Industry-wide events andinitiatives such as Local Business Accelerators and Local Newspaper Week.
• Providing a trading currency in JICREG and pioneering work with Locally Connected, quantifying the industry’s growing audience reach across print and online.
• Representing the industry’s interests on ASA, PCC, ABC and other bodies.
• Sharing best practice, ideas and innovations in seminars and publications.
• Providing and resourcing AdFast as the key central industry artwork transmission system linking ad copy from agencies and advertisers to 1,100 newspaper titles.

The NS covers a broader and more complex mix of services and issues than any other media association. This requires people with widely different skills and talents, consistent investment and 100% membership from companies providing leadership, commitment and a shared view of the NS role and functions.

The NS is seen as the professional connecting point between the industry and the government, civil servants and regulators and between the industry, agencies, advertisers, and opinion formers. It is on the basis of this reputation for effectiveness and professionalism and the skill of our team that NPA members are buying into NS services at an increasing rate.

Ten Examples of ROI

The NS has a legacy of achievement which the industry relies on each day it publishes – from editorial, advertising and employment freedoms to hard won copyright protections and reduced publishing fees for television listings, from the current VAT regime to the advertising research and case studies used by sales teams, and the campaigns we have fought and won against the BBC, local authorities and government agencies. That legacy requires day in, day out vigilance and skill if it is to be maintained.

1. Statutory Public Notices: £35 Million a Year

The NS has protected the mandatory publication of public notices in newspapers against repeated and growing calls for this to be abolished. Our related battle against council newspapers ensured recognition at the highest levels that unfair competition and market distortion must be remedied. A statutory Local Authority Publicity Code was brought in and most local authorities have now closed or reduced the frequency of such titles.

2. VAT on newspaper cover prices: £97 Million a Year

The NS has successfully fought off VAT on newspaper cover prices since VAT was first introduced in Britain, obtaining manifesto commitments from successive governments for the zero rate, saving the regional newspaper industry an estimated £97 million per annum (1992 prices) in sales revenues. The European Commission is planning a reformed VAT regime and would like to abolish the zero rate. The UK zero-rating for newspapers, books, magazines or other items such as children’s clothes and food is dependent upon the Government’s continued support and the NS is continually monitoring the situation.

3. BBC Local

Against the might of the BBC lobbying machine, the NS and its members won a high-profile campaign against the BBC’s plans for ultra-local news and information services which threatened to stifle regional press expansion into local video online, persuading the BBC Trust to rule against the BBC’s plans.

4. TV listings: £26 Million a Year

The NS challenge to the broadcasters’ TV listings ratecard charges went before the Copyright Tribunal and was upheld, saving the regional and local newspaper industry around £26m a year (1991 prices) for the publication of programme listings.

5. £3-4 Million a Year in New National Advertising Revenues

NS marketing initiatives such as Featurelink generate £3-4m a year in new national advertising revenue for the industry. NS marketing research such as Loving Local and the wanted ads demonstrates the industry’s power and effectiveness as an advertising medium. Such research is highly valued by agencies, advertisers andNS members – both large and small publishers – and used in their own presentations to advertisers. NS campaigns such as Local Business Accelerators have demonstrated the collectivestrength of the local press and attracted the attention of major national advertisers.

6. Copyright in staff journalists’ work

The NS secured ownership rights for newspaper publishers over the editorial content produced by their staff, beyond newspaper publication irrespective of media platform, ensuring that all-important amendments to the Copyright Bill on copyright ownership and the extent of moral rights were adopted in 1988 and remain law to this day, enabling reporting, editing and publication. We continue to protect those rights against successive threats from Europe and the UK.

7. Press Freedom

We work with the media industry on major press freedom issues such as libel law reform, cfa reform, freedom of information, open justice, open government including successful campaigns against closing local government meetings and agenda to press and public, data protection and regulation of editorial and advertising content. Special online controls have been avoided and local cross-media ownership rules have been abolished. Our campaign to liberalise local media ownership rules has had some successes and we continue to press the industry’s case for change. We play a leading role in PCC, Leveson and related issues.

8. AdFast: Industry Artwork Transmission System

Over 700,000 advertising files are transmitted by AdFast each year, accounting for close to 75% of all artwork transmission for the industry. AdFast was set up to save the industry millions in third party costs. Nearly 8 million files have been transmitted since the NS launched AdFast in 2000. A number of national newspapers are now AdFast subscribers.

9. NS Database, JICREG and Locally Connected

The local media industry’s advertising planning currency is funded by the NS through JICREG - the essential gateway for bringing revenues to the industry. The 2009 launch of Locally Connected, pioneering work resulting in the UK’s first integrated print and online audience currency, provided a bold and timely initiative for the local media sector, demonstrating growing reach, cross-platform opportunities and confidence in the power of the medium.

10. Advice & Expertise

The NS continues to provide specialist advice, legal services and professional expertise on all aspects of the day-to day running of a local media business, from HR and ad control advice to pitch doctoring and press accreditation for the 2012 Olympics. We offer expertise across all disciplines, enabling members and their staff to tap into a unique resource built around the specific needs of the regional press industry.Over the past year:

• 1000 agencies and advertiser personnel seen.
• 200 agencies monitored for credit worthiness.
• 1200 press cards issued to journalists.
• 200 press facilities allocated to reporters and photographers
• 500 member employees briefed and advised.
• 100 politicians and regulators lobbied on industry issues.
• 1000 employment, HR, editorial law and advertising copy cases handled.