Scotsman for sale? Ex-editor claims paper on market for PS10m
OWNERS of The Scotsman newspaper will neither confirm or deny claims that the paper is being offered to prospective buyers for a cost in the region of PS10m.
Former editor John McGurk, who also edited The Scotsman’s sister papers the Scotland on Sunday and Edinburgh Evening News, claimed this week that the paper’s owners, Johnston Press, “have apparently been touting it around with a price tag of PS10m”.
A spokesperson for the group told CommonSpace that it would not comment directly on McGurk’s claims or any other issue relating to its portfolio plans.
Johnston Press bought The Scotsman from the Barclay brothers in 2005, for a high market value of PS160m.
The following decade has seen a slide in newspaper circulations across the Western world. Johnston Press, which also owns a wide range of local papers, has watched its share price reduce from above PS6 to below 40p.
Last week, Scotsman editorial staff threatened strike action over a further wave of staff cuts.
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