Manchester Evening News publisher announces major job losses

Reach plc, the publisher of the Manchester Evening News, has announced plans to cut a total of 321 jobs as part of a major restructure affecting its UK and Irish operations.

The company, which owns over 130 print and digital publications—including national titles like The Daily Mirror, The Daily Express, and The Daily Star, as well as regional papers such as the Liverpool Echo and Birmingham Mail—said the shake-up reflects significant changes in the way audiences consume news.

At the same time, Reach has revealed plans to create 135 new roles, many within its live news and video teams. Redundant employees will be invited to apply for these positions, in the hope of minimising the overall impact of the job cuts.

However, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has raised concerns, stating the proposed editorial restructure could put up to 600 journalists at risk, despite the 321 roles currently confirmed to be affected.

The restructure comes amid a wider industry shift, as declining print readership and falling advertising revenue continue to challenge traditional news models. Increasingly, audiences are turning to digital platforms to access news content on demand.

David Higgerson, Chief Content Officer at Reach, described the changes as the most significant overhaul in the company’s history:

“Our new structure represents the biggest reorganisation we’ve ever undertaken—more so even than in the early days of the digital revolution.

“The changes we are seeing in the landscape right now demand a wholesale change in how we operate and how we tell stories.

“For our editorial teams, we will need to adopt a different way of working from top to bottom, as we match our resources to our ambitions.

“It will mean that some jobs will sadly no longer exist, many will change, and around 135 new roles will be created, many in our live news network and video teams.”