Picture: Eddie Izzard.
The Guardian has an interesting interview with Simon Kelner today.
Some remarkable, controversial quotes:
FIRING PEOPLE
“These are challenging times.
Indeed they are.
But approximately 70 Independent journalists applied for the - admittedly very generous - redundancy package.
Doesn’t that indicate that there are fears for the future among staffers at his newspapers, which like the Times and the Guardian remain unprofitable?”
NEWSPAPER MARKETING
“The way that people in newspapers are writing this industry off is scandalous.
Part of every newspaper’s marketing budgets should go on marketing newspapers [generically].
It’s madness that we don’t actually promote our own value and too many people within our own industry talk us down.”
PODCASTS
“I’ve never met anyone who ever listens to podcasts,” he explodes.
“When I saw in the Telegraph ‘Get your podcast of Simon Heffer discussing David Cameron’s latest policy announcement’, I thought you’ve got to be joking!
I’m not convinced that they’re the future.”
FRONT PAGES
“Well, I think one of things I do feel about our paper is that we offer a promise on the front page that we don’t always deliver on, in the sense that we offer a promise of a product that is very radical and different, and actually inside the paper we’re a bit traditional.
I’d like us to push the boundaries much, much further.
And I think you’ll see that happening soon.”
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