Friday 21 August 2009

Delivery delays?

Confirm or deny: Flooding at Quebecor's Toronto printing plant during yesterday's storm delayed delivery of regional newspapers today?

"So much for putting all the papers under one roof," says a TSF tipster.

Meanwhile, Sun Media is shutting down the presses at Tillsonburg Web on Sept. 11, with at least a dozen pressmen losing their jobs.

Tillsonburg Web, purchased by Sun Media about six years ago in a bidding war against Osprey Media, had been printing 30 to 40 newspapers a week, says a TSF tipster.

With Sun Media moving area newspaper printing to Quebecor's plant in Toronto, Tillsonburg Web's printing press has become dispensable.

"What a shame," says our tipster. "When other plants were closed, Tillsonburg was busy and hired a third shift. This (closure) will account for at least 12 pressmen gone in a very short period."

The tipster wonders about Sun Media buying Tillsonburg Web "for a premium" and then dumping it.

One observation: Buying and closing available printing presses reduces the risk of new independent print newspapers being launched.

Control the presses, minimize the competition.

2 comments:

  1. The real delays won't come until the first good snowstorm, when the trucks can't leave Toronto, or make it into whatever area they have to get to.
    I guess one really good accident on one of the major highways would probably cause a delay in delivery.

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  2. Tburg was busy and hired a third shift, but it's not a new press. The LFP press is the most modern in SWOnt and had capacity. Toronto has capacity, which is also a more modern plant.
    Why hold onto Tburg?
    Oh, and there was no bidding war for the Tburg press. Osprey sniffed around and when Simcoe unionized, it ran away. Sun Media walked in the day after the Osprey talks fell apart.

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