Changing World of Newspapers

Wed, Nov 3rd 2021 at 12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

Struan Nimmo Group Head of Production for D C Thomson Media

Club members please log in for more information.

President Colin Mitchell welcomed 41 members and guests of the St Andrews Rotary Club to its weekly lunchtime meeting in the New Club. Members heard how successful the recent performance of Love Letters by Alan Tricker and Brenda Hunter had been, which had currently raised in excess of £500. News was shared, too, of the donation of £410 made by Lyndsay Sutherland, past President of Rotaract, to support a girls’ school in India.

As a precursor to welcoming the guest speaker, Struan Nimmo (Group Head of Production at DC Thomson Media), copies of The Courier were given to all members. The topic of Mr Nimmo’s talk was The Changing World of Newspapers and he began by giving a fascinating insight into the history of DC Thomson, which traces its origins back to 1838 when William Thomson opened a drapery business in Dundee. The first foray into journalism came in 1866, when William secured a financial interest in The Courier; DC Thomson remains the only publishing company left in Fleet Street.

Mr Nimmo then went on to explain how DC Thomson has had to adapt and adjust over the years, at the same time as always recognising the importance of keeping communities informed. The company is now made-up of six media and technology businesses and has seen the transformation from print to multimedia. The focus is now on sustainability for the future, something that is being achieved using more profitable editorial practices.

The talk was followed by a large number of questions and in answer to one, Mr Nimmo explained that on average more copies of The Courier were sold daily than The Scotsman and The Herald combined. In his vote of thanks, Colin Brown highlighted the fact that DC Thomson is a socially responsible company and how he had learnt many useful expressions by reading the Dandy and Beano in his youth!