National World Corporate

New leadership to shape the next chapter Martin Little Appointed Chief Publishing Officer at National World National World is pleased to announce the appointment of Martin Little as Chief Publishing Officer, marking the company’s first major signing under its new ownership. Martin returns to the business after a highly successful tenure as Audience Director at Reach plc, where he played a central role in shaping the group’s digital audience strategy. His decision to rejoin National World represents a strong endorsement of the company’s new leadership and its editorial ambitions. Martin, who started his career as a reporter on weekly newspapers, has previously held senior editorial positions in Romanes Media Group, DC Thomson and JPI Media, the predecessor to National World. His return has been warmly welcomed across the organisation. Martin said: "The pace of change in our industry is like no other. Whether it’s shifting algorithms, new technology or the relentless news agenda, the demands on our journalists never stop. But that's what makes it exciting and it's the reason I'm returning to a business I know well. "The change in ownership at National World has brought a fresh outlook, energy and ambition. There is a clear commitment to investing in journalism, in talent, and in building a sustainable future for trusted local media and I’m excited to be part of this next chapter.” Malcolm Denmark, CEO of National World, said: “We are delighted to welcome Martin back. His track record in both print and digital journalism, his leadership experience, and his understanding of audience strategy make him the ideal person to help drive our editorial future. This appointment reflects our intent to invest in quality people to build a modern, dynamic media business.” “Martin will take up his post within the next three months and will be working closely with our editorial teams to enhance audience engagement and support the company’s strategic editorial growth. This appointment signals the beginning of a new and ambitious phase for National World. Further announcements will follow soon.”

National World today confirmed the immediate closure of Shots! TV, the video service launched in 2023. Malcolm Denmark, CEO of National World, said: "The decision to close Shots! TV reflects our commitment to ensuring National World remains focused on our core business—delivering exceptional local journalism to communities across the UK. Unfortunately, Shots! TV was launched as an expensive vanity project, which has proven to be both financially imprudent and strategically distracting." Mr Denmark added, "We aim to invest our valuable resources into projects that deliver meaningful revenue and strengthen our primary mission of serving local markets. Our focus will be firmly on sustainable, impactful journalism that resonates locally and provides clear value to both our readers and advertisers." The closure of Shots! TV will allow National World to redirect resources back to its trusted local news brands, reinforcing their role as indispensable community resources. "We remain fully committed to our loyal audiences and commercial partners," Mr Denmark concluded. "By refocusing on our proven strengths, National World will ensure its brands continue to thrive in the long term."

A new month means a new issue of AW. Can’t quite believe it’s May already but, before we get into the teeth of the outdoor athletics season, for this magazine we’ve done a deep dive on a figure around whom a legend has been built. Steve Prefontaine died 50 years ago this month at the age of 24 but the impact he made on the sport is still being felt today. He was a front runner, an activist and also Nike’s first ever star athlete - so much of today’s sports marketing began with ‘Pre’. It was fascinating to speak to some of the people who knew him best and learn more about ‘the James Dean of athletics’ for Athletics Weekly. It’s definitely a story worth telling. #AW #athletics #trackandfield #oregon #nike #pre

Exciting news today as we launched The Scotsman Whisky Club newsletter. Masterminded by Steven Chisholm, it will be a monthly send written by Rosalind Erskine - who already curates the brilliant Scran newsletter. Each edition will be packed with exclusive content, features and insight about Scotland's favourite tipple. There will also be offers and bargains for readers too. For instance our first edition included a 50% premium subscription discount alongside a Whisky map of Scotland and a sample bottle of The Red Comyn, a ruby port cask-finished whisky selected for us by our partners The Dram Team and Claxton’s. There are plenty more plans being developed around the newsletter itself, as well as events and exclusive tastings for subscribers. From my perspective it's really exciting to see newsletters being used as the first step in building this community, with hundreds of people already signed up. If you're a whisky fan, you can sign up for free here https://lnkd.in/enn9Gwfh

I shall be speaking at the World News Media Congress on Sunday in Krakow. If you're attending, I hope you can catch my talk about automated news page production with our tech partners Atex and Gian Camillo Vezzoli. If we're connected on here and you're at the congress, do say hello! https://lnkd.in/e9nAyEqZ

National World has published an open letter to Wes Streeting, along with health ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, calling for urgent action to improve endometriosis care. To mark Endometriosis Awareness Month, the publisher launched the Endo The Battle campaign - amplifying the voices of those battling to get a diagnosis, navigate the financial impact of the condition and even access essential care. Those who have been diagnosed with endometriosis, or have experienced symptoms, were invited to take part in an anonymous survey. And almost 400 people across the UK made their voices heard, sharing their heartbreaking stories of living with the systemic inflammatory condition, from being told their symptoms were “nothing sinister” to “being failed by the NHS”. In an open letter, National World is urging health ministers to end the “cycle of suffering” -identifying five key action points to improve care. Sarah McCann, a health writer across the National World portfolio, has spearheaded the Endo The Battle campaign. She said: “I spoke to women across the UK who told me of lengthy waiting lists, a normalisation of symptoms, struggles to get referrals and lack of endometriosis knowledge at every step of the healthcare pathway. “Many explained they felt they had no choice but to make the challenging decision of going private or travelling outside of their region to access care they should be able to get on the NHS. “We were inundated with responses to our survey, which highlights the need for a commitment to tackle lengthy diagnosis delays and waiting lists, and a complete overhaul of endometriosis education. “In our open letter, we are calling on health ministers to act now to change the tide. If nothing changes, the cycle of suffering, endured by so many, is set to continue. “We’re now hoping to present our findings with the Health Secretary - and get this moving for women across the UK.” Read our letter here: https://lnkd.in/e7b3kcm4

We're delighted to share that Podcasts from National World have been shortlisted 15 times at the 2025 Publisher Podcast Awards. They include both established and newly launched products including Lancashire Post's Parched Pea Podcast, books and writing podcast Booky, The Athletics Weekly Podcast , The Scotsman's food podcast Scran and political podcast The Steamie. Nostalgia-themed Wearside Echoes was also shortlisted and TV podcast, Screen Babble, also scooped a nomination. The podcasts face competition from across the publisher spectrum including The Telegraph, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Times, Financial Times, The Conversation, The New Statesman, Reach and more. National World's emerging podcast strategy aligns with the company's north star of building new audiences and revenues by building on our journalistic authority and trust in the communities in which we have been present in some cases - for hundreds of years. Innovation in storytelling and collaboration are key to this approach. A key part of the strategy is utilising the skills, expertise and passions of our talented journalists to build podcasts into our content offering. This week two new podcast series' are due to launch - Mrs Yorkshire and Parched Pea Podcast series 2. The Publisher Podcast Awards 2025 take place in London in June. Shortlisted: Best culture and lifestyle podcast: Booky Best entertainment podcast: Booky & Screen Babble Best health, wellbeing and food podcast: Scran Best hobbies and special interest podcast: Booky & The Athletics Weekly Podcast Best limited series: The Athletics Weekly Podcast Best podcast launch: The Athletics Weekly Podcast Best local and community podcast: The Parched Pea Podcast, The Steamie & Wearside Echoes Best partner podcast: Scran & The Parched Pea podcast Best political podcast: The Steamie Best sport podcast: The Athletics Weekly Podcast  

*Podcasts shortlist klaxon** I’m absolutely delighted to see podcasts from National World have been shortlisted 15 times at the National 2025 Publisher Podcast Awards against titans of the industry. They include both established and newly launched products including Lancashire Post's Parched Pea Podcast, books and writing podcast Booky, The Athletics Weekly Podcast , The Scotsman's food podcast Scran and political podcast The Steamie. Nostalgia-themed Wearside Echoes from Sunderland Echo's Chris Cordner was also shortlisted and TV podcast, Screen Babble, also scooped a nomination. The podcasts face competition from across the publisher spectrum including The Telegraph, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Times, BBC, Financial Times, The Conversation, The New Statesman, Reach and more. Amazing work from our teams! Shortlisted: Best culture and lifestyle podcast: Booky Best entertainment podcast: Booky, Screen Babble Best health, wellbeing and food podcast; Scran Best hobbies and special interest podcast; Booky, The Athletics Weekly Podcast Best limited series; The Athletics Weekly Podcast Best podcast launch: The Athletics Weekly Podcast Best local and community podcast: The Parched Pea Podcast, The Steamie, Wearside Echoes Best partner podcast; Scran, The Parched Pea podcast Best political podcast; The Steamie Best sport podcast; The Athletics Weekly Podcast Kelly Crichton Euan Crumley Alan Renwick Chris Cordner National World plc Lancashire Post The Scotsman Sunderland Echo Benjamin Jackson Chris Cordner

There are some things only print can do. And one of those things is a cut-out Grand National 2025 office sweepstake kit! Get yours in today's National World plc city daily print titles in Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Shields, Blackpool, Leeds and Sunderland. (Gamble responsibly folks. And good luck to whoever draws out I am Maximus).