‘Daily Telegraph’ bows to public demand

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 3

‘Daily Telegraph’ bows to public demand

PA Napier The “Daily Telegraph” newspaper will not now be printed in Hastings. Hawke’s Bay News, Ltd, the newspaper’s parent company, yesterday announced it would rescind an earlier decision to make the move. The chairman of Hawke’s Bay News, Mr J. H. von Dadelszen, said after a board meeting in Hastings that it had been “gratified by the obvious support the ‘Daily Telegraph’ enjoyed among its readers, as evidenced by a petition carrying more than 5000 signatures asking the board to reconsider its decision.” The petition was presented and supported by representatives of the “Daily Telegraph” staff. About 60 “Telegraph” staff would have had to

move to Hastings, and objected to this change. Mr von Dadelszen said that it was unfortunate the impression had been allowed to develop that Napier was to lose its newspaper to Hastings. “We made the point in a public statement and in clearly defined explanations to ‘Daily Telegraph’ staff that the proposal was merely one of partial rationalisation which would have enabled the company to make the best use of modern technology,” he said. The president of the Hawke’s Bay Journalists’ Union, Mr Michael Johansson, said journalists were “naturally delighted with the decision.”