Media Masters - Henry Faure Walker

Henry Faure Walker is CEO of Newsquest, one of the largest publishers of regional news in the UK. It owns 165 newspapers and 40 magazines; with a combined reach of 6.5 million print readers and 30 million online; and employs 5,500 people across the country. In this in-depth interview, Henry discusses the challenge of making local news commercially sustainable, amidst a litany of challenges: the decline of classified advertising, reducing headcount, and the ‘frenemy’ relationship with the likes of Facebook and Google - who drive significant traffic, but also poach revenue. Amidst the challenges, Newsquest launched ten new papers last year - and Henry outlines his vision of a “much brighter future” for local journalism to maintain its vital role as a community voice: a pivot to digital marketing partnerships with neighbourhood businesses; and a new initiative with the BBC building the number of local democracy reporters, with nearly fifty of them already hired.