JOHNSTON PRESS PLC

There are over 140 markets, from Peterhead in Scotland to Portsmouth in Hampshire, including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and they are all very different.

That's why each Johnston newspaper and Internet site is individual to its market. You will rarely see common branding but locally tailored publications & internet sites each servicing its distinct market place.

Johnston Press serves the local media needs of numerous communities in the UK and Ireland. We aim to be, and in the vast majority of cases are, the principal source of local news, information, entertainment and comment in those communities.

We currently provide our services through 18 daily newspapers, 300 weekly newspapers and a huge range of related specialist, locally focussed, print publications. We operate 319 local websites to extend the content and reach of our print products. These websites reach an estimated monthly audience of about 8 million.

During 2007 we made only one modest acquisition so our trading closely reflects the organic operations of the business. Our new printing facilities in Dinnington and Portsmouth are working well and have resulted in significant improvements in operating efficiency as well as generating additional contract printing revenues, primarily from News International.

To maintain and expand our audience reach, we launched a number of new publications. These are generally targeted at specific geographic and demographic market niches, with the overwhelming majority being monthly community newsletters serving small rural areas and well defined districts within larger urban and metropolitan communities. The primary purpose of these launches is to layer our local markets with a range of complementary publications, which together are able to provide advertisers with high levels of audience reach. Given that 73% of our revenues come from advertisers, this forms a fundamental and continuing part of our publishing strategy.