Closure of Friday Flash

April 20, 2006

Closure of Friday Flash

Statement made by Peter O’Hara, Chief Operating Officer/Editor-in-Chief, Fairfax New Zealand.

New Zealand’s dedicated racing weekly newspaper, the Friday Flash, is to cease publication tomorrow (Friday, April 21).

Fairfax New Zealand chief operating officer and editor-in-chief Peter O’Hara said: “We would like to express our thanks to the loyal readers and advertisers who’ve supported the paper over the years.

“Regrettably we have been faced for some time with the knowledge that demand for the Friday Flash was falling. The practicalities of producing a specialist title on very tight timeframes, then distributing copies to a relatively small market spread across the country, mean its continued publication is no longer viable.

“Some experienced and dedicated staff and contributors have been involved in the production of the Flash, a number of them for some considerable time. We are grateful to them for their efforts.”

Seven positions will be made redundant as a result of the paper’s closure. This process has been agreed with the individuals concerned following a period of consultation.

Staff remaining will concentrate on the company’s other specialist racing titles, Best Bets and Turf Digest, where a number of improvements are planned.

“We are keen to build stronger racebooks incorporating some additional features we know readers will like. We see a strong and exciting future for our racing titles with some enhancements over the coming weeks and months,” Mr O’Hara said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media