Vent/Warning re The West Midlands News

codger

Thanks to you both, I went back and actually bothered to read the verbiage in the 'careers' link.

I suppose the dreamer(s) who spun out the hilarious "awards" and "business partners" propositions really is convinced he / she heads a major UK provincial publishing house called, er, Media Today Group, and that there are indeed a staggering 50 newspapers, magazines and periodicals within that group, just as there are fifty fairies at the bottom of my garden. .


* I see that BRAD is touted on the website in such a way as to imply it's the acronym of a professional trade association like The Newspaper Society.

It isn't. BRAD is British Rates & Data, a reference resource for media buyers (like ad agencies) which lists UK publications and their ad rates/technical specs, in much the same way a timetable features bus route numbers and bus stops.

All this (presumably) £multi-million, award-giving, title-creating yet otherwise invisible Media Today provincial publishing group has achieved by being "registered" is to get a mention. . . as one more bus and one more bus stop.

Disingenuous use of "BRAD" won't please its publisher Emap, the original East Midlands killer shark that no prudent West Midlands minnow should ever upset.

Horace

I had actually thought about reporting them to trading standards although the equal opps crowd might be more appropriate. I am convinced that the whole thing is a con and is a means to get money out of people for adverts that only exist in the imaginations of the trolls that run the company.:rolleyes:

Let's hope that nobody is taken in by this bunch of crooks.

maninthestreet

Look familiar?? :

http://www.southeastobserver.co.uk/

Horace

It sure does Maninthestreet:rolleyes:

codger

maninthestreet wrote: »

Look familiar?? :

http://www.southeastobserver.co.uk/

Here's another of these "newspapers":

http://westcountrytimestoday.co.uk/index.html


Be interesting to hear from other MSErs in other areas as to the spread of this "media".

They seem to be separately registered limited companies within a group umbrella, but no verified circulation, no verified distribution, and no credibility.

Horace

I was speaking to a friend yesterday and she told me that when she ran her own business she got suckered by a similar crowd (liverpudlians) who did the same to her, trouble is she coughed up for an ad but she never saw it, never saw the newspaper either, she learnt her lesson and warned me about such dodgy companies. She told me it was a scam.

codger

The non-existent ad con is quite common, unfortunately, though what tends to happen is that recessions really wipe 'em out -- people / businesses are far more reluctant to spend willy-nilly.

Also, in another variation, is the compiling of seemingly authentic newspapers, complete with pages of ads, except the ads were never placed there but copied from somewhere else. Or (in another case I've heard of) were 'heavily discounted' new-title launch ads which were then run for some time afterwards as a way of persuading prospects that the medium really was successful and advertisers were climbing over themselves to buy into it.

'S a funny old world!

Horace

I am learning all the time about the pitfalls of using the media - I know the price that I want to pay and I will stick to it, I try and advertise with reputable people (I like to meet them first). Its a huge learning curve for me as I am now self employed.

What can be done about dodgy companies like West Midlands News? Do we have to wait until they go bust?

codger

Short answer is: yes.

Slightly longer is to notify the local Chamber of Commerce of any operation which is targeting local businesses in a way likely to mislead and financially disadvantage.

CoCs are pretty good at getting the word out; they also have a national network so warnings can be relayed as and when / where.

hollydays

Horace wrote: »

I was speaking to a friend yesterday and she told me that when she ran her own business she got suckered by a similar crowd (liverpudlians) who did the same to her, trouble is she coughed up for an ad but she never saw it, never saw the newspaper either, she learnt her lesson and warned me about such dodgy companies. She told me it was a scam.

I actualy know someone who worked for a company who used to ring people up and sell them advertising space (not cheap either) that was "linked "to a very reputable organization (don't wan't to give too much away here).One of the advertisers had the presence of mind to use a dedicated phone number never used before for the ad-predictably they got no response (mainly because the mag had virtually zero distribution according to my friend).IT's legal,but buyer beware.That was Liverpool too.