Regional newspaper publisher Johnston Press has reported a slightly improved circulation and advertising revenue performance in the 18 weeks to 5 November, although both are still in decline, with local retailers snapping up display ads to entice belt-tightening consumers to spend.

Johnston Press will use a startup run by a former Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI) executive to serve rich media ads across its 273 news sites. It is the latest online service Johnston, now helmed by Ashley Highfield, is outsourcing, following births, deaths and marriages notices; recruitment ads and local business…

Ashley Highfield will inherit a troubled Johnston Press when he becomes CEO on November 1. The local news publisher’s big idea of adding geographic metadata against online news stories to better target ads doesn’t appear to have yet yielded benefit - its digital earnings are running five percent below last…

Over the past three-and-a-half years, Les Hinton had made a name for himself in the U.S. as something of a turnaround specialist, making good a Dow Jones that was considering options with management consultants before News Corp (NSDQ: NWS). stepped in to buy it. But for twelve years before that,…

Hearst’s UK magazine publisher NatMag is launching what it says is its first ever mobile products - simple mobile websites for just two of its 21 magazines.

Regional publisher Johnston Press is hiring an editorial online manager as its news digital content head (via HTFP). Long-time BBC Sport online editor Alex Gubbay, who had recently become the BBC’s social media editor in January 2010, takes the position in June, working with JP’s digital and business development director…

Johnston Press pulled just 3.2 percent more money from its news websites through 2010 - digital revenue hit £18.3 million, the company said, announcing CEO John Fry is leaving.

Following Lori Cunningham’s exit earlier this year, regional publisher Johnston Press is advertising a new digital content head post. Johnston had already promoted Scotsman manager Henry Faure Walker in September to be its new digital and business development director, following digital director Cunningham’s exit in May.

Johnston Press has reported an ad revenue decline 5.4% in the 18 weeks to 6 November, as declining public sector and recruitment advertising led to a “slightly worse” performance than management expected.

Regional news publisher Johnston Press is picking its Scotsman Publications general manager Henry Faure Walker to be its new digital and business development director.

Regional news publisher Johnston Press says January-to-June digital income grew 10.9 percent from last year to £10 million, thanks mainly to its decision last year to outsource its jobs classifieds platform to DMGT’s Jobsite.

—Trinity Mirror: Regionals’ digital director Chris Bunyan’s role is becoming redundant in a reshuffle, replaced by two new roles - a digital commercial director and LocalMole general manager, reporting to group digital director David Black, NMA reports and Trinity confirmed to us. —Guardian projects: Reporter Paul Lewis had been Times-bound…

Johnston Press’ digital director Lori Cunningham, who joined in February 2008, is leaving the news publisher next month. Cunningham had previously been a new business head at Net-a-porter and strategy VP at AOL (NYSE: AOL) UK. No news of her next move.

News publisher Johnston Press’ online commercials are now getting on back to where they were a year ago. January-to-May digital revenue, from its network of 319 websites, was up 12.3 percent compared with last year, CEO John Fry’s Johnston says in a Wednesday-morning interim management statement.

This is way late, but worth noting since we hadn’t seen it before. Johnston Press’ search engine optimisation evangelist George Hopkin left the regional publisher in February for the United Arab Emirates - his third stint in the region. He is now heading digital development for Dubai-based Motivate Publishing, a…

—Scotsman.com: Johnston Press’ paper has got an iPhone app, incorporating digital content and a replica edition subscription, costing £1.79 for three months. —Britain’s Got Talent: The ITV (LSE: ITV) show has a free, ad-supported iPhone app incorporating news, pics, video clips and feedback to the show’s corresponding ITV2 discussion programme.…

We could have told Johnston Press, when it announced the plans back in November, that people won’t pay to read local newspapers online. But you can’t begrudge the publisher finding out for sure for itself… Its three-month pay trial on six local papers sites is now ending, with apparently dismal…

Johnston Press’ online revenue fell 11.1 percent to £17.1 million through 2009 - but it’s thanking DMGT’s Jobsite, to which it outsourced its job ads platform, for rescuing its web classifieds strategy. The move helped stem losses from recruitment ads in the first half of the year - the category…

—Johnston Press: Currently trialling local online news paywalls, the struggling paper publisher is adding Mastercard’s global e-commerce chief as a non-exec director, as ex Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) Europe MD Martina King steps down in April, MediaWeek reports. This is a very interesting move that could suggest the publisher is serious…