Lisa Bourne is the managing director of Newsquest Media Sales. Under her leadership, Newsquest grew its business by 17% to more than £80m last year while overhauling its business practices. Bourne aims to make Newsquest the leading media sales operation, not just for regional press. She acknowledges the challenges of promoting regional newspapers, which she describes as "not sexy but very powerful," but believes winning campaigns for regional papers requires more work than television campaigns.

1. PROFTTE
latestsalesfigures might notsound good forthe regional
press, but one of its com mercial big hitters tells Sheelagh
Doyle thatwhile it may not be sexy, it certainly is powerful
TheBourne
ldentity
LLsa Bourne is feeling rather reiaxed, all things
mnsidered.
*rich is unsurprising given that she is just
Lnack from a detox retreat in Marrakesh where,
when she wasrit hiking, doing yoga or being
massaged, she was enjoyrng organic meals
prepared by her personal chef.
The self-confessed travel fanatic feels she
mrnages the work/life balance pretty wel1.
Er,idendy she has the "life" end of things
soned and the work side hasn't been doing too
badh'oflate either.
T ast year, under Bourne, while implement-
ing a complete overhaul of its business prac-
tiees- Newsquest grew its business by 17% lo
more than €Bom.
er1 on Bourne's agenda is making
ensquest the leading media sales operation
and not just in terms of the regional press.
-That might sound like grandeur, but if
Jou $ish to attain the best you have to
position yourself as wanting to go for morei'
she sa1's.
Bourne joined Newsquest, the UKs second
largest publisher of regional and local news-
prapers, in 2OO1 after 12 years at Amr4 Trinity
lfirror's national sales house for regional
ne$spapers.
Prior to Amra, Bourne worked for regional
=1es
company, Media Sales Bureau, and the
orth lnndon and Herts newspaper group.
-pafi fiom a couple of stinG selling time-
*.ares and being an estate agent, Bourne's
entire career has been involved with the
regional press.
Describing the medium as "not sexy but
very powerful" Boume says her connection
with the regional press began when she was
growing up in the North of England.
It is this challenge of promoting an unsexy
but powerful medium to the unconverted -
while at the same dme capitalising on the
massive penetration it has in some areas - that
Bourne says has kept her in the regional press
for the past two decades.
"I would argue winning a campaign for the
regional press is considerably more challeng-
ing than winning a brand campaign on TVi'
she says.
"I am not saying TV doesnlt have to work
for it, but in the regional press you really have
to work for itl'
There is certainly no getting away from the
fact that the regional press has had to contend
with its fair share of challenges and, despite
some staunch campaigning from the News-
paper Society, its sliding readership and
uncool image have yet to bring in a flock ofbig
brand advertisers.
a big ilewspapcr society fan
Describing herself as a big supporter of the
NS, Boume feels that last year's abrupt depar-
ture of its marketing director, Russell Collier,
did upset the body's moqrentum but is hopeful
for what it is capable of.
"I know there is a great deal of commitrnent
and determination to really get back out there
and I am sure that fnew marketing director]
Robert Ray will put it back on trackj' she says.
Another woe of the regional press is the
latest ABCs, which showed yet another down-
ward turn, with circulation decreases for 19 of
the top 20 paid-for evening titles,15 ofthe top
20 titles in the morning and 11 of the top 20
weekly tides.
While Metro has storrned its way success-
flrlly across regional cities over the past few
@Managing director
Newsquest Media Sales
E
tutit
Managing director
Amra
-UlI/
Deputy managing
director,
Amra
@Associate director,
Amra
@croup head
Amra
ItLll
-Sales executive
Media sales Bureau
@
sales executive
North London & Herts
Newspapers
-UUinninga campaign
fiorthe regional press is
more challengingthan
winningabrand
campaign on TVtt
Portrait
PhilAdams
$l [€dia Week 15-22 March 2oos www.mediaweek.co.u