Manchester listings mag to close

Manchester’s City Life magazine – which runs the leading comedy competition in the North-West – is to close.

The listings magazine is to be axed by publisher Guardian Media Group, which is losing 40 regional jobs in the face of tough advertising conditions.

Regional newspapers chief executive Mark Dodson said: ‘We have struggled to publish this magazine at a profit for the last 15 years and given the downturn in the market we do not believe we can produce the title profitably in the foreseeable future.’

The magazine dedicated several pages each week to Manchester’s thriving comedy scene, which has recently been boosted by the BBC’s decision to base a regional comedy unit in the city.

It has also run the North West Comedian Of The Year competition since it started in 1990. Previous winners have included Caroline Aherne, Dave Spikey, Chris Addison and Peter Kay.

The Guardian’s regional newspaper group made £32.6 million profit last year, but the parent company’s profits were hit by the £80 million it cost to turn the Guardian newspaper into the Berliner format.

Published: 29 Nov 2005