Local businessman and chairman of Truro City Football Club, Peter Masters, has added the Lyme Regis-based ‘View From’ series of newspapers to his expanding media stable with help from Nalders Solicitors, who also assisted on the Sunday Independent deal. The eight ‘View From’ papers, which serve Lyme, Bridport, Dorchester, Weymouth, Axminster, Seaton, Honiton and South Somerset, were acquired from Capital Media Newspapers.
Masters is a firm believer that traditional print media still has a place in the modern world and is enthusiastic about bringing his two publishing businesses together. He said: “These are extremely exciting times for the View From group and the Sunday Independent as we work on plans to deliver even better quality, value and ideas for their readers. I and all the dedicated staff at both titles believe in the future of print newspapers as the heart of their communities, where people can share their successes, their challenges, their events, their joys and criticisms.
“Both will have a vibrant new web presence delivering news and sport updates and digital platforms for advertisers to reach these communities – but we all also believe that nothing beats sitting down with a paper that covers your community or your sphere of interest and reading all the things you can’t find on the internet!”
Nalders were asked to represent Masters in attending to the legal formalities of acquiring the series earlier this week and the deal was concluded recently – a 5 day process for a transaction which would usually take months. Dale Band, head of Nalders’ business law department said: “There was a lot to do and so it was very much all-hands on deck but I knew that the team here at Nalders would do whatever it took to lay the legal foundation for the transaction to go through. The consolidation of these two publishing businesses strengthens both and is particularly good news for the Indy’s Cornish based staff. We are very proud to have been involved.”