Former regional newspaper boss Chris Oakley is to speak at a Society of Editors' conference, which asks: Is there a future for the regional press?
In his address, called Five minutes to midnight, he will say that the industry's catastrophic problems are self-inflicted, that they could largely have been avoided and will prove terminal for many titles.
But he will offer hope too by arguing that a new generation of entrepreneurs could rebuild regional publishing.
Among such entrepreneurs is Mike Rawlins, the editor of PitsnPots, a Stoke-on-Trent website now backed by the Journalism Foundation. He will explain why his site has achieved such success.
There will also be contributions by Brian Looney, the former Irish Examiner editor; Ken Bennett, founder of an ultra-local newspaper; Liverpool Echo editor Alastair Machray; and Society of Editors' executive director Bob Satchwell.
The conference will be held on 10 May at Manchester's Marriott Victoria and Albert Hotel, running from 10am to 4pm. There is no charge for attendance.
Afterwards, there will be a tour of the BBC's Media City in Salford Quays followed by a dinner at the hotel.
More details: richard.catlow@hotmail.com or Angela Varley at office@societyofeditors.org
