Canada

Publisher worried about competition from Irving's

The publisher of four weekly newspapers in New Brunswick is worrying about the Irving's publishing arm getting into weeklies. The Irvings have been running ads in their daily papers looking for people to work at a paper coming to the Kennebecasis Valley.

But David Henley fears the powerful company could easily monopolize the business.

"They're on their way to destroying the markets for the independent publisher," he says. "I know in the Kennebecasis Valley there are a couple of very small publishers and they just won't be able to compete."

Henley says there is money to be made from weekly newspapers but he says advertising dollars in small markets are limited.

He says the Irvings would be able to undercut the advertising rates to compete with the independents.