Media giant IPC are in the process of disposing of around 28 niche titles - like Guitar and The Railway - and reportedly are selling to several small publishers rather than as a job lot.  This set me thinking about specialist media businesses and whether they actually do better under independent ownership than as part of a large media organisation.  At Emap I disposed of several niche specialist magazines that were deemed to be uneconomic.  They moved to independent publishers, where they were nurtured and started growing again.  Here’s my thoughts on why niche media businesses can actually do better when independently owned: (more…)