Joint venture between Corelio and Concentra approved

“All of our titles will have a complete team of journalists and correspondents, directed by their own editor,” Corelio said in a statement. Each editorial floor will have a full-time chief editor responsible for each title, as well as an editorialist, chief sub and political or regional editor. In the case of the Gazet van Antwerpen, Mediahuis is committed to maintaining full coverage of the Antwerp area for both readers and advertisers.

In the joint venture, Corelio holds 62% and Concentra 38%. According to Corelio CEO Luc Missorten, the increase in scale offered by the move is “absolutely necessary for the brands to remain competitive in today’s rapidly changing and increasingly international media market.” Mediahuis will be officially inaugurated on 1 November, with the first board meeting on 6 November, Corelio said.

Flemish media minister Ingrid Lieten said she was pleased at the decision but “concerned” about the future of editorial quality and diversity. “It is in the interests of readers and of the papers themselves that the titles retain full editorial independence from each other,” she said. The Flemish Association of Journalists warned that the fusion would result in cuts in staffing of the various titles and lead to “an impoverishment” of news reporting in Flanders.