Level | Item |
Ref No | OHP/55 |
Title | Caroline Marland |
Date | 14 December 2001 |
Extent | 2 minidiscs, 2 cds, 1 file, 4 AIFF files (862.6 MB) |
Creator Name | Marland; Caroline Anne; managing director |
Description | Interview with Caroline Marland, managing director for the Guardian. Conducted by Mathew Clayton on 14 December 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and a detailed track guide.
Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):
Disc 1: Track 1 Test
Track 2 00.00 First job in telesales for Yorkshire Evening Post 03.00 Moving to the Times, enjoyed it but it didn't promote women 04.00 Interviewed by Tim Russell Smith for job as telesales manager 04.10 Offered the job and reported to Grant Davidson 04.50 First day at Guardian all staff learnt that the company was in financial difficulties 05.00 Job involved selling space to personal ads - not recruitment space 05.00 Had to make £1000 a day in order to keep her job; only 3 members of team 08.20 Had the idea to sell recruitment advertising space 09.40 Trouble with selling Guardian space to companies
10.30 Peter Preston getting rid of adverts for editorial space 11.20 Working with Peter Preston c1978 14.20 Media Guardian - producing focused editorial to go with creative media 14.25 Remembers Peter Philip 15.00 Identified trends in recruitment advertising in relation to age of readers 16.00 Production of a line drawing of an older Daily Telegraph reader being pushed along by a young Guardian reader. Telegraph threatened to sue 17.50 Trying to get school vacancies advertised in newspaper 18.25 Idea to sell contracts to clients rather than agencies 19.00 Time spent going around country speaking to clients directly. Basis of commercial success 19.45 Decision to stay with the Guardian
20.05 Pay at the company
Track 3 00.00 Working on the board of the newspaper from 1983 00.20 Had held various management roles at the newspaper since 1976 01.00 Men in senior management roles 01.20 First female investment directors on a British newspaper 02.00 Behaviour of male investment directors at other British newspapers towards her 03.00 Pecking order on the board. Discusses important board figures 05.20 Her professional relationship with Peter Preston 05.30 Disagreement over cover price. Fears over starting a price war if the newspaper dropped their cover price 09.00 Remembers fellow female colleagues including Stella Vermont and Carolyn McCall who later became director
10.20 McCall reminded her of herself 11.45 Developments at the newspaper 11.50 Behvaiour of Tiny Rowland before GMG bought the Observer 12.40 Competition with the Independent to purchase the Observer 14.00 Announcement that they were buying the newspaper. Anecdote about Jim Markwick making announcement 14.40 Her experience in buying the newspaper. Bought unseen 15.20 Board largely uninvolved in buying the newspaper, led by Markwick and the Trust 16.00 Timeworking on budget at the Frimley Park Hotel 16.20 Discovering discrepancies in Observer advertising 17.00 Time at the Observer 18.00 Remembers Stuart Taylor, later investment director 18.30 Integration of the two newspapers 19.54 Advertising department culture
20.10 Not a bullying culture 20.45 Culture built on shared values 21.00 Guardian and Observer able to hire the best 21.45 Starting conferences to bring people together 22.05 Advertising conference trip in Amsterdam. Later visited Barcelona 23.30 Being in charge means you miss the 'best gossip' on trips 25.00 Manager styles 26.00 Jim Markwick's retirement 26.55 Working with Ian Ashcroft 27.20 Being headhunted for the board of Burton 28.00 Being made director of the newspapers board 29.00 Biggest challenges of being director. What to do with the Observer 29.20 The Guardian becoming profitable
30.00 Losing sight of the Observer's values. Different to the Guardian 31.00 Commercial integration of the Observer and Guardian versus the editorial integration 31.20 Roger Alton and the Observer 33.30 The Observer and Guardian unnatural partners 33.45 Production of the newspapers 34.50 John Duncan and his role in the development of the Observer 36.10 Observer sport magazine 36.50 Concerns over keeping the Observer 38.00 Return of the Observer to its prime 38.50 Core values of the Scott Trust. Protecting the Guardian and later the Observer 39.10 Biggest challenge was identifying and developing the classified section of the Guardian. The need to be profitable to remain free
40.00 The role of the unions changing during her career. Strength of the clerical union 41.10 Clear opportunities offered to employees 41.40 Rise of technology. Effect on unions 42.00 No threat of changing the Guardian into a tabloid. Would devalue quality 43.00 Role of the G2 44.00 Wired magazine 47.55 The Guardian brand 48.30 Actions of the Scott Trust during Stoke Newington police libel case. Case brought against the Guardian
50.30 Decision to defend against the libel case 52.10 Strength of the Guardian's values to stand against others
Disc 2: Track 1 00.00 Her last years at the newspaper 00.30 Decision to retire 01.45 Preparing for her exit 02.00 Time spent in hospital and in a wheelchair following accident 02.30 Returning to the Guardian following accident 02.50 Her role in Guardian Media Group buying the Observer 04.10 Longterm investment in the website 04.55 Strength of character of Ian Katz in promoting investment in the website 05.50 Continued attempts to make the website profitable 06.05 The website is the future. The need to move forward. Taking the brand across the world
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Access Status | Open |
Access Conditions | Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository |
Image |
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Format | Electronic record |
CD recording |
Printed document |
Minidisc recording |
Copyright | Guardian News & Media Ltd and Caroline Marland |
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