Guardian Media Group severed its historic newspaper link to Manchester today with the sale of its regional media business to Trinity Mirror.

The deal is worth £44.8m to Guardian Media Group, with £7.4m in cash and Trinity Mirror releasing GMG from a £37.4m print contract.

GMG Regional Media publishes 32 newspapers, including the Manchester Evening News and 21 other titles in the north-west of England, plus 10 titles in the south of England, including the Reading Post and the Surrey Advertiser.

Its Greater Manchester TV station, Channel M, and the local newspapers in Woking are not included in the deal.

Mark Dodson, the chief executive of GMG Regional Media, and Ruth Spratt, the managing director of MEN Media, are to leave the company.

Manchester Evening News staff were today told that they will relocate to Trinity Mirror's Oldham base within six months. Trinity's Oldham site is about 10 miles from the current MEN city centre location in Scott Place.

More ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/09/guardian-media-group-trinity-mirror