Media & Marketing: The presence of two non-executive directors on the board of Thomas Crosbie Holdings, owner of the Examiner, is a sign the company is considering its future. For decades its board has been dominated by the Crosbie family, which owns the company.

The company's accounts, lodged last week, show that Mike Masters, a former senior executive with UK newspaper group Trinity Mirror and Eamon Delaney, who previously worked with IMI and Stokes Kennedy Crowley, have been appointed to the board.

These men are the only directors of the board apart from managing director Anthony Dinan who are not members of the Crosbie family.

The company denied yesterday the appointments were connected with any plan to sell the business. In recent years, rumours of a sale have circulated in media circles, only to be denied. Speculation over the company's future has become particularly intense on the back of sky-high valuations for newspapers assets in the Republic.

While a sale is apparently off the table for now, the addition of the two directors, particularly Mr Masters has opened up other options for the company. Mr Masters previously worked in the banking industry until 1989 when he joined Trinity Mirror as finance director. He was appointed group managing director, publishing UK and Ireland in September 1999 . His presence on the Thomas Crosbie board, sources said yesterday, would provide key contacts for the company if UK media assets come up for sale. At present, the group only owns one UK title, the Irish Post. It is keen to expand beyond this, but only if the purchases are suitable.

Another option the company may consider is fundraising via the debt markets or through bank debt. As a former banker, Mr Masters should be of assistance in this regard.

Either way, the company is in rude financial health with a turnover of €93 million and an operating profit of €11.2 million. The company's accounts were sufficiently strong in the 53 weeks ended January 1st, 2006 to pay out a dividend of €7 million to shareholders.

Sponsorship of Tidy Towns out to pitch

One of the largest non-sporting sponsorships in the Republic has been out to pitch and is expected to attract interest from retailers and banks.

According to industry sources, the Tidy Towns sponsorship will cost the winner €400,000 a year, but it is normal for the winning firm also to invest money into the event. SuperValu has been the sponsor for many years and it is likely to pitch again for the contract.

The 2008 event is the 50th anniversary of the competition and this is likely to give the new sponsor an additional boost.

The Tidy Towns sponsorship is ranked third in Ireland behind the Guinness hurling championship and Eircom's sponsorship of the Irish soccer team in terms of recall by consumers at a subsequent date.

A spokesman said competition last year generated print media coverage with an advertising value equivalent of over €8.6 million in print media, with additional exposure on television and radio.

The sponsorship prospectus is available from Slattery Communications, which has been appointed by the Department of the Environment to assist in the identification and selection of a suitable sponsor.

Bids for the sponsorship will be assessed under criteria including the amount of direct sponsorship offered, the proposed marketing and support programme, a good understanding of the ethos of Tidy Towns and the overall fit between the sponsor's brand and the Tidy Towns brand.

Newspapers and Google team up

Google has been regarded as the enemy of traditional newspapers, but a new deal between the search engine and the print industry may change that. Google has recently announced that it is to run a test programme on its site which will allow advertisers to click to Google and then buy advertising space in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Boston Globe as well as around 50 other US newspapers.

Google has also announced that it will broker ads for radio and television stations. Dublin agency AFA O'Meara said it was one of the most innovative deals struck between new and old media this year.

Emmet Oliver can be contacted at eoliver@irish-times.ie