A third of the United Kingdom's regional newspapers, two national titles and half of the positions in regional media outlets may be wiped out within five years, according to Claire Enders, Founder and Chief Executive of media research group Enders Analysis, Press Gazette reported Friday.

Enders is urging the UK government to loosen its competition regulations for cross-media ownership so that newspaper groups may acquire each other and allow all sectors of the news industry to diversify assets, which would help them better weather the economic storm.

Urgency in this matter is essential, as regional newspapers are shutting down at a rate of 10 to 15 titles per week. Local publications are suffering worse than others due to the economic slump in local communities, Enders stated, according to Press Gazette. She added that taking away the narrow regulations may permit more titles to survive, even if closures will continue.

"I am very hopeful that if the government is aware of the fact that individual titles keep individual communities alive that they will hopefully understand that the time for a full relaxation of the barriers to consolidation is the only way to keep those jobs alive," Enders said.

In addition, she discussed the declining private equity interest in the local newspaper field since Daily Mail and General Trust dropped the sale of its regional office in Northcliffe. If the firm had gotten the "undervalued" £950 million for its regional division, they they may be better off today, Press Gazette reported.

"There are no companies investing in the sector except for the companies that are already in this sector. Everybody's been trying to get out of the local press," Enders said.