Regional Newspapers Must Respond Or Be Left Behind

Local and regional newspapers no longer have the monopoly on local news and advertising, and they must respond quickly, and diversify into new products, or be left behind, warned Hew Stevenson, president of the Newspaper Society at the start of the newspaper sales conference in Birmingham today.

There are a large number of local newspapers, with new titles emerging all the time; together with the increased effectiveness of local radio this leaves local newspapers with no choice but to expand. “We need to know what is going on. We need to develop a range of options which might enable us to participate in some way in the multi-media explosion”, said Mr Stevenson.

A study is being launched into multimedia and the implications of electronic publishing for the future of local newspapers. The Newspaper Society has also launched an Industry Strategy Opportunities Programme, under the chairmanship of Michael Toulmin of United Provincial Newspapers. It aims to develop a range of strategic options for publishers.

Allan Prosser of Westminster Press has unveiled a research study into the attitudes and characteristics of different groups of readers. It identifies seven different groups of readers for dailies and for weeklies. The potential for each group for development, through new or existing products is examined by the report.

The study also describes the key topics that are considered of most importance to readers, with the three main points being credibility, clear print and plenty of useful information.