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Axed editor bounces back with glossy mag launch

A former newspaper editor made redundant by Newsquest five months ago has launched a paid for paid-for glossy magazine.

Paul Holden had been editor of the award-winning Worthing Sentinel for almost 11 years before the axe fell last October.

He lost his job when the weekly title was closed as part of a round off cuts affecting its sister paper, The Argus.

But undaunted, Paul immediately took steps to set up The Worthing Journal, a hyperlocal full-colour monthly magazine which is now about to publish its fourth issue.

Said Paul: “The whole of Worthing and district was stunned when Newsquest pulled the plug on The Sentinel because it was such a hugely popular, and unique, publication.

“I received hundreds of emails and letters from people expressing their dismay, and urging me to continue.

“I was astonished by the reaction and decided to go for it. The response has so far been fantastic. I’ve even got a volunteer team of former Sentinel readers who said they would deliver The Journal in their neighbourhoods – for free!

“I had only a few weeks to sort the first edition and therefore decided to limit it to 32 pages, but immediately found myself turning advertisers away because there was no space left, which was obviously daft. Now it’s 48 pages, which will get bigger as the year progresses.”

The magazine bills itself as “A celebration of Sunny Worthing for just £1 a month.”

Added Paul: “April’s edition will have six or seven pages of letters, which speaks for itself. And if it can work in Worthing, it can work in Brighton, so watch this space.”

“The Sentinel prided itself on being a campaigning newspaper and The Journal is following suit, already raising money for a Paralympic tennis hopeful from Worthing, and launching a seafront flag appeal.

“The Journal proves, in my opinion, that hyper local publications serving the community rather than shareholders are the way forward. If these big newspaper groups offer you redundancy, take it, and set up on your own. You won’t look back!”

 

5 comments

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  • March 22, 2011 at 10:11 am
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    Good luck to Paul. he’s so right about hyper local. Problem is companies like Newsquest JP and the like want to control everything from the centre, from their ivory towers, and know nothing about local staffing or news situations. Nice to see someone doing well post-Gannett (the greedy birds). Keep it up Paul.

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  • March 22, 2011 at 10:18 am
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    Holden was one of the many solid experienced hard-working hacks who have lost their jobs in massive cull in the industry. So it’s good to see at least one of them doing well. The problem now for journalism is young talent is beginning to drift away because hacks are dismayed at working conditions at the word factories.

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  • March 22, 2011 at 12:09 pm
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    If only companies like mine, and Paul’s, listened, everyone would be so much better off especially the people our companies forget in all this – the readers. Three cheers, Paul. Good luck.

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  • March 22, 2011 at 2:12 pm
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    Yep – good luck mate. It may well come ‘full circle’ in a lot of places as the centralising conglomerates disappear up their own corporate backsides. Small, local-centric publications still have their place. Wish you every success, Paul.

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  • March 23, 2011 at 10:21 am
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    Too many bosses at the top of national companies know nothing about local journalism. Until they are shifted out local papers will just be messed about until they wither. It’s a shame because a lot of excellent people earning not much are working their butts off to keep decent locals alive. That’s why it’s good to see Paul doing so well. His own hard work is being rewarded instead of constantly being undone by stupid decisions by people who neither know nor care anything about the people that matter-READERS.

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