The battle for readers in a seaside town whose daily newspaper went weekly this year is set to hot up again.
Regional publisher Johnston Press switched its Scarborough Evening News to weekly publication in June as part of a major relaunch of its paid-for titles.
Shortly afterwards, plans were unveiled for the launch of a new thrice-weekly newspaper called Scarborough Voice, although this has now been delayed until March 2013.
Now former SEN sports reporter Pete Spence has joined the fray with plans to set up a new 40-page free weekly, although a title has yet to be decided on.
Pete, who has also worked for the Filey and Hunmanby Mercury and currently runs a sports news blog, is looking for backers for the proposed venture.
He said the new title would have a print run of 30,000 copies a week. The relaunched Scarborough News currently sells 16,736 according to the most recent ABC figures.
The new paper will aim to provide “an independent view for the residents and businesses of the Scarborough area.”
Said Pete: “The new Scarborough weekly is the future for newspapers in Scarborough. Produced by Scarborough people for the town of Scarborough, the paper will focus on local issues and communities and will be backing local community projects.”
The paper will be published on Wednesdays, a day before the Scarborough News.
Pete is asking people interested in supporting the venture to contact him on 07815290457.
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This is a great idea. Big companies like JP have completely lost their focus and forgotten what local newspapers should be about. Smaller, independent papers without the overheads and massive debt of the larger groups can offer what readers want – a decent paper with current, well-researched, fair and accurate stories, by someone who knows the community and gets out there to find out what people are talking about. As long as it can pay for itself, it should work – and if Scarborough is anything like other JP papers I know, the local advertisers will be dying to find an alternative. Good luck, Pete.
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I have been keeping my eye on the Scarborough News since the weekly edition came into force, and as a local business man I feel that the current weekly newspaper serves the town well. I own and operate a number of businesses in the town, and I advertise all year long in the local press, who have done a sterling job with my adverts.
I get at least 6 paid jobs a week through my ad campaigns, which more than cover the very reasonable ad rates..
I really don’t think another newspaper will make a huge difference to Scarborough. The town has already proved that one newspaper is enough, backed up by its fantastic website. I appreciate that having more choice is a great idea, but another newspaper will only confuse the marketplace.
I do feel the future is online, where the Scarborough News is the clear market leader for the area. Their website is easy to use and very helpful. I certainly don’t feel that there will be a newspaper battle. The Scarborough News serves Scarborough well, and I for one think their reporting is more than adequate.
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Pete,
Forget it.
Buy a boat.
Trust in cod.
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