Plans to launch a new three-times-a-week newspaper in a North Yorkshire seaside town are being delayed by six months amid staff defections.
A group of journalists in Scarborough had planned to launch the new title, Scarborough Voice, on 19 September with Monday, Wednesday and Friday editions.
The initiative followed the decision by Johnston Press earlier this year to switch the daily Scarborough Evening News to weekly publication.
But the team behind the proposed launch, which initially included several former SEN journalists, has now revealed its plans are being put on hold until March 2013.
The setback follows the launch of a website, scarboroughvoice.co.uk, last month ahead of the proposed print launch.
Editor of Scarborough Voice online Steven Thurston admitted the delay was a blow but said the company was now seeking new staff to replace some who have decided not to continue with the project.
He told HTFP: “The Scarborough Voice was due to launch in September 2012. We are having to revise the date due to a number unforseen circumstances, that require much more time than first anticipated, and a number of people who have been involved in the project from the start have decided that they are unable to continue with us.
“This of course has been a blow to us, but we are now moving forward with our plans, and seeking extra staff to help us achieve our goal.
“As you can imagine there has been a lot of interest in what we have been trying to achieve in the local area, and we want this product to be 100pc right.
“The revised launch is to be in March 2013, this gives us much more time to review what we have done so far, and set out our goals for the much anticipated launch.”
Steven said the website has received 13,000 hits to date and would continue.
He added: “The website has been very successful in its own right and we have had a great response from the community who have been helping to shape the stories in the area and have been contributing and sharing their news with us.”
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Not a shock to be honest. It’s missed its window now. By the time it opens the Scarborough News will be embedded in its new weekly format.
Good idea, bad execution.
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Bad idea, worse execution.
What the average journalist knows about the commercial side of the business you could write on the side of a stamp
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13,000 hits which is probably about 1,000 unique users and about 300 actual unique users. Forget it boys
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Have to agree. That first flush of ‘Let’s do the show right here’ has tailed off and the grim truth that you have to get money coming in before you can start sending papers out means that it’s time to look elsewhere.
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Leave ’em alone. At least they’re trying.
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Also hiring people deemed surplus to requirements by the old paper is not really a fantastic hiring policy
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It seems everyone has killed the venture off before it’s even started. We’re a cynical bunch in journalism, but have we become that complacent with the way the big newspaper companies have killed journalism and newspaper circulation? Good luck to them. Taking a risk and investing is what this industry has forgotten to do.
Only time will tell, but the model adopted by JP, Trinity Mirror, Archant, Northcliffe et al is of cuts, more cuts and the death of local news.
Local newspaper offices have closed, editions closed, dailies turned into weeklies – nothing there about improving the offer. I hope this attempt to change the tide pays off.
It only takes a little wave to start something bigger and hopefully this great industry can flourish in the future – if there’s anything left.
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John Bull – didn’t you see the latest ABC figures? Dailies published by independents aren’t faring any better than those published by the groups you list. Sales in Oldham? 11% down on last year. Shropshire? Minus 10%. Dundee? Minus 9%. Burton? Minus 5%.
My point is not that the strategies of the major publishers are right, more that it’s fanciful at best to believe that a start-up newspaper in a market the size of Scarborough might enjoy success. I admire the enthusiasm on display and the desire to make a go of this but I think the chances of sustainable success are non-existent. There’s a good reason why other publishers don’t have a thrice-weekly publishing model!
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Spot on ill-informed. Trice weekly is ridiculous and they clearly were paying lots of editorial staff before they had a product.
Editorial staff should start after all the commercial side is bedded down and they have some advertising guarantees etc
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As a former MD at Scarborough I can say that the launch of an independent paid-for would, in this financial climate, be a brave undertaking – and almost certain to fail unless it secured either the lion’s share of either the property or motors advertising. Preferably both. The part I don’t understand is thrice weekly.
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I know and admire Steve and hope he succeeds in whatever he tries to do. I also know that to achieve what he has been trying to achieve, within the time frames he has been forced to aim at with little or no financing in place is a sad waste of his undoubted talents. The loss of staff implies there were a number employed by the venture and I for one would be most interested to know how many were actually ‘employed’ and rewarded through ‘salary’. If people don’t get paid their charitable intentions are only as deep as their pockets in my experience. I think it’s sad because it WAS a good idea.
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