A city magazine launched by two former regional press colleagues who believe its model is the “future for print” has celebrated its first anniversary.
Guy Hanson and Sue Hughes first published micro-publishing venture the Winchester Resident in August last year.
The Resident is published six times a year and features coverage of local issues, independent businesses and entrepreneurs, lifestyle and wellbeing, arts, food and drink, history and travel.
It is pitched at an affluent target market and distributed using Royal Mail delivery.
Guy spent most of his 35-year career in a variety of sales roles with Newsquest at titles including the Hampshire Chronicle, Winchester Extra, Southern Daily Echo and Basingstoke Gazette, and also worked for Trinity Mirror and Archant Life magazines.
He said: “With traditional local press going through continued instability, Winchester Resident magazine has found a niche in the market. One year in we have established great links across the city, bringing readers, advertisers and organisations together to mutual benefit.
“I believe that micro-publishing is the future for print in the country and I am delighted with our progress after a year. The future is looking very healthy.”
Sue’s 35 years in journalism have included stints at The News, Portsmouth, Southern Daily Echo and Hampshire Life magazine, where she first worked with Guy.
She added: “Print is very much alive in Resident magazine. We’re neither high-end news analysis nor a disposable handbag read, but every issue develops more connections for readers, local organisations and businesses.
“Some national papers have introduced a fee for premium content and are finding that consistent quality writing is a revenue earner. In our case, fresher content, sourced mainly by talking to people and going out and about, is crucial.
“It allows Guy to attract quality advertisers at a time when many local papers have moved to remote bases, opted for generic content or closed offices which were once at the heart of a community.”
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
Good to see a smaller independent magazine publisher thriving at a time when the bigger publishers are reporting worst ever starts to the year, and record low copy sales.
There certainly is a future for well produced and well designed print publications of quality which focus on a strict demographic or market sector as this and many others across the uk are proving,heralding a time in the very near future when local papers are no longer viable in terms of readers or ad revenues, a time which appears to be drawing ever closer
Well done on your first anniversary WR
Report this comment
Local contacts, decent pictures and intelligent, informed, literate copy; good grief, people, this is the 21st century. Where’s the lists of 50 foods that look like characters from Game Of Thrones?
Report this comment
Congrats to Guy and Sue-having worked with Guy -I know his passion and drive will succeed and am sure in fullness f time WR will become monthly. A quality product from a quality team .P
Report this comment
Thank you all for your kind words. Print is very much ALIVE and is much maligned.
I set up the magazine based on four principles – 1. The magazine must look right for it’s audience. 2. Content is king – readers expect to see professionally compiled articles, not ‘cut and paste’ journalism . 3. WRM is targeted intentionally at the most affluent postcode sectors in Winchester. 4 Delivery via Royal Mail gives advertisers confidence that the magazine is delivered where I say it will be, when I say it will be.
These four simple rules are proving to be a winning formula.
Sue is a traditional print journalist and both readers and advertisers regularly comment on how refreshing it is to read real content. In particular Sue works hard to help forge links between people and organisations across the city.
Most importantly we both BELIEVE in print and have a real passion for Resident Magazine and what it is achieving.
Report this comment
Well done. Micro-publishing is the future. The internet and news feeds are good but can be unwieldy. It’s great if you want to see videos of poor driving in Moscow but the net just seems to be unable to deliver ultra-local news and information.
The problem with the ‘big boys’ is that they wring the life out of a publication because they must make big profits for shareholders. It means the focus of good local content is lost as local offices are closed and everything is centralised. WRM and others like it are the way forward. Print does have a place in modern media, look at the likes of Hartlepool Life which is doing better than expected.
Report this comment