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Gazette Direct to the rescue

A service launched by the Blackpool Gazette is putting readers at the heart of the newspaper’s decision-making process.

Gazette Direct has its own dedicated telephone line straight to executive editor Alison Bott.

Readers can then pass on story ideas; get an issue investigated; complain; praise or pass on details of a campaign which needs support.

Alison said: “It’s like having a reader in daily conference. We are encouraging the readers to help us set the news agenda and it’s working really well.”

The paper has produced front page leads from Gazette Direct calls and come to the rescue of readers with nowhere else to turn.

Recently Gazette Direct helped a 70-year-old man who had been left high and dry when a plumber came to deal with a leaking pipe under his kitchen sink.

The plumber said he could not fix the problem until the water was turned off at the mains. But North West Water switched off the pensioner’s next-door neighbour’s supply instead. So the neighbours had no water while the pensioner was still bailing out water from the leaking pipe.

Alison said: “He was at his wit’s end when he called us, but as often happens in these cases, one call from the local newspaper and the problem was sorted out.”

Gazette Direct is prominently advertised every day on the Gazette’s index page, and any stories arising from it – like the plight of the water-logged pensioner – carry the logo and telephone number.

“People are reassured and encouraged by the fact that they are getting through to someone at a fairly senior level,” explained Alison.

“If they are ringing to say they didn’t like an article, they know I am going to look into the matter. Their complaint might not even be about an editorial matter. It might be about another department in the building, but I will still get an answer for them. It might not always be the answer they wanted, but they know they are being taken seriously.”

There is plenty of positive feedback from the readers, said Alison, who takes the calls throughout her working day – alongside other responsibilities – from about 7am until 5pm or 6pm. Throughout the night the line is directed to an answering machine.

Probably her most bizarre call to date was from the man who rang up saying: “Can you help me? I’ve lost my teeth.”

“I had to look up the telephone number of the emergency dentist for him,” said Alison.

Gazette Direct also complements the strong campaigning stance taken by the evening paper.

Four major campaigns are currently running, said Alison:

  • A £2.9m appeal for a new cancer unit: “It sounds daunting, but last year we completed a campaign to raise £1.9m for a new MRI scanner.”
  • A bid to stop Blackpool’s cardiac unit being moved to Preston: “We’re becoming a real thorn in the side of the health authority on this one. We’ve raised a 35,000-signature petition – and our average circulation is 40,000.”
  • An £80,000 appeal to buy defibrillators which can be put around town centre shops and theatres to revive heart attack victims: “We also aim to train one in five of the population over 18 in how to use the defibrillators and we’ve already paid for a fast-response motorbike.”
  • Signing up more donors to the organ donor register: “Some people think carrying cards is enough, but the doctors still need to get permission if you are not on the organ donor register as well.”

“In the past, newspapers have been quite autocratic – although that’s perhaps less the case these days – but something like Gazette Direct means we are getting the readers involved in a pro-active way and not sitting in an ivory tower,” said Alison.

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