The regional press increased advertising revenue by 7.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2004, against total growth of 4.8 per cent across all media, according to figures from The Newspaper Society.
This made it the fastest growing major advertising sector, and on target to become a £3bn advertising medium this year. It outperformed television, magazines and national press, and was one of the top three performing sectors across all media.

Johnston Press chief executive Tim Bowdler has been on a fact-finding mission to America, visiting ten centres including the Washington Post, and papers run by Gannett, the company that owns Newsquest.
He was there to assess the latest developments in printing and online publishing, as his own company builds a new £40m press at Sheffield.

One of Scotland’s top psychics is to offer Hamilton Advertiser readers free advice from the spiritual world.
The paper claims Derek Ogilvie can speak with the dead – and can also communicate with new-born babies and animals, a skill he’ll use in a weekly column.

Young people are set to “win the praise they deserve”, as the News Shopper launches its Local Hero campaign to counter its Shop a Yob coverage, which has been a massive success in cutting vandalism – but fails to highlight decent, law-abiding and sensible people.
Group managing director Andrew Parkes said: “We have a duty to be fair in reporting the other side – that not all young people are yobs, thugs and tearaways.”

Three months of campaigning and 10,000 votes from the readers of the Kent and Sussex Courier have resulted in the winners being chosen from the heart of the community projects.
The projects gave away £10,000 to help local causes and was so successful that the organizers are making it an annual event.

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