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Somerset weekly rushes out earthquake edition

Staff at the Somerset County Gazette were shaken into action … quite literally.

The week’s issue had just rolled off the Weymouth press when Taunton and the surrounding area was rocked by a series of earthquakes.

Not wishing to miss a story which made national TV and radio headlines, the team at Newsquest (Somerset) pulled together to produce a same-day edition Earthquake Special.

The special eight-page wrap, 20,000 copies of which were printed in Southampton, included reports and local reaction to the tremors.

And the centre’s advertisement team also sold £3,500 worth of ads into the one-off copy including “earth-shattering reductions” for a furniture shop sale, “a moving experience” (local estate agent) and “shake, rattle and roll” (music shop).

Newsquest (Somerset) managing director Vincent Boni said: “We only had three hours to put the special together. It was a fantastic effort by everyone involved.”

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