A North-West publisher is launching a new free weekly paper, bucking the current trend of job cuts and closures.

Champion Media Group, based in Southport, will start circulating the Aintree and Maghull Champion to around 15,600 homes in the two areas of Merseyside from mid-January.

The company said the new title should be “welcome news for readers and advertisers alike” after Trinity Mirror closed satellite offices and reduced its titles and distribution in the area last autumn.

The Aintree and Maghull Champion is a natural extension of the independent newspaper group, bringing its total number of titles to five which already cover Southport, Formby, Ormskirk and Skelmersdale.

Joint circulation figures for the five papers will top the 112,000 mark.

Champion Media Group MD Betty Drummond said: “In the past year most publishers have responded to declining sales and advertising losses by embarking on extensive cuts and restructuring.

“This has meant not only significant job losses but also reduced advertising opportunities at a time when local businesses really need to reach more potential customers, not less.

“While others may be closing titles the team at the Champion will be facing up to the challenges of the year ahead with this exciting new addition to our portfolio.

“We believe readers and advertisers deserve local newspapers that will support them in times of trouble and not turn tail and run.”

The first Aintree and Maghull Champion will be delivered on 14 January and is expected to be 52 pages.

A mock front page of the new Aintree and Maghull Champion

Comments

Hilary Jones (02/01/2009 12:08:55)
More power to their elbow! I hope they’ve got real news and proper reporters. There should be enough going spare…

George Kelly (02/01/2009 12:51:17)
Great news! This is the time when the independents, operating on realistic profit margins, can really benefit.

Cheeky boy (05/01/2009 11:55:28)
Same number of staff doing extra work for a paper that aleady “existed” as a Maghull title. Great news for those who like to look at pictures of Martin Hovvden and Coun Robertson

Ho Hum (05/01/2009 12:49:56)
And this is new how? There’s been a Maghull edition there for some time. I should know; I live there.

James Wilson (05/01/2009 14:45:58)
congratulations to you all at the Champion. Maghull today Liverpool tomorrow, Trinity seem to have lost interest, just shows there is a market for those that seek it out.

No sense (05/01/2009 22:53:15)
Where’s the new office? Where are the new staff for this “new” paper? It’s a crass attempt to cash in on bad news elsewhere.

Simon (06/01/2009 20:43:49)
What a con. Paper is already there and absolutely rubbish. Jim shaples going on about parish pump?martin howden’s dead sounds? Thanks for nothing

Jim Sharpener (06/01/2009 21:00:53)
The new champion – the paper for people who like their journalism with a whiff of steak and kidney pudding