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Regional press celebrates Local Newspaper Week

by HoldtheFrontPage Staff Published 02 May 2008

Local Newspaper Week is under way for its 10th anniversary year – with the theme of Campaigning for Your Community.

As coordinator of the 5-11 May event, the Newspaper Society is showcasing the best local media editorial campaigns from the past year at newspapersoc.org.uk

There is also support for the regional press industry from Gordon Brown, who hails local newspapers as “honest, responsible and accurate”, and from Dame Mary Marsh of the NSPCC, who speaks out in support of awareness campaigns in the local press.

NS communications director Lynne Anderson said: “Local and regional newspapers are champions of campaigning and the past year has seen some brilliant examples on a wide variety of issues, from the Iraq war to the story of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

“Previous years have shown that both readers and advertisers respond positively to Local Newspaper Week which aims to promote the strengths of local and regional press, and celebrate the medium.”

Many local newspapers will be taking part by giving a round-up of their own press campaigns, supported by material provided by the NS, which includes artwork, testimonials from members of the public and organisations that have benefited from local media campaigns, and comment from high-profile figures.

Last year, Local Newspaper Week had an environmental theme and hundreds of newspapers took part, running environmentally-themed editorial and advertising features, supplements and news stories.

Editorial provided by the NS for members to use during the promotion included comments from Prince Charles, David Miliband MP and Ken Livingstone.

The Newspaper Society gives these top ten facts for Local Newspaper Week:

  • Eighty-four per cent of adults, 40.5 million people, read a local newspaper, making it the most widely read medium in the country. (BMRB/TGI 2007)
  • As a source of information about the local area in which people live, local newspapers are three times more popular than the next medium BBC TV news. (Press Gazette/YouGov 2007)
  • More than 3,400 local newspapers are sold in the UK every minute. (Advertising Association Yearbook 2007)
  • There are more than 1,300 local newspapers and 1,100 associated websites in the UK.
  • Local newspapers and their associated websites are 49 per cent more trusted and relied-upon than the nearest medium, commercial TV. (the wanted ads III 2007)
  • More than 13.5 million adults read a local newspaper but do not read a national newspaper. (BMRB/TGI 2007)
  • More than £788 million is spent each year buying local newspapers. (Advertising Statistics Yearbook 2007)
  • Nearly a third of local newspaper readers keep at least one cat, dog or bird as a pet. (BMRB/TGI 2007)
  • Advertising on local newspaper websites is 77 per cent more likely to be believed and relied-upon than advertising on other websites. (the wanted ads III 2007)
  • Seventy-nine per cent of people aged between and 15 and 24 read a local newspaper. (BMRB/TGI 2006)

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