Outgoing Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson is to launch a new blog in the New Year – on HoldtheFrontPage.

Steve, who formally steps down from his current role on 31 December, is to bring his unique brand of hard-hitting commentary to the UK’s premier regional press news and jobs site.

His new blog Dyson at Large, which will appear here every Wednesday, will be launched 6 January

Each week, Steve will be reviewing a different local or regional title, showcasing its strengths, highlighting its local successes, and occasionally suggesting how things could be improved.

Said Steve: “One of the biggest issues facing local and regional newspapers is that the industry itself is not as proud of its titles as it needs to be.

“There are hundreds upon hundreds of newspapers playing a major role in the villages, towns and cities they serve, and yet they mainly get a cursory mention outside of those areas, if they get a mention at all.

“Yes, the industry faces problems, both cyclical because of the advertising downturn and structural because of the growth of the internet and other media.

“But local and regional newspapers are still read by 80pc of UK adults each week, which is more than the 60pc of adults who read a national newspaper.

“Local and regional newspapers have a crucial role to play in providing crucial information, recording crime, uncovering charlatans, monitoring the performances of politicians and services funded by tax-payers, highlighting local successes and reflecting readers’ concerns and joys.

“It’s time the world woke-up to the power of local and regional newspapers and their importance to democracy. And it’s time that the industry became really proud of itself again.

“If my blog can do just a little of that, then it will keep me happy.

“I hope it will be mainly positive, because there is so much quality to be found in the majority of local and regional newspapers. But, when appropriate, the critique will be just that, highlighting where a paper has gone wrong, what is missing and how it could be improved.”

HoldtheFrontPage publisher Paul Linford said: “Steve Dyson and HoldtheFrontPage are a natural fit as we are now the only journalism news site which regularly seeks to highlight the positive work done by local newspapers, whether through campaigns or journalists’ charity efforts.

“So I am naturally delighted that Steve chose HTFP as the vehicle for his new venture and I am sure his blog will give readers yet another good reason to come here.”

Steve’s blog is just a small part of his future after editing. From January he will be trading as Dyson Media, offering crisis media management, media training and media strategy reviews to individuals, businesses, politicians and the public sector.

He will also operating as a freelance, exploring broadcast as well as print opportunities.

Steve added: “I don’t want to go straight into another job, whether that’s editing or anything else. I first want to spend a little time trying out a variety of other media roles, and that’s what Dyson Media is all about.

“That might be how I end up, or I might find something new to concentrate on or, I might, just might, return to full-time editing. For now, though, I’m just excited about what the future holds.”

Comments

Beau Brummell (21/12/2009 10:35:26)
Let’s hope it is better than the self-indulgent twaddle he used to write on the Birmingham Mail website.

Chris Youett (21/12/2009 10:41:17)
Great idea, Steve, but who is going to payn for this blog. Time is money – and the biggest problem the media still has (after spare Press capacity) is all those thick publishers who are almost giving away online services.

Anon (21/12/2009 12:25:25)
I see the snide snipers are out Beau. Dyson’s Mail blog was a lot more readable than any other editor’s I’ve read and a genuine attempt to highlight some of the difficult issues someone in that position can face. Some people would clearly prefer to read anodyne twaddle, or more simply have an axe to grind and will post negative comments on any article about certain individuals resplendent in snide online anonymity.

Beau Brummell (21/12/2009 12:35:06)
Like a video of Dyson limping up the stairs after injuring his hamstring playing football (filmed by his son). Readable, highlighting issues – I think not anon. He possesses an ego bigger than the Bull Ring.

fudgie (22/12/2009 09:46:34)
Don’t all editors have big egos? Part of the job I’d say.

Not a Brummie (22/12/2009 10:15:50)
What gives Dyson the right to comment on the efforts of other journalists? His record at the Evening Mail hardly stands any sort of test. A catastrophic fall in circulation, a disastrous relaunch, scores of journalists being made redundant not to mention taking a once-proud evening paper to overnight printing. That’s a pretty massive success story eh Steve.
Although, to be fair, his circulation decline was considerably larger than almost everyone else so he’s a winner on that score.
Journalists across the land wait with baited breath for his observations and advice.

Spent the Redundancy (22/12/2009 12:02:22)
Will he be refering to papers as ‘silos’ in the new blog and will he be judging how well papers sack their employees? Marks out of ten maybe for how many of the target number take voluntary redundancy because they have become so sad about the state of the paper?
He will be the man for crisis management though: ‘Steve, one of our departing employees has become a youtube sensation and the entire industry is laughing at our brand, it’s like he is sticking two fingers up at the shareholders!’
‘Ok ok, my advice would be when you speak to the Times make sure they get the bloody name of your company right, that will be ten grand please!”
Joking apart it’s great that the regionals will be featured more on the website, and good luck with the new ventures Steve..

Beth (22/12/2009 14:41:48)
For goodness’ sake! I agree totally Anon – I appreciated his blog. Anyone who didn’t, didn’t have to read it and doesn’t have to read his new one. What is it with internet messagers who continually seek out articles to object to online, purely so they can leave a message to the effect of “I hate this person”. Don’t bother. Your messages are what I’d call self-important twaddle. Get over yourselves.

Observer (23/12/2009 10:35:09)
Dyson didn’t kill the Birmingham Evening Mail,Trinity Mirror did. He cared about the newspaper and was a reporters’ editor.

Old regional press hand (23/12/2009 11:26:27)
@Not a Brummie. Presumably you mean ‘bated breath’?