The recent move by the Manchester Evening News to a new out-of-town location has meant a homecoming for one of its local sister titles.
The MEN recently completed its long-awaited move from its city centre offices to Mitchell Henry House in Oldham – newly-renamed after the Liberal MP who founded the paper in 1868.
It has meant a homecoming for sister weekly the Oldham Advertiser, 18 months after it moved in the opposite direction from Oldham to Manchester.
The Advertiser was one of 21 weeklies whose operations were centralised at the MEN’s old offices in Scott Place as part of a shake-up by its previous owners, GMG Regional Media, before the sale to Trinity Mirror earlier this year.
The paper covered its own homecoming with a story in last week’s edition saying: “The Advertiser offices are back in Oldham – and we’ve brought a few friends!
“After a brief move to the centre of Manchester, our Oldham staff are now all based back in the borough.”
Editor Claire Mooney said: “Our Oldham reporters have always maintained a strong presence in the area despite relocation to a city centre office.
“Not only will our team of dedicated reporters have their ears closer to the ground here in Oldham but we are once again back on your doorstep and welcome any input from our loyal readers.”
Welcoming the move, Oldham council leader Howard Sykes said: “The news that the Oldham Advertiser is returning to the borough after a brief absence is one that I know will be welcomed by everyone.
“I’ve always believed that the more quality media sources we have serving the area, the better. Newspapers play a crucial role in the local democratic process by keeping the public informed of developments and to have so many different newspaper titles operating from Hollinwood is a real feather in the cap for our borough.”
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Delighted for the people of Oldham, sadly of no benefit to the people of Macclesfield…
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Exactly. Might be great for one paper but what about the other 20 MEN titles that aren’t in their patch anymore!
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I think this story is proof positive anybody determined enough can put a positive spin on anything! As others have said, good for Oldham (even though I wonder how many casual callers will venture to Hollinwood), but not so much for the good people of Accrington, Rossendale, Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale, Heywood etc or even central Manchester who might wish to wander in with an ad or a story.
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The readers in Oldham won’t care about the other papers, so good on the Oldham paper for making a fuss about returning to the patch.
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Does anybody in Oldham seriously think that the Advertiser is moving back there for the benefit of their community? It’s just a happy accident that their town is the most cost effective outpost before another comes along.
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