Two county-wide news websites have been launched following the merger of 10 weekly newspaper portals.
Trinity Mirror has launched Essex and Live and Kent Live, which are the latest two additions to the ‘Live’ brand of websites which it has been developing over the last two years.
The new sites follow the same model of hyperlocal news on a county-wide platform as the recently launched Gloucestershire Live and Somerset Live, which were also created out of the merger of former Local World websites in those areas.
Essex Live has been created from the merger of the Essex Chronicle and Brentwood Gazette’s operations, while Kent Live is the digital presence for the Ashford Herald, Canterbury Times, Dover Express, Folkestone Herald, Kent & Sussex Courier, Maidstone and Medway News, Sevenoaks Chronicle and Thanet Gazette.
A screenshot of the Essex Live website
David Higgerson, digital publishing director at Trinity Mirror, said: “Our audience research has showed readers like having all the news from their area in one place.
“In Essex and Kent we’re aiming to follow the successful model of bringing news titles into one large, accessible, easy to navigate websites.
“The new sites are designed so people can find their local area news quickly, but also have access to news which is relevant to them from further afield.”
Both websites have ‘In Your Area’ tabs, presenting readers with a choice of news from towns and villages across the two counties. This sits alongside news, sports, What’s On, traffic information and much more from the wider area.
The new sites went live on Monday.
In June, around 15 jobs were put at risk by Trinity Mirror in the South-East of England as part of proposals which saw three editors leave the business.
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Bit of a U-Turn for these titles. I remember not more than 3 or so years ago when the thisistotalessex website (featuring content from Gazette and Chronicle) closed down because Local World wanted to launch the standalone Chron and Gaz site. They wanted to use the strong newspaper brands they already had, in print, online as well. They also mentioned how it was confusing for readers. Thisiskent also existed and was axed for the same reasons. Now some new swinging dick has had the same idea his predecessor from many years ago had and they think it is actually novel and groundbreaking.
Presumably the “live” tag is because these titles have become obsessed with live blogging everything.
“We are here live at the opening of a curtain”
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Yet more editorial cost-cutting dressed up as progress.
Trinity Mirror’s ruthless defenestration of its newly-acquired Local World empire continues to send a chilling message.
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It doesn’t actually say so, but I’m sure this will be an exciting development.
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