A weekly newspaper recently purchased by a regional publishing giant has apologised to readers after a page of births, deaths and marriage announcements failed to appear.
Production issues at the Isle of Wight County Press resulted in a local news page appearing twice, over-writing a page o family announcements.
The issue arose at the paper’s new print centre in Southampton, where it is now printed along with other Newsquest Hampshire titles.
The County Press was independently-owned until last year when it was bought by the publishing giant.
The page of family announements which failed to appear
A story published on the paper’s website today described the missing page as a “significant error.”
It read: “Due to a problem at our new print centre in Southampton, one of our CP Local pages appeared twice, overwriting one of our Births, Marriages and Deaths pages.
“We at the Isle of Wight County Press know how sensitive these announcements are, and are truly sorry for the mistake.
“We will be contacting the families of those affected as soon as possible to offer our apologies and arrange refunds. We will have paper copies of the missing page available at our Pyle Street office from 9am.”
Publisher and editor Alan Marriott added: “I cannot be more sorry. We realise the sensitivity and importance of these announcements and will do all we reasonably can to make things right for those affected.”
In November, Newsquest announced that a voluntary redundancy scheme would be opened to all County Press employees except advertising staff but it is not known how many have taken it up.
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It should have been picked up as the first papers came off the press and rectified. It wouldn’t have happened at their old press in Newbury. Good old NQ
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Blunders, and generally rushed and slack standards, usually follow the titles taken over by NQ though the stretched depleted staff try to do their best, bless ’em all.
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Well, nothing’s being printed in Newbury any more after next week! They kicked out all the printers, shut down the press and are having their own rag printed in Cambridge..
Another family paper learning the NW and TM ways!!
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This almost always happens when a new plant is commissioned, accompanied by usual bleating of it wouldn’t have happened in my day. Thos comments most often made by a person who has never commissioned a press. Typically, the systems or process errors are a one-off.
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Yet another once glorious local weekly slips into the Newsquest slurry of forgettable, mistake-ridden titles. Probably not a problem at the new print centre, but a problem brought on by recent redundancies and over stretched staff. At least it’ll save local residents some much needed dosh once they realise it’s not the rag it used to be.
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@ paulwiggins: NQ’s Southampton press is more than 20 years old. The same error has been made before on other titles.
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on a tangent has anyone else noticed that local papers carry hardly any obits, wedding reports and golden weddings nowadays? One reason is people would pop them in to local offices. Now they are 20 miles away so people do not bother.
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There’s evidence/suspicion that once the cutbacks have forced a decline in quality and volume/pages that fewer people will start not buying the paper.
NQ accelerate their own income decline therefore, its seems.
Have staff etc. cuts already actually taken effect there now, with less staff in the offices?
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