A news website that the county it serves has been “crying out for” has officially launched after six new reporters were recruited for the project.
Reach plc’s site Herts Live site, a rebrand of the Hertfordshire Mercury’s online platform, went live this morning.
The site is being run by digital lead Alasdair Hooper, who has been seconded from the content desk at sister site Essex Live.
The move will see journalists working for Herts Live cover stories from further afield than the Mercury’s current patch into areas including Stevenage, St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead.
Alan Woods, Reach plc’s brands editor for Essex and Hertfordshire, had been hoping for the site to be launched since 2017.
He said: “Then came a turbulent time for Hertfordshire. Business reasons meant the Hertford office closed in 2018 and the team was relocated to Chelmsford. The Herts and Essex Observer newspaper ceased publication and there were big question marks hanging over the future of the Mercury website.
“We’d previously been working towards transforming it into Herts Live, but it felt like this dream was well and truly over for a while.”
Alan added he had received “incredible” support from Reach’s central team to get to the project going again.
He said: “We chose the colour of the branding, how the substantial marketing campaign should look and the recruitment drive was most enjoyable.
“We now have a full team in place and ready to go. One of the most crucial appointments was that of Alasdair Hooper. Alasdair has spent a year working on the content desk for Essex Live and has been seconded to the position of digital lead for Herts Live.
“The expertise and knowledge of how to engage a digital audience that Alasdair has developed in his time with the business is exactly what the Herts Live team needs as it enters the launch stage — and beyond.
“I believe now, as I did back then, that Herts Live is what Hertfordshire has been crying out for. There is no countywide news platform serving the county as a one-stop-shop for local news.”
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A good move by Reach for the people of Herts as this area has been poorly served for news, both online and in print, for years
If they ensure it’s wholly relevant and covers entire communities I’m sure it will be well received and supported
Good luck to all concerned
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Excellent news and good luck to the new journalists. Remember: quick and easy may get you short term hits but quality local journalism builds loyalty.
And Reach too must be commended. It takes a brave company to fly in the face of the winds. As advertising gets set for a major pounding (and that was even before the recent world crisis) setting up new products on a model that has yet to prove itself is brave.
I’m sure the company’s deep pockets will help it weather the current storm and offer rich rewards for the future.
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