AddThis SmartLayers

Publisher hires new reporter amid fresh website launch

Katie AndersonA regional publisher has appointed a dedicated reporter to aid its newest website launch.

Reach plc has announced the launch of Hartlepool Live, which will appear as a channel on its Teesside Live website.

Katie Anderson, pictured, has been appointed dedicated reporter for Hartlepool Live, which went live yesterday.

Hartlepool has always been part of the Teesside Gazette circulation area but is also served by JPIMedia daily the Hartlepool Mail and independent weekly Hartlepool Life.

Teesside Live editor Ian McNeal said: “We are hugely excited to be extending our coverage of Hartlepool.

“This new digital launch builds on the commitment Teesside Live and The Gazette have always had for the wider Tees Valley.

“We want to deliver a comprehensive and compelling news service to readers in Hartlepool through our new social media channels.

“Hartlepool is a fantastic town and we look forward to bringing readers the latest breaking news on what’s happening every day.”

The move comes after Reach last week unveiled two new print launches in the North-East of England – with Newcastle-based dailies The Chronicle and The Journal launching new editions covering South Tyneside/Durham and Northumberland respectively.

Helen Dalby, audience and content director for Reach’s North-East titles and digital brands, added: “We’re excited to be bringing even more of our quality journalism to the people of Hartlepool.

“Our team is incredibly passionate about the North East – as well as reporting on the region, we are also very much part of it. Our reporters, photographers, print production and commercial teams live here; we shop in the same high streets; we support the same football teams; our children attend the same schools.

“We know from our impressive audience growth in a very short space of time how much people have enjoyed the stories published on our new Northumberland Live, County Durham Live and Sunderland Live channels since we ramped up our coverage last year.

“Our new reporters and photojournalists are doing a fantastic job bringing in the stories that matter to these communities and this approach will now ensure that we’re telling even more of the stories that are important in Hartlepool.”