... for our newspapers. 2008, that is.
We saw no fewer than three new titles. First of all, Trinity Mirror's established Vale Advertiser morphed in June into Your Vale. Still free of charge, it went from being delivered to being available at a rather restricted selection of local pick-ups. And didn't it get thin (indeed, the latter Vale Advertisers were, too).
With an almost apologetic tone, in September, Trinity Mirror merged its north Visitor series with Your Vale to form the Denbighshire Visitor. Still free, it was still available by collection except in Rhyl where it was still delivered, albeit from a wider selection of outlets.
Then, in October, rival North Wales Newspapers launched the Evening Leader's Ruthin & Denbigh edition. The area's first ever bespoke evening newspaper, it was a paid-for title, available five nights a week.
Recent editions of the Denbighshire Visitor have themselves slimmed when compared to their initial editions. And the title continues to go through other birth pains. In November, parent Trinity Mirror announced it was to shed eight editorial posts in North Wales, inlcuding at the Daily Post, in a wholsesale restructuing of its business. It will prepare both for a so-called centralised production hub for all its titles; and by reinveting multimedia journalists who take photographs, shoot video and create written & web content. The changes are blamed on challenging trading conditions.
This is funadmentally important for the communities the Visitor serves. There is an intrinsic link between a region and its papers. Can Trinity Mirror's local title survive such a torrid time? Is the Denbighshire Visitor a brand that Trinity Mirror might claim to be truly at the heart of its community? On the positive side, the paper is the first weekly to cover all of Denbighshire. With what goes on at Rhuthun's County Hall of interest to all of the county, such a title makes sense. It saves duplication. Denbighshire and regional news makes up significant chunk if its output. And with Dinbych and Llanelwy/St Asaph looking particualrly to Rhyl, this makes sense, too.
On the other hand, try as it might, the Visitor seems short on news—and shorter on Rhuthun news and advertising. It's obvious that Rhyl will dominate.
We saw no fewer than three new titles. First of all, Trinity Mirror's established Vale Advertiser morphed in June into Your Vale. Still free of charge, it went from being delivered to being available at a rather restricted selection of local pick-ups. And didn't it get thin (indeed, the latter Vale Advertisers were, too).
With an almost apologetic tone, in September, Trinity Mirror merged its north Visitor series with Your Vale to form the Denbighshire Visitor. Still free, it was still available by collection except in Rhyl where it was still delivered, albeit from a wider selection of outlets.
Then, in October, rival North Wales Newspapers launched the Evening Leader's Ruthin & Denbigh edition. The area's first ever bespoke evening newspaper, it was a paid-for title, available five nights a week.
Recent editions of the Denbighshire Visitor have themselves slimmed when compared to their initial editions. And the title continues to go through other birth pains. In November, parent Trinity Mirror announced it was to shed eight editorial posts in North Wales, inlcuding at the Daily Post, in a wholsesale restructuing of its business. It will prepare both for a so-called centralised production hub for all its titles; and by reinveting multimedia journalists who take photographs, shoot video and create written & web content. The changes are blamed on challenging trading conditions.
This is funadmentally important for the communities the Visitor serves. There is an intrinsic link between a region and its papers. Can Trinity Mirror's local title survive such a torrid time? Is the Denbighshire Visitor a brand that Trinity Mirror might claim to be truly at the heart of its community? On the positive side, the paper is the first weekly to cover all of Denbighshire. With what goes on at Rhuthun's County Hall of interest to all of the county, such a title makes sense. It saves duplication. Denbighshire and regional news makes up significant chunk if its output. And with Dinbych and Llanelwy/St Asaph looking particualrly to Rhyl, this makes sense, too.
On the other hand, try as it might, the Visitor seems short on news—and shorter on Rhuthun news and advertising. It's obvious that Rhyl will dominate.
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Media