Ship-shape and


Bristol fashion


Robin Whitlock finds that local news is thriving all around Bristol


T


he NUJ Local News Matters week of action earlier this year aimed to highlight and support local news gathering as a vital pillar of local democracy, in a climate that has seen jobs lost and local titles closed. This resonates in


Bristol, particularly where job cuts have hit hard. In response, Bristol NUJ decided to organise its own Local News Matters event to demonstrate the breadth of innovation in the sector. This was exemplified in Bristol in recent years by the success of Bristol 24-7, founded by former Western Daily Press journalist Chris Brown in 2009. “It seemed to be pretty obvious to me that there was a gap in


the market for a good local source of information online,” says Brown. “It all grew from there really. I did all the reporting myself but also got former colleagues and amateur writers to write general reports and blogs.” Brown never thought advertising alone would work, so he also provided digital marketing services for businesses and other organisations including small charities. Bristol 24-7 won the South West Website of the Year awards


for two years in a row and flourished to such an extent that, in 2013, Brown approached Dougal Templeton of Venue Magazine to take it to a new level. It is now a community interest company and maintains a large following. “The really interesting thing is that it has moved into print as well,” says Paul Breeden, chair of Bristol NUJ and owner of the South Bristol Voice, part of another successful local news initiative – the Voice Network. “This is one of the messages that we wanted to get across: organisations that are going to survive and make money and employ people almost always do so partly on print, because it’s so hard to make money online.” The Voice Network produces printed magazines, published


monthly and delivered free, which makes it attractive to advertisers. It focuses on small communities, providing news they wouldn’t get otherwise. Breeden thinks this model could be played out nationally and he suspects others will copy it. Andy Vallis, a former staff journalist on the Mid Somerset


12 | theJournalist


series of local papers, has just established the 16th paper in the Voice Network – the Wells Voice. Trinity Mirror had taken over the Mid Somerset series and proceeded to shift reporters onto the website where they covered only stories that would generate the most hits. It became more difficult to cover local news satisfactorily and, eventually, the Wells office closed and


‘Local stories were not being covered’


People from print, broadcast and online media outlets attended the NUJ’s Local News Matters event in Bristol. A panel of nine


representatives from local media held a discussion chaired by Bristol NUJ chair Paul Breeden. The organisations


involved included the Bristol Post, the Bristol Cable, BBC Points West, ITV News West Country, the Local Voice Network, the Chew Valley Gazette, Made in Bristol TV and Vocalise. Laura Davison from the


NUJ also attended. Paul Breeden


commented on the migration of advertising online and the changing business model, which has resulted in an enormous reduction in the numbers of journalists and cutbacks in the BBC. Outlets such as the


Bristol Cable and Vocalise were established because the cuts meant important local stories simply were not being covered. Made in Bristol TV is an


interesting example because it is a local TV


channel that, despite the failure of similar ventures, is attracting an audience and offering a refreshing alternative to the larger regional TV stations. The Bristol Cable,


meanwhile, managed to score major successes with exclusive coverage of Avon & Somerset Constabulary’s purchase of technology that can tap into mobile phones over a wide area and an exposé of an ice cream firm that was paying well below the minimum wage. Difficulties still lie ahead,


but the new local media outfits are having a positive impact and look set to grow. And that can only be to the good.


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