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Words from the streets


“That’s driven by the university of course, but it has a


knock-on effect elsewhere in the city – from the ‘Cambridge cluster’ of more than 2,000 companies rolling back the frontiers of technology and life sciences to a thriving community of artists, writers, academics and performers. Lots of celebrities live here as well, which is obviously good for copy. “When I was features editor of the Cambridge News, all this


was such a gift. Now that I’m freelance and looking beyond Cambridge as well, I find it’s also the perfect base, allowing me easy access to London – where I go at least once a week on work assignments – without the hassle of having to live there.” Other titles in the city include glossy monthly lifestyle


magazine Cambridge Edition, published by Bright Publishing. In terms of broadcast, the BBC has studios in Cambridge.


There’s also Cambridge TV, an Ofcom-licensed channel that was launched last year and covers arts, science, business and culture. ITV’s news programme for the region, ITV News Anglia, has its main base in Norwich but employs a staff and a freelance camera operator based in Cambridge.


Radio includes BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Star Radio, Heart Cambridgeshire and community station Cambridge 105. Outside the city, Archant Herts and Cambs, based in the Cambridgeshire Fenland market town of March, has weekly title The Cambridge Times and a number of local newspapers for nearby villages. John Elworthy is the editor of the Cambridge Times plus


the Wisbech Standard and Ely Standard. He highlights the stark contrast between the wealthy areas in the south of the city and the much poorer north east area. “Wisbech and Cambridge are like chalk and cheese,” he


says. “Property in Wisbech is a third of the price of that in Cambridge.”


The cost of property is a major problem for journalists – prices are not far behind London’s and there’s a lack of housing. Alison Palmer, freelance journalist and owner of www.


Where the work is


BBC Cambridgeshire About 60 staff, including part-time employees and freelances plus reporters based in Northampton and Dunstable. It’s home to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, digital services and TV news programme Look East-West. The Sunday Politics programme also comes from the Cambridge studios.


Trinity Mirror Employs some 95 full- time staff at its Cambridge office, in the village of Milton near Cambridge. The company produces daily paper the Cambridge News, free weekly the Cambridge News & Crier and other titles in nearby areas. These include free


weeklies the Ely News, Newmarket News and Haverhill News.


Bright Publishing About 25 employees at its Cambridge offices. The company publishes seven titles including local lifestyle magazine Cambridge Edition.


Cambridge TV This has eight employees plus freelances and volunteers. The TV channel, broadcast on Freeview, Virgin Media and online, covers arts, science, business and culture in the city. It shares news stories with BBC Cambridgeshire through a deal arranged through the BBC Trust.


journohub.co.uk, a website that connects freelance journalists with commissioning editors, says: “I live in a small town – Soham – about 15 minutes from Cambridge and have to say I love the city. But for a decent four-bed you’re looking at a minimum of about half a million, and anywhere up to £2.3 million for a swanky new four-bed villa near the centre. Estate agents say that from where I live in Soham into Cambridge you can add £20,000 per village you go through. One of the reasons for that is Cambridge’s very best asset – it’s less than an hour by train to King’s Cross or Liverpool Street.” Another downside for many is the volume of tourists. “In the summer it can be positively claustrophobic,” says


Palmer. “I like the multicultural aspect but all the bodies can be a bit much. Another bugbear is the traffic. If you need to get from one side of the city to the other for a meeting it’s easier to do what Cambridge is famous for – get on your bike.” Kirkley also feels that building, development and expansion mean the city risks “losing its unique position as a modest market town with a global reputation. The treasured ‘green lung’ that surrounds the city centre is under particular threat.” There are, of course, also many advantages to living in this


university city. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” says Palmer. “I defy anyone to


find anywhere prettier than The Backs on a summer’s day and the commons, colleges, punts on the Cam etc, are so quintessentially English.” Kirkley adds that it’s also a wonderful place to raise a


family. The schools are good, average earnings are high and unemployment low. “There is plenty to do in the evenings now,” says Chapman.


“The whole city has a wonderfully vibrant atmosphere.” Palmer says that there are lots of bars, clubs and excellent pubs, and the shopping is pretty special too. Plus there are lots of great museums and galleries. She adds: “There’s a huge sense of history and gravitas to the city and yet it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”


Emma Higginbotham, Cambridge News deputy features editor: “Unless you were lucky enough to buy 10 years ago – as I did – or have a rich daddy (or sugar daddy), there’s no way you could afford a property here on a journalist’s meagre wage.”


Freelance journalist Alison Palmer: “There are lots of lovely places to eat; fantastic theatre and comedy. It’s a destination for many bands and artists thanks to its huge student population.”


Freelance journalist Paul Kirkley: “Cambridge is growing ‘faster than China’ according to some, which puts pressure on housing and schools, and people on lower incomes can feel priced out.”


Jenny Chapman, Cambridge News business editor: “There is a tremendous sense of people in the business community wanting to help one another. Those who make their fortunes – and there are a lot of them – stay and invest in the next generation. It’s addictive.”


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