SAYS an announcement issued by the publishers of the new Scots newspaper, The National, launched on Monday: “Scotland’s new pro-independence newspaper, The National, is to continue indefinitely, after a hugely-successful five-day trial.
“The National editor, Richard Walker, said: ‘Now that we have passed this initial test period, we have exciting plans for developing The National into a mainstay of the Scottish media landscape.’
The paper is targeted at the 1.6 million Scots who voted for Scottish independence in the recent Referendum.
“The National is produced in Glasgow by the Herald & Times Group.”
Read more, here: a media release posted on allmediascotland.com.
Yesterday evening, Mark Sweney, on the The Guardian’s website, began: “Scotland officially has its first pro-independence daily newspaper, as the parent company of the National has committed to continuing to publish the title after a five-day pilot smashed sales expectations.
“The tabloid, which runs with the banner, ‘The newspaper that supports an independent Scotland’, was launched on Monday as a trial to test the appetite for a pro-independence daily title. The National sold out its initial print run of 60,000 copies, priced at 50p, as well as attracting 11,000 digital edition subscribers who paid £1.50 for the first week’s issues.”
Read more, here.
Earlier, in the day, Sweney had begun: “Sales of the second edition of the new Scottish pro-independence daily paper the National are understood to have dipped to 50,000 on Tuesday, but huge demand from advertisers will see pagination rise by 25 per cent for a bumper Friday issue.
“Newsquest’s new tabloid, which runs with the banner “The newspaper that supports an independent Scotland”, launched on Monday, selling out of its entire 60,000 print run.”
Read more, here.
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BEGINS The Scotsman: “An island radio station is fighting for its life after being told it needs to raise £6,000 by Friday to stay on air.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSPs, Rhoda Grant and David Stewart, have called on the public in the Western Isles to get behind their community radio station, Isles FM.”
Read more, here.
The story is also reported, here, on radiotoday.co.uk.
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A FREE, quarterly parenting magazine is being launched by the publishers of The Herald, Evening Times and Sunday Herald newspapers.
Edited by Joan McFadden, Family Focus Scotland, will have – says the Herald & Times Group – “a circulation of 60,000 copies and an estimated readership of 300,000 per issue”.
Adds the publisher: “It will be distributed via a unique network of outlets specifically designed to provide maximum availability across Scotland’s major towns and cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling, and will be found in health and community centres, doctors surgeries, local government public buildings, museums, libraries, leisure and entertainment centres. Selected cafes, coffee shops and shopping centres are also targeted to ensure that the demand for this title is fulfilled to its optimum potential.
“The Sunday Herald will also insert a copy of the launch issue with its first edition on the 30th November which covers Carlisle, Galashiels, Perth, Dundee, Inverness Aberdeen and all Scottish Islands as well as further copies being distributed with sales of The Evening Times, The Herald and The National.”
Read more, here.
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THE deadline is today for applications to a couple of job vacancies being advertised on allmediascotland: a senior reporter at The Courier newspaper (here) and news reporters at The Press and Journal (here).
Please do mention allmediascotland.com when replying to job adverts you see on the site.
Meanwhile, PR agency, Volpa, is seeking a graphic designer, on a full-time basis – as advertised here.
And repeated on twitter.com/allmediajobs.
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BEGINS an announcement from PR agency, Citypress: “Citypress’ Scotland office has appointed four new members to its Edinburgh-based team.
“Carrie Clement joins the growing agency as account director, with Pamela Morris joining as content manager, Ruth Minto as senior account executive and Jamie Williamson as assistant account executive.
“Formally of 3×1 Public Relations and Buchanan, Carrie has more than eight years’ experience and has worked with the likes of Scotland Food & Drink, the Green Investment Bank and Barclays. She also brings listed-company expertise to the role, having lead accounts for FTSE-250 firm Devro plc, AIM-listed Energy Assets plc and CareTech Holdings plc.
“A former investment news journalist for Centaur, Pamela worked on its Money Marketing and Fund Strategy titles. She is also the winner of the AIC Best Investment Company Trade Journalist of the Year 2014 and was shortlisted for the 2014 Headline Money Rising Star of the Year.
“Ruth arrives from The BIG Partnership, where she worked with brands including Brugal, Optical Express and the British Trout Association. She also has extensive drinks industry experience, having supported events for The Famous Grouse, Molson Coors, Edinburgh Whisky Stramash and Matthew Algie.
“Recent graduate Jamie joins the agency following the completion of a history degree at The University of Edinburgh, and a three-month internship at Porter Novelli.”
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A FORMER journalist, who – among things – has helped launch two weekly newspapers, has been appointed marketing co-ordinator (digital) at the University of the West of Scotland.
As well as helping launch the West End Mail (in Glasgow) and the East Kilbride Mail – both no longer operating – Ross McKay has written for community websites for the website group, S1, been involved in various magazines published by Glasgow-based Peebles Media Group and worked in the PR department for the local authority, East Renfrewshire Council.
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ADVICE on how on to become an ‘effective freelancer’ is among a series of training courses being offered by the National Union of Journalists, in Glasgow next month.
Two of the sessions are about being a journalist in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry into Press standards, and the McCluskey Report, which considered the implications of the inquiry from a Scotland perspective.
The courses line-up is as follows:
Saturday December 6 Law for journalists, post-Leveson and McCluskey
Friday December 12 Epublishing
Friday and Saturday December 12 and 13 Digital filming and editing (two-day course)
Saturday December 13 Law for journalists, post-Leveson and McCluskey
Friday December 19 The effective freelance
For more information, contact Joan Macdonald, training manager, NUJ Training Scotland on 0141 248 6648 or 07730 513991, or joanm@nuj.org.uk
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MORE tributes to the former football broadcaster and commentator, Arthur Montford, whose death, at the age of 85, was widely reported yesterday… (as noted, here, on allmediascotland).
In The Scotsman, for instance, Alan Pattullo pens a feature (here); Martin Hannan, an obituary (here); and Donald Walker, a tribute (here).
Elsewhere, for example, Graham Spiers, writes here in The Herald, which also today carries an obituary, by Robert McElory, here.
Montford was also a golf writer.
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BEGINS the Stornoway Gazette: “Receiving a £30,000 grant has helped producer, Angus Mackay, turn the Western Isles into an even more attractive, and financially viable, location for the global television and film industry.
“With help from Business Gateway, the 44 year-old from the Isle of Lewis secured a grant through the Outer Hebrides Small Business Assistance Scheme this year, using the money to buy specialist equipment which has made his company – Corran Media – the first to offer a complete ‘lens-to-screen’ service in the Highlands and Islands.”
Read more, here.
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WIDELY reported, including by the BBC, here: “Social networking firms including Facebook and Twitter are being told to make it clearer to members how they collect and use their data.
“A report by the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee says the firms’ terms and conditions are far too long and complex.
“The MPs say users may not be aware of how their details can be used by websites and apps.”
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