BEGAN the editor of The Courier, Richard Neville, yesterday: “Today, we are proud to unveil a fresh new look for The Courier.
“We have introduced new typefaces to give the paper a modern, fresh look while remaining true to the core Courier brand.
“We have changed the body text typeface to improve legibility and the headline typeface and fonts are punchier and more versatile than before.
“We have also spread local news right through the paper and introduced more content from across Courier Country in to each edition.
“We have increased the number of shorter stories on each page and made the front page a more versatile ‘shop window’ for the inside content.”
The designers were Edinburgh-based design consultants, Palmer Watson, who said: “It is the most recent of Palmer Watson’s redesign projects following news the previous week that one of the consultancy’s clients, the Danish broadsheet Politiken, was included among the four World’s Best Designed newspapers by the prestigious Society for News Design (SND).
“It was the ninth occasion in which newspapers designed by Ally Palmer and Terry Watson have been honoured as SND World’s Best.”
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BEGINS an announcement, issued this morning: “Two of Scotland’s leading public relations and public affairs companies have today, Tuesday 28 April 2015, joined forces to form one of Scotland’s top three independent communication consultancies.
“The acquisition of CM Porter Novelli by Pagoda PR brings together two highly-respected and successful Scottish businesses into one company, Pagoda Porter Novelli.
“CM Porter Novelli’s Angela Casey is the managing director of the new, 20-strong company, bringing her long track record of experience in PR and public affairs to bear in leading the new business.
“Ian Coldwell, formerly managing director of Pagoda PR, takes on the role of deputy chairman, focusing on business strategy and sector expansion.
“Giselle Dye, continues as a director and board member of the new company and Anne McMunn, director of CM Porter Novelli joins as an associate director, bringing senior counsel and media expertise.”
Read more, here.
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AN assistant editor at The Scotsman and sister title, Scotland on Sunday, has been promoted to deputy editor.
Donald Walker – a former sports editor of The Scotsman – is to succeed Kenny Farquharson, who is leaving for The Times (as noted here, on allmediascotland).
Walker’s appointment is joined by that of Graham Bean, who has promoted to the role of group head of sport and the return of former Scotland on Sunday sports editor, Paul Greaves – as assistant sports editor.
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BEGINS Martyn McLaughlin, in The Scotsman, today: “Navel gazing is an unbecoming habit of the media, but on occasion it can be constructive to take time to squint blindly into the future.
“Last week, I took part in a panel at the Celtic Media Festival exploring the rise of Scotland’s new media and its repercussions for the established press.
“It was a spirited discussion, but so rapid is the process of disruption, even the most salient points raised may soon be obsolescent.
“Scant attention has been paid in the mainstream media to the growth of ventures such as Wings Over Scotland, Bella Caledonia, Common Space and Newsnet.
“By my count, the past year has seen the public contribute close to £900,000 to these sites and others through a crowdfunding and traditional fundraising initiatives.”
Read more, here.
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BEGINS Damian Radcliffe, an honorary research fellow at Cardiff School of Journalism: “Hyperlocal media is a small but significant part of the UK’s local media landscape.”
Radcliffe is writing on the website of the Carnegie UK Trust, which – for the last two years – has been running a Neighbourhood News programme to “help support community media across the UK”.
He continues: “With decade-old sites like the London SE1 community website andOnTheWight being joined by newcomers such as East Grinstead Online andAlt Reading, this evolving sector is an increasingly established part of our local media ecology.
“Research suggests that there are 408 active hyperlocal sites in the UK – compared to 1,045 local and regional newspapers (2011 Newspaper Society figures cited by the NUJ) – and hyperlocal media has attracted attention from funders, policy makers and researchers in recent years.”
He goes on to list ten types of ‘great output produced by hyperlocals’.
Read more, here.
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BEGINS an announcement from the film location office, Film Edinburgh: “Scotland’s oldest film office, Film Edinburgh, celebrates 25 years as a regional film office this month.
“Since its conception, it has dealt with over 8,000 enquires, converting into more than 4,000 productions filming in the city region. The total economic impact for the city is estimated to be worth in excess of £65million.
“Founded in late April 1990 as The Edinburgh and Lothian Screen Industries Office, it was the second film office to open in the UK after only Liverpool, which was set up to support the filming of Channel 4’s soap, Brookside.”
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THE annual general meeting of Johnston Press – publisher of The Scotsman, several other Scots newspapers, plus the Yorkshire Post, etc – is taking place in Edinburgh on June 3.
It follows the publication of the company’s 2014 annual report (here), along with a letter from the chair, Ian Russell (here).
Among the reports, including about the pay package for the company’s chief executive, is one, here, by The Guardian.
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A MUST-read for football journalists? Ian Herbert, in The Independent newspaper, writes about the Argentinian football journalist, Jorge Lopez, who was fatally injured by a hit-and-run driver last year.
Began Herbert, in yesterday’s edition of the paper: “Jorge Lopez would have grinned, and no doubt winced, at the knowledge that [Bayern Munich manager, and former Barcelona FC boss] Pep Guardiola, the man he came to call a good friend, had been reprimanded by the authorities for wearing a T-shirt which called for justice in his name.
“In his short life, Lopez’s journalism let him soar above the realm of those faceless time-servers who have made an industry out of stunting truth and relationships in football and built an edifice out of rules and bureaucracy. God knows, that building keeps growing.”
Read more, here.
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