THREE new free newspapers have been launched in central Scotland, launched to fill a gap created by the demise of the publishers of Clackmannanshire newspaper, the Wee County News.
The weekly titles – launched last week by Clyde and Forth Media – are the Eastside Advertiser, the Allanwater Herald and the Strathallan Times.
In June, allmediascotland.com reported the closure of Forth Independent Newspapers which published, among others, the Eastside News, the Allanwater News and the Strathallan News.
The three new titles are being edited by Martin Little, who was previously editor of the Eastside News, the Allanwater News and the Strathallan News, plus the Wee County News.
Little told allmediascotland.com: “I’m delighted to be involved with the launch of these new titles across Central Scotland and South Perthshire.
“The addition of these new publications to Clyde and Forth Media make us the most established regional newspaper publisher in the region.
“We will continue to bring quality grassroots journalism to the communities we serve and our journalists will always go that extra mile to bring in the news that matters most to our readers.
“I have worked in newspapers across Central Scotland for several years now and look forward to developing and growing these titles over the coming years.”
It’s not known what, if any, plans there are for the resurrection of the Wee County News, which was founded in 1995, was weekly and sold for 45p.
Before their closure, the Eastside News, the Allanwater News and the Stathallan News each had print runs of around 7,500.
The Eastside Advertiser comes out on Tuesday, while the Allanwater Herald is a Wednesday title and the Stathallan Times a Thursday one.
The Eastside Advertiser serves Bannockburn, Plean, Cowie, Fallin, Braehead and Broomridge. The Allanwater Herald, meanwhile, mainly serves Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Doune and Causewayhead. And the Strathallan Times covers Auchterarder, Crieff, Comrie, Blackford, Dunning and Muthill.
Added Clyde and Forth Media managing editor, Tom McConigley: “We’re delighted to have a successful young editor like Martin on board. The speed at which we have launched these titles has been breathtaking, but Martin has made sure that the quality has been top-notch.
“As a result, we’ve also attracted some of the best sales people in Central Scotland who will ensure these titles go from strength to strength.”
