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Guest BooBoo

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The local media are making nowt, advertising revenue is down, circulation is down, sales are down, the lot. They are really struggling to cut their cloth in the modern digital world of media and I can honestly see a day when the Chronicle ceases to exist. Fewere and fewer people are buying it. Their biggest demographic is the 40-65 year olds but the Toon's population is getting younger and younger, people who are becoming web savvy regarding news and opinion, and they are struggling to reach this demographic.

 

It is quite sad in a way because the Chronicle is as Geordie as Greggs, Blaydon Races, Shearer and indeed NUFC but they haven't helped themselves. For years they have been far too pally with the club but its a catch 22 situation for them. If they dare to speak out they may get banned from SJP.

 

Me personally, they can go f*** themselves.

 

The Chronicle (or NCJ Media) still makes a very handsome profit - around £8m last year I believe, although staff cuts have helped maintaon that figure.

One thing I'd say to those slagging the local papers is that they are still way better than most up and down the land. You only need to look at the Sunderland Echo to see a truly dismal local paper totally beholden to its football club. It's unreadable.

Douglas in particular is a good writer.

 

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Guest CheickMansour

I agree with Otter. Although I understand the financial difficulties they face, is it really so unrealistic that they could sell more  by employing top quality opinion writers rather than the dross they have now? Their current relationship with the club isn't very productive anyhow.

 

You could call it the 'Independent' model if you like - focusing on trying to build rapport and articulate the views of it's demographic (in this case, the fans) more than getting first hand interviews, 'scoops' and so on. It would focus more on opinion than news. If they did it well, I think it would boost sales and popularity. By contrast, if they are seen as 'Ashley sympathisers' etc then surely their sales will keep going down anyway as people will be put off.

 

And, as Macphisto said earlier, they can get the rest - interviews etc from other sources. In any case, getting breaking news is getting harder and harder - hasn't Douglas already been pipped by other Twitter users before? How long before a genuine insider sets up an anonymous twitter account and starts leaking from there? The traditional print media cannot compete with Twitter and Facebook for speed. But they can compete by employing professional writers and editors who - due to having more time to put towards each piece - can concentrate on producing well-reasoned and genuinely insightful articles.

 

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I agree with Otter. Although I understand the financial difficulties they face, is it really so unrealistic that they could sell more  by employing top quality opinion writers rather than the dross they have now? Their current relationship with the club isn't very productive anyhow.

 

You could call it the 'Independent' model if you like - focusing on trying to build rapport and articulate the

 

 

views of it's demographic (in this case, the fans) more than getting first hand interviews, 'scoops' and so on. It would focus more on opinion than news. If they did it well, I think it would boost sales and popularity. By contrast, if they are seen as 'Ashley sympathisers' etc then surely their sales will keep going down anyway as people will be put off.

And, as Macphisto said earlier, they can get the rest - interviews etc from other sources. In any case, getting breaking news is getting harder and harder - hasn't Douglas already been pipped by other Twitter users before? How long before a genuine insider sets up an anonymous twitter account and starts leaking from there? The traditional print media cannot compete with Twitter and Facebook for speed. But they can compete by employing professional writers and editors who - due to having more time to put towards each

piece - can concentrate on producing well-reasoned and genuinely insightful articles.

 

 

Mark Douglas does that, in my book.

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Guest Recoba

The chronicle is a terrible paper, reliant on a NUFC headline every day along with a local crime story on the front page.

 

The journal is sort of the north east business paper, less reliant on sport with more coverage of Northumberland rather than just Newcastle and tyneside

 

Then the Sunday sun is like an even naffer version of the chronic.

 

Despite this though all are very important to the region and I try to buy them as and when as it will be a sad day when local news dies.

 

None

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We could do with George Caulkin coming out and asking questions of the board, etc. He has been unusually quiet of recent. I can understand the local rags needing to keep the club onside, but who do they write the paper for? Is it for the club or the people who actually buy it?

 

Unfortunately Geordie it's neither and to cover thier own arses.  They know that they have to be the 'official' voice of Newcastle United and have a zombie readership that will believe whatever horseshit is put out one day and still buy the next.

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Guest BooBoo

Just had a browse through Ryder and Douglas' Twitter timelines. They've been absolutely slaughtered in the last 2 days.

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Guest sicko2ndbest

Just had a browse through Ryder and Douglas' Twitter timelines. They've been absolutely slaughtered in the last 2 days.

 

Rightly so

 

Being banned from SJP and writing what you truly feels is surely more appealing than writing dross filtered by fatty and dekka

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Just had a browse through Ryder and Douglas' Twitter timelines. They've been absolutely slaughtered in the last 2 days.

 

Rightly so

 

Being banned from SJP and writing what you truly feels is surely more appealing than writing dross filtered by fatty and dekka

not if it costs the paper money which it can't afford to lose

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Guest sicko2ndbest

Just had a browse through Ryder and Douglas' Twitter timelines. They've been absolutely slaughtered in the last 2 days.

 

Rightly so

 

Being banned from SJP and writing what you truly feels is surely more appealing than writing dross filtered by fatty and dekka

not if it costs the paper money which it can't afford to lose

 

Rubbish. They get jack shit from nufc now why would they get more in the future if they told it how it is

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Just had a browse through Ryder and Douglas' Twitter timelines. They've been absolutely slaughtered in the last 2 days.

 

Rightly so

 

Being banned from SJP and writing what you truly feels is surely more appealing than writing dross filtered by fatty and dekka

not if it costs the paper money which it can't afford to lose

 

Rubbish. They get jack s*** from nufc now why would they get more in the future if they told it how it is

 

Nobody would buy a newspaper that doesn't even report from the fucking match man.

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Guest sicko2ndbest

They would you can watch every match on ffirst and be able to make an informed article

 

You could even catch a stream if need be

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Just had a browse through Ryder and Douglas' Twitter timelines. They've been absolutely slaughtered in the last 2 days.

 

Rightly so

 

Being banned from SJP and writing what you truly feels is surely more appealing than writing dross filtered by fatty and dekka

not if it costs the paper money which it can't afford to lose

 

Rubbish. They get jack s*** from nufc now why would they get more in the future if they told it how it is

 

Nobody would buy a newspaper that doesn't even report from the f***ing match man.

 

Sales are rapidly falling now, as people are saying, so what have they got to lose? If they keep printing the same stuff, they'll keep getting the same s*** (And falling) sales figures. After all, isn't the definition of madness to keep doing the same thing whilst expecting different results?

 

Anyway, I for one would be infinitely more likely to buy a Chronicle if it lambasted Ashley than I would for it carrying an interview with Carver about how the morale is good. They need to attract new readership, and you can't do that if you're just rehashing the same s**** propaganda that everybody can see through and nobody wants to read now. And they can never be successfully banned from reporting on a game. The club can say whatever they want but there's 52000 seats there, surely to god they can manage to get a reporter into one of them?

 

All the club can do is stop access to interviews with players and staff, but when you've got to write the s*** that you're told to write even when you know it's bollocks then what are you losing exactly if this is taken away from you? You're only losing restrictions, but gaining a massive amount of freedom to do the job you're supposed to be doing in the first place.

 

I admit it's a gamble for them if they went anti-Ashley, don't get me wrong, I'm just suggesting that it's a gamble worth considering. And think of the scoops they could lash out day after day about how Ashley's been trying to control the press for years by stifling their reporting? Would be f***ing brilliant reading!

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When the Daily Mail were banned from SJP, the journalist concerned would buy a ticket so he could report on the match and journalists from other papers would fill him with what was said at the press conferences.

 

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Guest ObiChrisKenobi

It'd be good to hear from Nixon and Nick on how they feel on where media (in general) is heading. Must be tough for two young guys trying to break into the Sports Writers business, if its in such a down turn. Would you guys toe the line, or would you be more creative/free?

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It'd be good to hear from Nixon and Nick on how they feel on where media (in general) is heading. Must be tough for two young guys trying to break into the Sports Writers business, if its in such a down turn. Would you guys toe the line, or would you be more creative/free?

 

Cheers btw.... :shifty:

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Guest ObiChrisKenobi

Oh crap, sorry JH, had no idea you were in the same boat. For some reason I thought you were a Video Analyst for a football club, I know there's someone on here who does that (guess that isn't you). REAL LIFE AND FORUM PERSONNAS ARE CROSSING STREAMS!  :frantic:

 

But still, how do you feel the current Sports Writer industry is? How would you approach your role - toe the line, or write thought provoking opinion pieces? Is it possible to do a mixture of the two?

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Guest Roger Kint

Can't remember his name on here - QBG?

 

Yep, that'll be QBG.  He just graduated in Sports Journalism (I think).

 

Overqualified for the local papers then

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They're basically doomed if they keep doing what they do, don't think it's an unreasonable idea for them try to adopt a niche by going rogue against the club turning their sports section into a representative for the "voice of the fans." In some ways it could be seen as a merging of local press and fanzines, two forms of media that are both on borrowed time.

 

There's really no reason for "local" press to exist anymore in the twenty-first century aside from sentimental purposes.

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