Following 14 months of extensive research and development Extra Newspapers, which has offices in the Midlands, South East and Lancashire, will be unveiling its first three papers in the Northamptonshire towns of Corby, Kettering (Wednesday 4th April) and Wellingborough (Wednesday 18th April) during the coming weeks.
Each paper, which is fortnightly (cover price 50p), is designed to appeal to the traditional newsprint reader as well as the younger, digital savvy readership. Each one will be wholly dedicated to hyper-local news - with companies and communities invited to contribute their news, views and event details to their local Extra paper.
Stuart Parker Managing Director (pictured, sitting on the left) said: "For example - Corby, a town of 55,000 people had until now no newspaper to call its own. The Corby Extra will give Corby what it wants most of all and that’s a voice across the community. Just one town where a little Extra will make all the difference"
In the spirit of the company’s vision, Extra will also be offering recruitment advertising and jobs listings free of charge.
Parker added: “We intend to truly support local business and free recruitment ads are something our research flagged up. With the gradual shift in recent years to high advertising rates, the regional press has made it almost impossible for small businesses to communicate effectively with their target audiences and Extra will also be providing value for money advertising rates, so that businesses can quite simply afford to advertise and communicate.”
The newspapers will have a start-up circulation of 10,500 and a cover price of just 50 pence, bringing readers everything from football results and birth announcements to school news, council facts, events, news and local views.
Editor Judith Halliday, a Northamptonshire–based journalist, said: “The local community will be at the heart of each publication. We are committed to bringing positive, good news to communities that have previously been left feeling they no longer have a way of finding out what is going on around them. Circulation areas will be tight and the news content hyper-local. Extra aims to prove that small and local can be beautiful. We will be right there on the corner with the local community - watching, reporting and sharing all the news.”
