Gregory2Smith1
J'les aurai!
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The Demise of The Brighton Argus
- Thread starter wellquickwoody
- Start date
I recall the Cup Final Argus after the match, and Vinnicombe writing an article that Melia was going to be sacked and replaced by John Bond. Spiteful stuff and I suspect linked to JV being given the cold shoulder by the club.
Draws up chair, breaks promise to abandon eating Pringles.
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
Toast and coffee here this could be dynamic stuff....but then probably not
Personally I like nearly everything that Brian Owen writes, and some of Naylor's output too. Naylor does seem to have a very low opinion of any comments on the internet, and from NSC in particular, without ever mentioning the site by name, which comes across as a bit petty.
I know that many have a loathing of Naylor because he supports Stoke, but not bothered by that myself.
I know that many have a loathing of Naylor because he supports Stoke, but not bothered by that myself.
Ernest
Stupid IDIOT
Haven't bothered with the Argus in years as a print version, used to be the lunchtime edition, the 4pm edition that the paperboys such as Timmy delivered and then the night final about 6pm ish, now there is just that waste of space morning edition full of out of date news.
Couldn't believe that the editor wouldn't lead todays edition with some useless story and put the bus crash in a tiny bit to one side on the front page.
Couldn't believe that the editor wouldn't lead todays edition with some useless story and put the bus crash in a tiny bit to one side on the front page.
I agree. I don't doubt that he supported the Albion but I did wonder whether he'd actually been at the game sometimes - there was also something rather formulaic about his reporting. Naylor is about a 100 times better than JV: you get the sense he's watched the match closely, tries to think of different approaches to the report so that the 46 in a season sound different (as opposed to the half a dozen variants that Vinicombe used) and, possibly because he's not a die-hard Albion supporter, there's a bit more analysis. He's a long way from being a great writer but by local newspaper standards he's pretty good.
I posted yesterday about the Argus's coverage of the bus crash. I still can't believe how shocking it was. It took nearly three hours to send a reporter to the scene and even then, the coverage was sketchy. By the end of the day, the Argus report still hadn't even reported the numbers of the buses that had crashed.
I do fear the Argus isn't long for this world - a fate that many local newspapers face. There are local newspapers that survive but they do so by investing in local news reporting and maintaining a distinctive voice. You can't run a Brighton paper from Weymouth, it's going to look cheap and shoddy ... and it does
Hotchilidog
Well-known member
- Jan 24, 2009
- 8,788
I buy the Argus when during the football season or when there is a big Albion story breaking. I like Naylor and Owen's coverage of the Albion, and for that the Argus is worth getting. The rest of the 'news'paper is really not worth the paper it is printed on. I cannot read the news or opinion pieces in it, utter garbage. The OP's description of today's edition is a very well put damning indictment of the so called news journalism at the paper.
I don't read the Indy either I never see it.
I don't read the Indy either I never see it.
Herne Hill Seagull
Well-known member
Its future, if it's to have one, is online. Unfortunately, the online version is such a shambles that it bodes pretty poorly for its longer-term prospects. They simply don't bother with sub-editing any more, instead leaving it to the comments section to point out the constant stream of mistakes, whether in spelling, grammar, sense or even factual. As a consequence, any story without an open comments section simply sits there unamended for as long as it's on the site, a damning indictment of the paper's standards now - gibberish like this for example. I still use the website to keep in touch with Brighton news but if they don't realise that it's likely to be a solely digital future for the Argus, and start paying the website the proper attention they should be, eventually it won't exist at all.
I still buy the paper each day having done so since the 50's. I do agree that it's a shadow of its former self but I still find interesting the sports coverage.
The new editor has made news reporting lose out to crusades such as save our seafront; clean the beaches; etc and like many I was astonished at its coverage of the bus crash both online and today's print edition. Even The Times this morning has in its report more detail than the Argus in that it says the first bus driver is a hero for doing an emergency stop so the runaway second bus would crash into it.
The new editor has made news reporting lose out to crusades such as save our seafront; clean the beaches; etc and like many I was astonished at its coverage of the bus crash both online and today's print edition. Even The Times this morning has in its report more detail than the Argus in that it says the first bus driver is a hero for doing an emergency stop so the runaway second bus would crash into it.
BUTTERBALL
East Stand Brighton Boyz
Having worked for the Argus and Johnston Press who have bought the Brighton and Hove Independent i would offer the following:
It is sad to see the demise of the once-great paper as far as the Argus is concerned. Problems started when US giant Gannett acquired them and newspaper sales declined as the internet took over. If i were them, i would close the paper edition, move it entirely online and focus all the resource onto the website making the stories more in depth. The problem for them is that they have still not fully learned to monetise digital and the paper limps along until the inevitable death knell sounds or they decide to make it free as they have been contemplating for years, similar to what the Standard have done in London. Sadly, as a corporate giant, the local management won't be given the resources to do this model well.
With regard to the Brighton and Hove Independent, regrettably it lost it's independence last Friday when acquired by JP. They will argue that it will allow them to upscale their operation of a title that i have to say for a free is pretty good. JP say they won't change it or make any staff changes - but they will because they always do. Savings are key to their entire business plan. They have been looking for a way into the Brighton market for years having got the rest of Sussex covered with their other titles such as the Worthing Herald and Crawley Observer. The primary objective for them is to make revenue, particularly in the digital sphere, and see Brighton as a perfect place to do it. They are great at monetising digital, but sadly with second rate products that attract no real engagement and in many cases no click-throughs for advertisers.
It will be interesting to see how this particular battle between the two media giants plays out. The Brighton and Hove News which is online only and is staffed by ex-Argus journos is the only true independent source of news in the area now together with Juice 107.2.
It is sad to see the demise of the once-great paper as far as the Argus is concerned. Problems started when US giant Gannett acquired them and newspaper sales declined as the internet took over. If i were them, i would close the paper edition, move it entirely online and focus all the resource onto the website making the stories more in depth. The problem for them is that they have still not fully learned to monetise digital and the paper limps along until the inevitable death knell sounds or they decide to make it free as they have been contemplating for years, similar to what the Standard have done in London. Sadly, as a corporate giant, the local management won't be given the resources to do this model well.
With regard to the Brighton and Hove Independent, regrettably it lost it's independence last Friday when acquired by JP. They will argue that it will allow them to upscale their operation of a title that i have to say for a free is pretty good. JP say they won't change it or make any staff changes - but they will because they always do. Savings are key to their entire business plan. They have been looking for a way into the Brighton market for years having got the rest of Sussex covered with their other titles such as the Worthing Herald and Crawley Observer. The primary objective for them is to make revenue, particularly in the digital sphere, and see Brighton as a perfect place to do it. They are great at monetising digital, but sadly with second rate products that attract no real engagement and in many cases no click-throughs for advertisers.
It will be interesting to see how this particular battle between the two media giants plays out. The Brighton and Hove News which is online only and is staffed by ex-Argus journos is the only true independent source of news in the area now together with Juice 107.2.
shaolinpunk
[Insert witty title here]
Will be interesting to see how the Argus deals with Johnston Press' ownership and development of the Independent. Will it step up, or will it be the beginning of the end?
I may be wrong, but I've always got the impression that JP have been wanting to go head-to-head with the Argus for years, but starting a new paper in the city from scratch was never seen as a risk worth taking. This is the perfect chance for them to put the squeeze on Newsquest in this area.
Also, as someone that works in editorial for JP, the chance to switch to a Brighton office in the future would be ideal!
I may be wrong, but I've always got the impression that JP have been wanting to go head-to-head with the Argus for years, but starting a new paper in the city from scratch was never seen as a risk worth taking. This is the perfect chance for them to put the squeeze on Newsquest in this area.
Also, as someone that works in editorial for JP, the chance to switch to a Brighton office in the future would be ideal!
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,601
Used to love the Sports Argus as an adult. Get back to the Brewery Tap from Withdean, leisurely pint, nip along the road to the newsagents with the drinking team's order, grab a handful of Sports Argus then back to the pub to devour them cover to cover. Well they were better than the pub food on offer boom boom
MattBackHome
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 11,747
Brighton and Hove News is where it's at, if you're feeling nostalgic for the way the internet looked in 1998.
smudge
Up the Albion!
Vinicombe's Verdict, cutting out the pictures of games for my scrapbook; Marvellous, isn't it?
Pevenseagull
Anti-greed coalition
- Jul 20, 2003
- 19,795
The Brighton and Hove Independent is mighty fine quality for a freebie. In my opinion it's coverage of the election blew The Argus away. Admittedly, being weekly rather than daily gives the journalists time to plan and consider their coverage but The Argus seems too often to read like the product of interns half heartedly filling pages; knowing full well that there is no future for them in traditional local print media.
Even the newsagents posters have lost their charm.
How sustainable is a daily local with a circulation less than the probable attendance at a league cup game against Fleetwood? I think we'll find out in the next 12 months or so.
Even the newsagents posters have lost their charm.
How sustainable is a daily local with a circulation less than the probable attendance at a league cup game against Fleetwood? I think we'll find out in the next 12 months or so.
An ex-colleague of mine moved to the Nottingham Evening Post last year. There's a publication that serves a city with a similar sized population (Nottingham's a bit larger but not excessively so) and is doing well. Its circulation is more than twice the Argus's, so it's not necessarily the case that local newspapers are dead.
El Sid
Well-known member
Hurry up and explain. I wanna go out.
By the way, do LeapPads have spell checker?
Pevenseagull
Anti-greed coalition
- Jul 20, 2003
- 19,795
A concern for at least some of the readership is that the B&HI may lose some of it's 'I' with the new owners. Whilst not a full blown firebrand pamphleteering product, it does read as the work of people who are not beholden to sycophantically toeing the typically vacuous, vanilla line of free newspaper journalism.
Hopefully a few extra pages of crass advertorials whilst maintaining it's core principles will suffice in the pursuit of increased revenue.