’Champion supplement for Local Newspaper Week

THE important contribution regional newspapers have made to Irish society will be highlighted during Local Newspaper Week, which runs from Monday next to Saturday, October 28.

The Clare Champion, founded in 1903 in succession to The Clare Man, is among over 30 regional titles participating in the initiative and to mark the occasion, a special supplement will be published in next week’s edition.
Circulation and readership research will feature among the key highlights of the inaugural Local Newspaper Week that will be launched by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, on behalf of the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland (RNPAI), in Dublin on Wednesday next.
The supplements, which will be tailored specifically to each participating title, aim to highlight the unique brand that is regional press. Included will be the key findings from an IPSOS/MRBI omnipoll survey carried out in late September on readership trends and preferences.
The Clare Champion supplement will feature comments from both advertisers and avid readers from various backgrounds on their experiences of regional press and the relevance of this media to the local communities it serves.
“While the immediacy of new media such as facebook and twitter is proving popular with young people, regional press remains one of the most trusted media sources for rural Ireland. It is the only media that accurately reports and reflects the news and concerns of the people of rural Ireland,” commented Johnny O’Hanlon, director of RNPAI.
Clare Champion managing director, John Galvin said Local Newspaper Week would give regional titles an opportunity to show that they are a dynamic force in the media industry in Ireland. “Local newspapers have been around for a long time, providing an unrivalled forum for news, sport, features and advertising in catchment areas where a loyal readership has evolved,” he said.
Mr Galvin added, “I am very proud that the newspaper, founded by my grand-uncle, Tom Galvin 108 years ago, is still going strong as one of the leading regional titles in the country. It is also very important to me that The Clare Champion is still a family business.”
As part of Local Newspaper Week, RNPAI will launch a special micro site, www.localnewspaperweek.ie, on Monday to compliment its own website www. regionalnewspapers.ie.