Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
Thank you for the responses.
To answer a few
The Boxing Day dip. Unfortunately because of the bank holiday deadlines (we go to press before the chaps at the Mercury) it was not possible to get it in the following Thursday edition. The choice was to put it in late or not do it at all.
I am a bit baffled by the perception that all the news is Folkestone. This week page 1 DHB, page 2 DDC page 3 Dour Dramatics, 4 docks court case, 5 Ferry, 6-7 district schools, 8 Dover CC Academy, 9 DDC, 10 way we were, 12 St Margaret's, 13 Deal man arrested (in Folkestone) 14, Torch meeting, 15 Port, 16 district band, 17 Kent wide news, 18 Dover Age Concern, 20-21 letters/MP, 22 Kent Highways, 24 Deal, 26 Cats/Trodd (this was about the Marsh) 27 Kent Police, 28 KCC, 29-30 community news, 31 Jim Gleeson, 32 Harriet Quimby project.
The ads will have Folkestone because the papers are a series so an ad in one goes in all of them. I'd like less ads but we have to make money to exist.
Roger- council in edition Jan 26. Interesting bits reported (Aylesham agenda row, Pfizer progress, Paul's meeting with Shipping minister and what he said about DFDS jobs, wheelie bin problems.
School pics, I agree, baby pix, I'm with you there too, hotspot, I agree, Maggie-loads of interesting stuff, Roger columns is something to think about again.
Obviously I'd like the office to be in Dover but can't change that. But I am in Dover a lot, interviews are mostly done by going to people's houses rather than on the phone, I go to schools/ events (at the air cadets presentation tonight) and good news is done, couple of weeks ago page 3 entirely about 2 girls getting offers for Oxford and page 5 bell-ringing gang at St Mary's. The schools stuff this week was based on the good results.
Dubris seems to be love or loathe, perhaps just the funny bits where we all know what is being written about.
Bern - same old.
Anyway, lots of interesting and valid comments which I plan to raise at work so thank you
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
Unfortunately I lost all respect when i asked a reporter to pop in before or after their thursday session and they never did.. I dont have all the time in the world but they walked straight past the shop twice!!
And I know several businesses who made meetings with the ad team for them to fail to turn up...
Check back the normal papers are a large proportion of folkestone news, or it felt like it, and you stop reading after a while so the perception will take a while to turn around.
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
Who was supposed to come and see you Jenni?
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Nine years ago I had a dispute with the Express. A customer of ours whom I had asked to leave for being loud and unpleasant decided to take it out on us by placing a half page ad in the Express announcing that the Yew Tree (our then business) was doing an open house the next weekend and inviting all and sundry to camp and picnic in our village. When it came out in the Thursday Express there was a local uproar and we were obliged to cancel the first weekend away we would have had for nearly 2 years. Additionally all our Sunday lunch bookings were immediately cancelled without exception.
I complained to the newspaper but was brushed off. The editor (some woman called Lesley?) told me that as the advertiser was a regular client of the paper, they accepted in good faith his assertion that he had our authority to place the advertisement and that they had no responsibility towards us. I demanded an equivalent amount of advertising in compensation but that was refused.
Since then I have only bought the Express because our customers like to read it. I have never advertised in it since nor never will. I buy it grudgingly every week but that sticks in my craw. That episode cost us a lost weekend, much local goodwill and well over a thousand pounds in lost takings.
I do not expect compensation now but I have a long, long memory.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
lesley finlay i believe.
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
Sounds like a nightmare
Was it your intention, Kathy, to ask opinions in order to "respond" to them and buff up the Expresses profile?
Maybe same old, but you did ask, and that is my view based o my experiences with journos. Please don't dismiss that.
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
my intention was to ask for opinions, take them on board, respond if needed. You're opinion didn't address the question which was about content
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
*your
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Re #21, if I wanted Folkestone news I would buy a Folkestone paper. Likewise if I want Deal news I will buy a Deal paper. I don't want either but I resent paying for a 'Dover' paper which is compiled by remote control. Nothing turns off the readership more than all these out of area vegetable judging competitions and people moaning about a different district council.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
My opinion is still valid and relevant to the paper which is, I believe, staffed by journos? I should make it clear that I realise not every journo is a morally bankrupt hornswoggling pismire, and I have no opinion about you personally Kathy as we do not yet know each other and I tend to start from the premise that people are ok until I find otherwise. I have found otherwise about the majority of journos.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
peter is right about the out of town news being a turn off though it must be difficult to fill a newspaper every week for each dover, folkestone and deal.
having said that at christmas there were school nativity plays from all over shepway and i don't remember one for dover.
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
but the question was about what content you would like. Your response was an opinion on staff but nothing constructive about what you actually want to read. I haven't taken offence, after all I asked the question
Totally accept that Kathy. Parts of the reason I don 't buy the paper are the poor Dover content, and my opinion of journos. And I admit it was an opportunity to have a pop at a strand of the human race who in my opinion always come last. Need to reiterate it isn't personal.
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
agree about nativity. There were Dover schools but I would have rather had just those rather than through pages which had Folkestone as well
Guest 659- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 331
that's ok. I have the same opinion about management 'consultants'
Kathy, that made me laugh out loud!!!!! BTW, that is not what I do as my first job.........but it is a nice hobby.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
kathy
i was told recently by someone that wanted their event covered that saturdays were out.
i don't know if he was referring to your organ or the mercury.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Both the Express and Mercury covered the beer festival today. The festival opening was yesterday. Each paper just sent a photographer. I took some pictures of the opening yesterday and I let the Mercury have one. They both missed Charlie's visit.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Howard - you must leave Kathy's organ out of this !!
Bern - I can vouch for Kathy - she's a good person and a good journalist/reporter.
Roger