Online Success For Regionals

Two local newspaper websites have shown that success can be reaped from online investment, according to a media commentator.

Former Daily Mirror editor Roy Greenslade uses the recent achievements of Wolverhampton’s Express & Star and the Shropshire Star to illustrate the impact of digital innovation.

Writing in his Guardian blog, Greenslade states that both websites have seen impressive improvements in unique user counts and page impressions between April and November 2007.

He notes: “The rises for both papers come on the back of more in-house video content, along with the introduction of a fantasy football game, greater use of picture galleries plus Google Maps being added to illustrate key stories.”

The Express & Star has almost doubled its page views in eight months and has seen the number of unique users grow by over 50%.

“What these figures indicate is the way in which regional papers willing to invest in online products can ensure that their brands work across both platforms,” suggests Greenslade, who is professor of journalism at London’s City University.

He adds: “Incidentally, both papers, unlike most other regional dailies, have not been losing significant print sales in the last couple of years.”