The last time I put pen to paper (or rather text to Word document) I suggested Wednesdays wouldn’t be the same without us if the Mercury were to disappear from the news stands.
Funny how things change in just three short months. Change is very much the theme of this piece – more of that in a minute.
Attentive readers will be well aware that in recent weeks that the Mercury has been sold to Cumbrian-based businessman Andy Barr who, among his other interests, owns the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald and Keswick Reminder weekly papers.
It’s no secret that times have been hard for the Mercury in recent years, and as well as welcoming a willing new owner happy to take a chance on us, those of us involved in the paper and retail outlets owe a debt of gratitude to our erstwhile owner Carolyn Vane.
Carolyn soldiered on when it would have been much easier to walk away and she deserves our good wishes for the future as we begin a new chapter in the Mercury’s 170-year history.
So, what will this new chapter bring?
Well, all of us involved know fine well it cannot be “business as usual”. Doing nothing is not an option.
From the beginning of next month, the first changes will come into effect for both those who work here and our readers.
Firstly, due to a change in printing arrangements, the Mercury will go to press on a Thursday lunchtime and publication day will change to a Friday.
The traditional midweek Mercury will go to press for a final time on Monday, November 25, with that week’s edition, dated Wednesday, November 27, in the shops as usual on the Tuesday and Wednesday.
The new arrangements will begin the following week, with the paper going to press on Thursday, December 5, and in the shops the following day.
Moving the print day from a Monday evening to a Thursday will obviously affect deadlines for submitting advertising and editorial copy.
We’ll publish the new deadlines in the paper of November 27 and they will appear weekly, as they do now, on page two. We’ll also put them online and on social media.
If anyone is unsure, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Next, readers will notice a slight change in the size of the paper. The Mercury will appear as a tabloid as opposed to the current compact page size.
There are currently no plans to change the price of the paper.
We aim to begin our new chapter with a bit of a bang.
The first Friday Mercury will include a 28-page farming supplement, produced in collaboration with our new colleagues over the border.
We will also have all the usual Christmas greetings and full coverage of the festive lights switch-on events in Barney and Middleton-in-Teesdale.
Although new arrangements are being put in place, one thing does remain the same and that is promising readers our best efforts in producing the best weekly newspaper for Teesdale.
These will no doubt be the first of a number of changes affecting the business and I will keep you all up to speed. As always, I’m happy to receive feedback – good and bad – so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
