Lambeth Life

[Donna Ferentes]

Right Bob, but we don't, do we, have any actual reason to believe that they're about to go down, let alone that they're going to do so because they may be losing some local authority advertising revenue. How in particular the SLP - a daily paper - would be threatened by an entirely different sort of publication, Lambeth Life, largely escapes me.

Given that Lambeth Lite is apparently a poor paper nobody reads or would want to, surely the SLP have nothing to worry about here? Or are local papers engaging in precisely the same sort of protection of a monopoly position for which they're so often keen to castigate local authorities and their staff?

 

[ovaltina]

Right Bob, but we don't, do we, have any actual reason to believe that they're about to go down

MAybe not the SLP but local newspapers are closing at a rate of knots.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/23/daily-mail-general-trust-ad-revenue-plunges

http://www.paidcontent.co.uk/entry/419-newpapers-join-forces-as-newsquest-impose-unpaid-leave/

http://wotnews.co.uk/like/regional_...its_london_offices_from_media_guardian/10231/

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Indeed. But I think you'll find that's due to the recession, which has brought about a plummet in advertising expenditure.

I think there's quite a lot of irony in local papers which are almost exclusively hostile to local authorities and public services asking to have their position protected by local authority expenditure on advertising public service positions.

 

[ovaltina]

Indeed. But I think you'll find that's due to the recession, which has brought about a plummet in advertising expenditure.

I think there's quite a lot of irony in local papers which are almost exclusively hostile to local authorities and public services asking to have their position protected by local authority expenditure on advrtising public service positions.

True, the DMGT link said ad revenues had fallen 37 per cent in the last quarter. In fact, ad revenues were plummeting before the recession as advertisers took up cheaper online advertising. Who reads classified ads these days?

I think councils should advertise vacancies on their websites - what's the point in putting them into print these days? It's a massive waste of resources. Much like Lambeth Life.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

what's the point in putting them into print these days? It's a massive waste of resources.

It might be, but on the other hand lots of people read print publications and not everybody accesses the internet. Moreover, people aren't necessarily looking for Lambeth vacancies as such - they might for instance be looking for social worker vacancies anywhere in South London, or what you will. It's not so simple.

 

[lang rabbie]

How in particular the SLP - a daily paper - would be threatened by an entirely different sort of publication, Lambeth Life, largely escapes me.

Have you ever actually bought a copy of the SLP that didn't have one of your letters in it, Donna?

(i) The SLP isn't a daily paper, it is published bi-weekly on Tuesday and Friday. Tuesday's edition is mostly car and property adverts with a sprinkling of news stories - I suspect that edition is threatened by a move to web-based advertising, and the paper could go weekly.

(ii) Every Friday's edition has two pages of statutory notices from Lambeth, Southwark and TfL which those councils are currently obliged to put into a paid for paper as classified advertising.

Lambeth Life has moved from being published eight times a year, to monthly and now to being fortnightly.

Those statutory notices are the only way you can currently be sure that you know about planning and road projects. If Lambeth (and Southwark) could get away with only publishing those on their websites, with a quick summary and link in Lambeth Life or similar, I'm sure they would do so.

 

[Greebo]

Lambeth Life doesn't seem to get reliably delivered to this council estate - still haven't had the copy asking what the unwanted square is to be called. Is there anywhere I could get it from (apart from the bus journey to Norwood library or Brixton library)? Or is there a way to get it delivered less erratically?

The reason I ask isn't laziness - a lot of people on this estate are disabled.

 

[cllr]

It is on the council's website and available to be picked up most council offices/buildings.

Does your estate have entryphones or anything obvious to make delivery more difficult?

If you want to PM the details I can take up delivery with the council. You'll need to take the flak though from the people who complain when if they start receiving it!

 

[Greebo]

It's just an assortment of flats & bungalows with an estate road along the edge - no entryphones, no entrance gates, no wild dogs or molotov cocktails... The only thing is that most of it's off road, so any delivery people have a fair bit of walking to do. But the postman manages, and so do the takeaway leafleters.