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Local News Pilot

Posted: Mon 23 Apr, 2018 6:22 pm
by admin
With the Hertfordshire Mercury closing it's last remaining office in the county and moving remaining staff to Chelmsford (the county town of Essex) we are taking the opportunity to trial a local news service, provided from the town centre by people who have lived in and known the town for many years..

https://www.hertford.net/local-news/

At present this is just a trial but the aim is to provide a service to, and in support of, the community and businesses in the town.

If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to give feedback here.

Re: Local News Pilot

Posted: Tue 24 Apr, 2018 8:54 am
by TcfL
Personally feel it is a good idea but am aware not everyone's life revolves around the town centre and to make it a valuable resource is needs to cover all Council Wards; if you had the resource to cover each one? If covering NEWS would also need to be able to follow-up stories, as an example you have the item on SNAP but no follow up on the presentation last Friday and what the developers were saying. Not being negative but (as I am sure you know) it is a big job. Would also suggest weekly trawl of Council websites to produce a 'consultations' item of links in one place saving people having to look at all the individual sites. Good luck with the project.

Re: Local News Pilot

Posted: Tue 24 Apr, 2018 12:26 pm
by admin
TcfL wrote:Personally feel it is a good idea but am aware not everyone's life revolves around the town centre and to make it a valuable resource is needs to cover all Council Wards; if you had the resource to cover each one? If covering NEWS would also need to be able to follow-up stories, as an example you have the item on SNAP but no follow up on the presentation last Friday and what the developers were saying. Not being negative but (as I am sure you know) it is a big job. Would also suggest weekly trawl of Council websites to produce a 'consultations' item of links in one place saving people having to look at all the individual sites. Good luck with the project.
All very good points. Thank for the input.

Re: Local News Pilot

Posted: Wed 25 Apr, 2018 8:38 am
by Darcy Sarto
Definitely worth a try. Can only be better than the paradoxically turgid, pedestrian but sometimes infantile attempts of the current failing organ.

Will Ruffles be on the editorial board? - no-one knows more about Hertford than he does. Weekly sporting contributions from HFC, HRFC, HCC, the Hockey Club and other local (village) sports clubs in the environs would allow them to promote their clubs and provide a valuable news service (as long as they’re not in Ware :shock:).

A weekly feature on the latest bit of Mercury nonsense or “no-news” should provoke some healthy improvements for all... :lol:

Can we have App or something that pings us headlines or asks for comment if we want to be more “involved”...

All the best

Re: Local News Pilot

Posted: Wed 25 Apr, 2018 2:40 pm
by Footfruit
Would be a great resource to add to Hertford net and might even spark more discussion on the forum. Huge job but good luck - I look forward to seeing this develop.

Re: Local News Pilot

Posted: Fri 27 Apr, 2018 8:26 am
by JohnSmith
I've added it to my bookmarks and will check regularly. Best of luck with it.

The Mercury's website now seems to be 80% reporting on accidents on the A1 & M1, 10% reporting on stabbings in Enfield and 10% news on Hertfordshire news.