2 September 2010

Three Local Newspapers Close 

THREE local newspapers have ceased publication with the loss of about 30 jobs. Staff at The Voice,Roscommon Champion and the The [Longford] News were told on Tuesday last that the titles were to close forthwith and the titles put up for sale.  Two of the publications the Roscommon and Longford titles had been already owned and run by Alpha Publications, based in Northern Ireland.

Alpha subsequently purchased the then Athlone Voice paper about two years after its original launch. The Voice, as it had become known, launched in 2003 with a stated aim to take on the already established titles in the Athlone area. A consortium made of accountants RBK, and which included the then production manager originally launched the new title. But inside about two years some signs were apparent that all was not going well in the fledgling newspaper title.

Then in 2005, in an apparent rescue mission, Alpha Group, owned by former Stormont MP John Taylor purchased the paper. The title was soon re-launched as The Voice but overall sales still remained sluggish, as did all three local titles. Then the recession hit, not helped by yet another title coming into Athlone, the free Athlone Advertiser.

Advertising remained sluggish with the economic downturn despite all three papers marketing themselves to possible advertisers as the ‘biggest readership in the midlands’ as each paper sold itself to advertisers in three counties, an advertisement would appear in three titles.

The Roscommon Champion was the oldest of the titles going back about 80 years.

 

Athlone Literary Festival Launched

This year’s Athlone Literary Festival was launched this week promising to be a festival of firsts. The festival begun as the John Broderick Weekend once again promises a wide range of literary events. Michael D Higgins, Claire Keegan and UK writer Terence Frisby are among those participating this year in what is made of up lectures, debates, interviews and workshops.

Among this year’s highlights should be a Michael D Higgins interview. The Labour Dail deputy for Galway West is also a poet and human rights campaigner and will be interviewed by Donnacha O’Connell. Chairman of the festival committee Jarlath Duffy expressed his delight at securing Michael D. ‘Michael D has a formidable reputation in both politics and poetry and law lecturer Donnacha O’Connell is determined to rise above the politics and explore what maketh the man.’

The popular debate will take new format this year with panel discussion on ‘Oh what a glorious war.’ Harman Murtagh will chair a panel on which Terence Frisby, Roisin Boyd and Col. Colm Doyle will share their personal stories of the effects of war on civilians. Irene Graham, whose workshop on memoir writing was popular last returns by popular demand to yet again host a memoir writing workshop.

The festival opens on Friday 24 September with two events in Passion Fruit Theatre. There will be a free reading from ‘Johnnies Britches’ a comic play by PG O’Dea. Although Limerick-born, Mr O’Dea spent much of his life in Athlone where he taught in the former Athlone Vocational School but also penned some plays. This will be followed by a short story from Joe Ducke’s final work prior to his untimely death just a short while ago. A portrait of the late Mr Ducke created by Ruth Ryan, a daughter of Mr O’Dea. Later on, an evening of comedy (it’s listed as ‘late night’ comedy) will have Abie Philbin Bowman bring his Edinburgh show ‘Sex, Lies and the KKK” straight from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to Athlone audiences and it sounds like—well if you like alternative comedy—something worth seeing.

Saturday morning has readings by writers and poets in the midlands with open mike sessions, writers are welcome. Award-winning writer Claire Keegan will host a seminar and this is present as an opportunity for all writers beginners or advanced in the company of this experienced tutor of creative writing.  

A book launch by Athlone’s own Desmond Egan, a comedy workshop are also included and a Sunday Miscellany of local writers and singers will bring proceeding to a close.

Season ticket costs Eur 90 (concessions Eur70) and these include attendance at two workshops of your choice. Booking email: literaryathlone@gmail.com or write to: Athlone Literary Festival, NIB Building, Northgate St, Athlone, Co Westmeath.

  Radiodaze

(A column on the media)

It’s not a day for anyone to ‘gloat’ and nobody here will gloat today. Unfortunately business is business and at times, good folk out there don’t realize just all media is dependant, very dependant on advertising; it’s the lifeblood and if that goes, or is not there, then it’s the end. In saying that, many in the business will say sales of papers have gone down. I’ve been in some local newsagents late on a Tuesday evening and I’ve noticed about a dozen to two dozen of each of the local papers (from the previous week) laying unsold on the shelves. Ultimately though it’s advertising the paper needs.  

At the start of the Athlone Voice their stated aim at the start to was ‘go for the Westmeath,’ I know it. Personally I wouldn’t have gone tabloid and I think that was their first error. Funny thing is it had acquired a quite talented crew at the start, quite a few of the original staff are now in national media. So what went wrong? The very first issue had a main story which could have walked to the local post office to collect the pension it was so old. Why?

I think another mistake was not setting up in Mullingar altogether. The county town has two what I’d term ‘moderate’ newspapers, more so than Athlone, it became nearly a satellite town of Dublin and then the paper could begin concentrating on the Rochfortbridges and Kinnegads which during the boom had become mini-Dublin suburbs and establish itself as a sort ‘greater Mullingar’ paper—giving the two Mullingar papers a run for their money. Instead, bizarrely, while practically running out of money, they opened a Mullingar office and commenced recruiting staff for a Mullingar edition… Meanwhile, another new newspaper chain had started in several towns each calling themselves the Voice, so you had a Laois Voice and so on. Quite a number of those have all closed and a good few thought the Athlone Voice was part of that; it wasn’t.

Then, take the Roscommon Champion, a very much established title and a good newspaper in its day, surely in among the best provincial papers. Alpha decided to make it tabloid and along with the Longford News they became a sort of ‘hybrid’ regional newspaper, all three were practically the same with the same generic material in each. That was not going keep brand loyalty, especially a long-established title like the Champion.

Unfortunately, it’s business and I’m sure a lot of folk today, this week have learned (maybe expensive) lessons.

Is the  way forward going to be online?

 

   

(The happenings at Athlone Town FC)

 

 

 

 

 

CONTACT THE SITE: datatest@athlonenews.com