Premier crew turns title into weekly

THE publisher of five free newspapers in the west of Scotland is celebrating its first year in operation by increasing the frequency of two of its titles.

In January, Premier Publishing is turning its Inverclyde News into a weekly, while its Southside News will be going fortnightly. Both were previously monthly publications, as are its West End News, East End News, Northside News, City Centre News titles.

The Inverclyde News’ lead writer is Ken Thomson, a former editor of the Greenock Telegraph. And the decision to go weekly is because of higher than forecasted advertising sales. Its circulation will shift from 20,000 monthly to 10,000 weekly.

Says Premier Publishing’s chief executive officer, Campbell Murdoch: “We have been overwhelmed with the support we have received from the Inverclyde community.

“Our editorial strategy of positive journalism is really paying off. Advertisers have expressed a strong desire to see some real competition within the local newspaper market. We are keen to help to provide that.”

He added: “The Southside News is currently our strongest paper, and, as a result, we are moving to the second phase of our strategy which is to take the publication fortnightly.”