Sheffield Telegraph - losing its local focus

[chorne39 10]

I'm wondering if our trusted and long held local treasure the Sheffield Telegraph has lost it's local focus particularly when it comes to it's food and drink features. I've become aware that increasingly they have strayed well beyond the City boundary and become increasingly generic. I know that the parent company Johnston Press are under financial pressures to cut costs but with Sheffield having such an interesting, vibrant and rich food heritage then it seems sad that some jounalists have to pad out the paper with generic articles about businesses and people with no connection to the city or it's environs. Sad! If I want to read about about any old food business I'll buy a food magazine. Why do I buy my copy of the Sheffield Telegraph every week? It's because I want to know what's going on in my City not some where else.

[TORONTONY 10]

I'm wondering if our trusted and long held local treasure the Sheffield Telegraph has lost it's local focus particularly when it comes to it's food and drink features. I've become aware that increasingly they have strayed well beyond the City boundary and become increasingly generic. I know that the parent company Johnston Press are under financial pressures to cut costs but with Sheffield having such an interesting, vibrant and rich food heritage then it seems sad that some jounalists have to pad out the paper with generic articles about businesses and people with no connection to the city or it's environs. Sad! If I want to read about about any old food business I'll buy a food magazine. Why do I buy my copy of the Sheffield Telegraph every week? It's because I want to know what's going on in my City not some where else.

 

Well I left England in 1981 and it had already changed from the Sheffield Telegraph to the Morning Telegraph and was trying to compete with the more serious dailies ,way back then. I guess it must have gone back to it's old name. However The Star was always the main source of local news, when I lived there.

[ECCOnoob 1,050]

Truth is just like The Star, the telegraph is a Johnston Press publication.

 

JP owns hundreds of so called "local" papers in England, Ireland and now even Northern Ireland too. They all get their "news" from the same pot and often carbon copy stories across the entire network just changing either the picture, place name or landmark to suit whichever publication.

 

Majority of the journalism and printing is done centrally.

 

I haven't bought either paper for at least a decade now. Even when I did buy the Telegraph the running joke in our house was that it was just a cover for the property guide. I would even see piles of discarded telegraphs laying around the shelves of the supermarket where people had bought it, slipped out the property guide and ditched the rest.

[AmourDesign 10]

Dont think that theres enough scope for 2 local papers in Sheffield.

 

Would make sense for them to merge!

[woodmally 10]

I'm surprised people read it to be honest. I think its the paper equivalent of BBC radio Sheffield where no one pays much attention to it. I get all of my Sheffield news on Sheffield Online on Facebook now.

[Fudbeer 12]

I'm surprised people read it to be honest. I think its the paper equivalent of BBC radio Sheffield where no one pays much attention to it. I get all of my Sheffield news on Sheffield Online on Facebook now.

 

And that is the problem local papers have.

 

People can get their news quicker cheaper and more conveniently on their smart phones and other internet devices.

 

I fear the future is bleak for them.

[TORONTONY 10]

Truth is just like The Star, the telegraph is a Johnston Press publication.

 

JP owns hundreds of so called "local" papers in England, Ireland and now even Northern Ireland too. They all get their "news" from the same pot and often carbon copy stories across the entire network just changing either the picture, place name or landmark to suit whichever publication.

 

Majority of the journalism and printing is done centrally.

 

I haven't bought either paper for at least a decade now. Even when I did buy the Telegraph the running joke in our house was that it was just a cover for the property guide. I would even see piles of discarded telegraphs laying around the shelves of the supermarket where people had bought it, slipped out the property guide and ditched the rest.

Crosswords were pretty good though lol. What I remember most about the Star was delivering it 6 nights a week, with another round of Green'Un's on Saturdays. Used to help me buy an Elvis record every other week in the late fifties

Edited May 12, 2016 by TORONTONY
correct grammar

[Lex Luthor 10]

And that is the problem local papers have.

 

People can get their news quicker cheaper and more conveniently on their smart phones and other internet devices.

 

I fear the future is bleak for them.

 

I think there will always be a need for high quality pieces of journalism. The trouble increasingly is, they seem to rely on stories to land on their desks/phone them, rather than going out there and investigating issues that affect local people.

[alchresearch 215]

We had the same problem over here. The Liverpool Post was the equivalent and the Echo, with its red top was a typical tabloid. The Post was reduced to a weekly publication, then quietly dropped. A shame, because it was a much more highbrow newspaper with less focus on sport.

[sharrovian 10]

It would have died many years ago but for the inclusion of the "Property Guide"

[CrystalDice 10]

I agree with the comment above, haha.

[Guest]

Dont think that theres enough scope for 2 local papers in Sheffield.

 

Would make sense for them to merge!

 

Ditto for the football teams.

 

*can open, worms everywhere!*