A recently launched free newspaper made the most of a disastrous fire on its doorstep.
The East Riding Gazette, launched in January, rushed out a paid-for edition last Friday within hours of a major explosion and fire at a chemical factory in Beverley.
“While we distribute more than 55,000 every week, the paper is also sold throughout the county so we have the infrastructure for a paid-for operation,” said editor Neil Speight.
Speight led initial operations for his team at the fire site after blagging a workman’s helmet from a nearby construction site to get close to the blaze and roping in a steeplejack to climb high and provide a bird’s eye photographic view of the site. “We were at the blaze within minutes. We quickly took the decision to run an eight-page, special tabloid supplement,” he said.
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