View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
August 3, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 8:30pm

Trinity Mirror regional sites to stress newspaper brands

By Press Gazette

Trinity Mirror’s regional web sites are to be relaunched to stress their association with strong regional newspaper brands rather than the “ic” Network of local web sites.

The Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough and the Reading Chronicle have already launched new sites, and all of Trinity Mirror's metropolitan regionals are to make the same move by the end of the year.

"Trinity Mirror owns some of the strongest print brands in the newspaper market in the regional press and we need to make sure that we're making full use of those brands online, so to do that we're launching newspaper companion sites that are strongly complimentary to our print titles," said David Black, Trinity Mirror's director of digital media for regionals.

Trinity Mirror claims 2 million unique users per month across the ic Network of regional web sites, which Black says will remain in place.

"We'll retain the audience that we have on the ic sites, but over time the focus will increasingly switch to our new print-branded newspaper companion sites," he said.

The new newspaper-branded sites will feature increased use of video news, blogs, and podcasts. They will be controlled directly from regional newspapers' newsrooms, with local editors deciding the best strategy for breaking stories online, including whether to break stories onlineor in print.

In Liverpool, the Echo and the Daily Post will launch separate companion web sites towards the end of September. Currently, content from both papers is currently pooled to icLiverpool, which bears little resemblance to the print titles. The new sites will feature design more closely linked to the print title's branding, and both will be distinct sections within the existing icLiverpool site.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

"It gives a great sense of ownership to the entire editorial team working for a particular print title," said Steve Harrison, regional content manager for Trinity Mirror northwest, which includes Liverpool.

Harrison said: "I think there's a realisation that commercially we can do more with the web site. The web sites have had strong and sustained growth in both audience and revenue and generally while of course newspaper circulation isn't going in that direction, so we think there's a lot more value in the audience and the market that the web site can reach."

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network