A magazine launched last year by regional newspaper company Archant has become the top-selling monthly consumer title in Norfolk.
Archant Norfolk, which publishes the Eastern Daily Press, launched Let’s Talk! just over a year ago and it has already notched up an audited sales figure of 28,000.
The magazine is a mixture of local interest nostalgia pieces, leisure information, competitions, health and news – all aimed at the over-50s.
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Selling for £1, the magazine also includes celebrity interviews and advice on gardening, cookery and DIY.
Archant Norfolk managing director Barry Dennis said: “From the information we get from news trade, it is now the biggest selling consumer magazine in Norfolk.
“The grey market is growing and Norfolk in particular has a lot of retired people in it – that sort of person has a lot of pride in their county. “We did a fair bit of research and we are giving the readers exactly what they want. Nostalgia is a key part – the mailbag is probably the biggest in the office; we could fill the magazine with reader content if we wanted to.”
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The magazine was the idea of EDP reporter Steve Snelling, who came up with it as part of an Archant staff suggestion programme. Under the scheme, he received £1,000 for coming up with the idea and a second £1,000 when the magazine lasted a year.
So far, Archant has come up with more than 40 new publication ideas as a result of the scheme. Others include boating magazine Norfolk Afloat and women’s title EDP Norfolk Magazine.
Let’s Talk! has an editorial team of four and is currently being expanded into Suffolk.
Dennis said: “I’m not sure whether it will work elsewhere in the country. People in Norfolk and Suffolk have a real affinity with their county, but whether someone has the same affinity in Cambridge, I don’t know.”
By Dominic Ponsford
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