Bay Life: The Journal. New era of hyper-local journalism begins here in Sussex as the people of Pevensey Bay launch their own broadsheet newspaper
The new independent community based broadsheet for the small network of villages, Westham, Pevensey, Pevensey Bay and Norman’s Bay will be in local newsagents from tomorrow, (Monday 23 May).
The broadsheet newspaper marks the beginning of hyper-local journalism in village life in Sussex.
Produced to London broadsheet standards, the newspaper is a trial 4 page full colour newspaper, printed in Glasgow and published here in Pevensey Bay.
Talking about the venture, a local senior press officer, who saw the trial dummy for the newspaper last week said, “I believe that there is a place for a hyper-local venture of this description. I am a great believer in print”.
There is no editorial. There are three leaderboards. They are written by local people.
The first edition of the newspaper sees 18 local people offering their leaderboards, analysis, opinions and news about developments with regard to key aspects of oommunity life.
There are two articles about the EU Referendum, an analysis of the value of local library services and comment, features, articles about local art clubs and the growth of interest in an open house artist movement in Pevensey Bay.
As well as news, a special place is given to ‘Tales from the Timeline’, which features research articles presented by students working with the National Lottery and Wealden Council funded, Pevensey Timeline, ‘the 2,000 story of Pevensey and its rich history’.
Featured on the back page of the trial broadsheet is a special place given to “beachlands mybeachlands” which starts the regular feature with an appreciation of the estate, and the vernacular values that have proved to be of interest to scholars of suburban setting modernist architecture across the country.
Stephen Marland, a writer based in Manchester says, “It’s a place I love, the air and my soul changes whenever I visit. I live in Manchester and cycle the south coast for fun and photography, can’t wait to return…”..
The newspaper dummy which has been in circulation last week for comment has created interest.
One resident who has lived in the Bay for many years said, “I can not see how you will be able to keep the history stories going every month. I would like to see more topical issues covered such as the car parking issues in the Bay”.
A couple who have lived here in the Bay for thirty years said, ” this is interesting, we would like to see history stories in the newspaper with every issue”
A local newsagent said, “I had no idea what you were saying about this newspaper, I thought it would be a newsletter or something, I did not think it would be 10% of what I am seeing”
Will the trial newspaper lead the way forward for the future of hyper-local journalism in Sussex? Will other independent ventures follow?
As well as the value of the content of the newspaper is the fact that the newspaper has been written by people in the community.
There are 18 local writers that feature in the newspaper, they are the newspaper. Nothing of this kind has been seen in Sussex before.
Only four pages? Only monthly? 40pence?
Surely such a venture can not work and be sustainable? Already, unseen, we have local businesses advertising their services in the pages of the newspaper. Already we have advertising space booked for the second edition.
We estimate that initially we will reach 1,600 local people. With the full digital version of the newspaper published as well on the web, we estimate that we will reach many more people.
The death of print has been much exaggerated.
The second edition will see us move from a trial 4 page production to an eight page production, all for 40pence.
The new essentials column will promote key elements of the community with phone numbers and location details and information about services on offer.
The notebook section will be extended to give a daily account of some of the fabulous activity that takes place locally.
The community section will see “beachlands, mybeachalnds” extended to a full page, to include history and comment and a full page will also go to “Tales from the Timeline”.
In addition, the letters will have their own page.
The re-opening of Pevensey Bay Library and the implications for the community with a review next year of all local library services across the county will continue to be a focus for analysis.
Bay Life the Journal is for both residents and visitors.
In the newspaper we see an opportunity to contribute to campaigns such as the need to see vital assets protected. We also see the need to support further campaigns with regeneration of the area based on the pioneering model ”Streets Ahead’ launched by Wealden Council in their media release in October 2013.
We would like to thank the advertisers, the local authorities, the community organisations, and most of all the people of Pevensey and Pevensey Bay for their support and best wishes in the launch of the newspaper.
This is community led citizen journalism in the form of a broadsheet newspaper. We hope, with the invitation to Sussex Downs College, that we will see three new young budding journalists join the local venture in the second edition, writing about the local village communities in which they live, with their own lively take on what matters most for their future here.
The new broadsheet newspaper will find a place in the newsagents from tomorrow.
Will the new newspaper work?
The hyper-local market for independent newspapers did not start in Pevensey Bay, you will find such ventures from Bristol to Benbecula in the Western Isles, but this venture would appear to be the first for a close-knit network of villages in Sussex.
Hastings has a fabulous and thriving independent newspaper.
These kinds of tradition go back to the seventies in both Hastings and Brighton. With the internet, working with the digital press, there are now new opportunities for the press to re-evaluate not just how local news is delivered, but how content is created, and most importantly who is best placed to create that content.
There is an argument to be made that there is a place for hyper-local journalism in the Age of Austerity, particularly in small corners of counties not served by a local press working from within a community.
How do people get their news in Pevensey Bay? First, by talking to each other, then in cafes, on the bus, at bingo on a Friday afternoon, on Facebook and on Twitter. These accounts are not written by executive editors of newspapers. There is an argument to be made that the people best placed to deliver hyper-local content are the people themselves that live in the communities.
There is nothing new under the Sun. The notion that viral communications is a feature of the age in which we live is only part of the story.
When the Pevensey Whale was beached in November 1865, within days the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway had named the destination ‘Norman’s Bay’, posters to the ‘monster attraction’ had appeared on London Station billboards and here in Pevensey, local school children had created a skipping rhyme about the story that went round Sussex playgrounds. all the way from here to Hastings, within days..
Upwards of 20,000 people came to see the beached whale. Some accounts suggest that as many as 40,000 people came to see the whale. Messenger in those days was not available at the flick of a switch, But word spread like wildfire.
Whilst the internet appears to have changed everything, what matters to people, their families, is the communities in which they live. News, comment and celebration of their local landscape is as old as the hills.
Print journalism has had a place in Sussex since the the mid eighteenth century. The first provincial newspaper to publish in Sussex was the Sussex Weekly Advertiser which began in Lewes in 1745.
The local press is not about to go away in the 21st century, It is simply beginning to re-cast concept and content.
This is something that has happened for close to 300 years. There was no local news in the first edition of the Sussex Weekly Advertiser, the news came from London. Within a generation the local press had been born.
Perhaps a next generation of hyper-local newspapers is about to be born.
The challenge is to find ways in which print can work with the internet. Print is not about to go away, it is a medium that people love. Every century has seen changes and challenges.
The news that Facebook trending articles are monitored and tweeked by teams of content editors is a clue. The revelation suggests that not everything said about algorithms is quite what it seems.
Monday 23 May will put the locality on the map in a new way with a newspaper created by and for Pevensey people.
Counter intuitive, running against all the evidence that the internet is taking newspaper sales into a downward trend that can not be stopped, Bay Life The Journal is published.
Your favourite local platform, Pevensey Bay Life, the most successful independent local platform for any small coastal community is Sussex, was created to look like print online.
Now, with the addition with the newspaper, the local digital world will go offline as well.
This is one community, the two mediums complement each other. Already, Bay Life : The Journal is available on computers, tablets and smart phones.
The revolution to support our locality and the values that we treasure will not be televised. The revolution will be broadcast as a broadsheet.
Talking about the launch of the newspaper, publisher Dianne Dear says, “When I set up Bay Life online six years ago, I had no idea that we would be seeing such a success. Without question we are the most successful independent web platform for any small coastal community in Sussex.”
“There is now, in addition, Bay Life, the Journal. The newspaper is for both residents and visitors. A production newspaper of this kind has never been seen in Sussex. At first will be a trial 4 page full colour broadsheet, but we hope to grow month by month.
“It is important to me that the value of living in this small corner of Sussex is promoted. We are one of the hidden jewels in the Crown of Sussex. Bay Life campaigns and supports local community activity. We celebrate all that is best about our local communities and online we are independent in our views, analysis, approach to local issues, controversies and questions about key issues like regeneration and the protection of our precious community assets.
“This is your newspaper. It has been written by and for people living in and around Pevensey Bay.
“Bay Life the Journal has eighteen local writers, our newspaper is for Pevensey Bay, written by Pevensey Bay people. A regular news review of the Life and Times of Pevensey Bay in the Digital Age.
“Your own newspaper, here in the Bay, to browse at your leisure in the sunshine, in the cafe, to watch the local world wishing they were here.
“Welcome Bay Life, the Journal”.
For more information about how to contribute or promote your local business in Bay Life : The Journal, you can contact .
