1) The most popular storylines focus on the events that Braintree people are talking about. The 'live' stories. That may be a high profile crime story, a fight for justice or a big campaign (like saving maternity services in Braintree). Strong images can also drive the success of the story.
2) The Braintree and Witham Times sells around 11,000 copies per week. The average print and web readership is around 50,000 people.
3) We don't really have a typical target readership as stories cover a wide range of issues from school reports and news features through to community life (in which clubs send in reports). It's true to say there are more readers in the over-35 age group than the under-35 age group but we try to offer broad service. While a schoolboy may not buy the paper, he may read his team's youth football report.
4) The biggest challenge local newspapers face is the cost of the operation and like so many businesses, the economic trend. Newspapers need to generate cash through advertisers, cover price (price of the paper) or both. But advertisers may spend less money in a weak economy and the cost of printing the product, paying good quality and qualified staff and keeping a premises, can weight heavily on profit. It's not easy!
5) The internet has changed the way we report the news. We see our websites as an 'extension' of the news page. They complement and promote each other. Readers still enjoy the printed product, which is more comprehensive and visual than the web, even if they check our websites for breaking news stories. There are stories and features in the newspaper which don't appear on the web. It's hard to predict the future of the web or local newspapers but at the moment the web does have an important role in the future of the newspaper industry. It's a chance to offer our readers the complete news service throughout the week.
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