Oxbury Media endorses Press Association move

~ Hyper local business offers network of reporters ~

Hyper-local agency Oxbury Media has welcomed news that the Press Association is likely to secure charitable funding for it’s ‘public service reporting’ initiative. Furthermore, the company has announced its intention to complement the move by making the content from its own network of local journalists available to regional and national newspapers.

Initially planned as a trial project in Merseyside, the Press Association’s proposal will ultimately result in a dedicated portal from which any news outlet can source material free of charge. The project is intended to help mitigate for the tide of closures and budget cuts in local media. These have resulted in essential reporting of local council activity, court activity and inquests being dropped.

Oxbury Media already provides written copy and, crucially, advertising to a network of 10,000 hyper local publications that download news stories and ad copy from its web site. The new proposal is to reverse the valve, allowing national and regional newspapers to find content from hyper local sources and re-publish it or use it as source material. Oxbury Media has already held talks with The Trinity Mirror Group and News International who are both believed to be interested in the concept and now hopes to meet The Press Association to further discuss its plans.

Under the existing Oxbury Media model, advertisers set a budget to book space in the network of publications and the person managing the title itself downloads the adverts he or she wants to run. Businesses using the scheme range from national organisations such as Age Concern, Saga and Co-Op to small businesses and franchise operations.

“The bottom line for national brands attempting to reach local audiences is the health of the media they are using. Ultimately, this means advertising in that media,” explained an upbeat Jason Mawer, managing director of Oxbury Media. “Without advertising, there can’t be ink on paper. Journalism costs money, printing costs money, distribution costs money and all of this is funded by advertising spend.

“The last couple of years have seen vital local press suffer because ad budgets have been cut and spend has been relocated online. Part of what we do at Oxbury is about ensuring that hyper-local press has access to the kind of advertising it needs to survive. I can see this model of media buying being extended to cover other kinds of publications, including local and regional press. At the moment though, the key is to go one step beneath local media. Like local and regional papers, these small magazines die without advertising. However, national brands are beginning to see the potential and are beginning to support them and receive the benefits,” concluded Mawer.

Oxbury Media also owns UKVillages.co.uk, which recently launched the Save the British Fete campaign, backed by Boris Johnson, Dame Vera Lynne and the cast of Coronation Street.

Ends: 425 words

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For further information contact: Jason Mawer,
Oxbury Media Ltd, East Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Weston, Hertfordshire
Telephone: +44 (0) 1462 790517
e-mail: Jason@oxburymedia.co.uk
www: www.oxburymedia.co.uk/

Press enquiries: Richard Stone
Stone Junction, 33 Kirkdale, Sydenham, London, SE26 4PN
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8699 7743
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8699 7743
e-mail: richards@stonejunction.co.uk
www: www.stonejunction.co.uk

Ref: OXB001/09/09