英伦广角 2009-04-19 英传媒业的尴尬境地（在线收听）

The newspaper industry was already pressing through changes. The recession has simply accelerated the process. The figures make grim reading. In the past five years, some of the countries’ biggest and most established regional newspapers have seen their circulations plummet. And with advertising revenue continuing to fall, adapting to change has been a tough process. The annual GA estimates around 1,000 jobs have gone in local newspapers in the past year alone.

Got a Chester Roman Amphitheater misplaced on Google Maps, it's currently where the Chester Magistrate Court is.

In Chester, people've sat down to discuss how they should cover their city for over 230 years. Like most newspapers, the Chronicle has had to cut jobs. Advertising revenues are down, adapting wasn't the choice, but a necessity.

"People within the industry realize that it is a different world, it's a different way
doing things. And we have to adapt and I think stuff of, I have to accept that, on the whole, I think this, that there were always dinosaurs, there were always people that would not accept change, but they have to do or they have to fall by the wayside. "

The newspaper is still the cornerstone here, but the website is their growth market.

"... it was a meerkat on its, stood on its back legs, looking through the patio window, it was absolutely frozen, shivering."

“In the last year, on the Chester Chronicle site, we've seen about 450% increase in unique users, which is quite staggering and that's not at the moment showing any sign of letting-up. So it is really tremendous news that we are reaching so many more people with our product. “

In Essex, EverythingEppingForest.co.uk is also flourishing. Set up by a local newspaper editor who took redundancy.

"Local papers are struggling with the current economic climate.
There are fewer houses for sale, so their property section is reduced. People aren't buying cars, so the motoring section gets smaller and the same with jobs, you know, the stiuations vacant page gets more, more reduced, but community websites offering cheap advertising, providing the community needs. If you get the message around, 'they are there', which I have managed to do, I think that's the way ahead."

Local radio and regional TV are going through similar changes. The common concern is how to balance good journalism with financial realities, a dilemma that goes back many, many years.