Therapy Weekly has been relaunched with increased news coverage and almost double the pagination.
The move includes a complete redesign of the magazine for occupational and physiotherapists, which has shrunk in size from tabloid to small tabloid and increased its distribution from 10,000 to 15,500.
The news coverage has gone up from three to five news pages and the Emap title has strengthened its analytical coverage with news analysis now appearing every week.
The changes will result in 14 pages of editorial and 10 advertising. They also coincide with a relaunch of the website, which has introduced daily news updates for the first time, available free to readers.
“One of the main reasons for the relaunch was to update the magazine.
It hadn’t been redesigned for four or five years and we wanted to reinvigorate it. We are the only weekly magazine in the sector and we wanted to capitalise on the opportunity,” said editor Steve Bagshaw. “We haven’t dropped anything but we have sharpened up the news reporting and improved the feature writing quality.
It really is a change in every way.”
Bagshaw said there would be a lot more hard news, with the reporters developing stronger contacts and getting better stories from Whitehall on how changes would affect working conditions and pay of its readers.
A number of new sections have been added, including regular professional development modules for therapists and a new careers page highlighting job moves and advice on career development. The page also includes a section devoted to unusual hobbies – kicking off with one occupational therapist who is a part-time belly dancer.
Two new writers have also signed up to write alternate fortnightly columns, an unnamed student physiotherapist, who will talk candidly about the issues facing the profession, and occupational therapist Ritchard Ledgerd, who will discuss recruitment issues in the industry.
The overhaul follows the appointment of Bagshaw, who was brought in five months ago with the specific brief to oversee a relaunch. It also comes six weeks after the appointment of news editor Nina Lovelace, who took over from Joy Ogdon.
Therapy Weekly is currently in the process of recruiting two new reporters.
By Ruth Addicott
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