The Birmingham Post today moves to a web-first news strategy with a new website – the same day the newspaper celebrates 150 years of publishing.
The new site – BirminghamPost.net – will have all the paper’s live breaking news throughout the day as well as comment and analysis from the paper’s correspondents and ‘a small army’of bloggers from outside the paper who will cover arts, industry and sport.
The site has a big focus on business coverage and has industry-specific ‘channels’covering areas such as banking and the automotive industry, which will have dedicated bloggers, forums and email newsletters.
Editor Marc Reeves said: ‘We are all really pleased with the look and feel of the website as it enhances the value of what we already offer via the paper.
‘Just one of the many developments I am particularly proud of is our panel of expert bloggers who will be commenting on a diverse array of subjects.
‘Without doubt this stands as a highbrow development in terms of user-generated content and user-interaction.
‘This year marks the 150-year anniversary of our long and rich history so what better way to also signify the start of a new and exciting era for us.’
The city’s online blogging community were integral to the development of the site and were consulted from the day the planned launch was announced.
The Birmingham Post was launched on 4 December 1857 by John Fredrick Feeney and was originally published under the name Daily Post. There will be a dinner held tonight at Birmingham University’s Great Hall where Conservative leader David Cameron will be a guest speaker.
The paper will use the event to launch a new annual awards ceremony celebrating people who have made significant contributions to the city in the fields of business, politics, arts, sport as well as a life-time contribution award.
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