Trinity Mirror is closing its Reading-based digital venture which it heralded as creating a “different future of regional publishing” after three years and is merging it into its new regional aggregation site.
The publisher said it will continue to give Reading the same amount of coverage under the new brand.
The publisher launched Getreading in December 2014, following the closure of three of its print publications in the Reading area: the Reading Post; Get Reading and the Wokingham and the Bracknell Times, with the loss of 17 editorial roles.
Getreading was heralded by Neil Benson, the editorial director of Trinity Mirror Regionals as a “bold move and potentially creates a new and different future for regional publishing.”
GetReading will continue as a brand on Facebook and Twitter.
Trinity Mirror did not give a specific reason for ditching the project but said “the announcement is a merger and not a closure”. The change will take place later this month.
The seven editorial staff working on Getreading will move across to Trinity Mirror’s InYourArea.co.uk, which was launched in March this year.
The website offers local news and information aggregated from various public sources such as news websites and councils across the country. Users type in their local postcode to get relevant local information.
It includes localised information on property prices, planning applications, public notices, crime and good hygiene ratings
Darren Sher, head of emerging products at Trinity Mirror, said: “The aim of InYourArea has always been to increase the discovery and awareness
of local news and information sources, whether that be from local blogs, other publishers or public services.
“Teaming up with the Getreading team will increase discovery further and help to create a more direct relationship with the local community and the newsroom, making it easier to cover both hyperlocal and wider
interest stories”.
Lucy Thorne, Getreading publisher, said: “We remain committed to covering Reading and Berkshire. This announcement is a merger and not a closure, no staff at Getreading will be affected by the changes.
“‘We have also employed two new staff during this period to help us reach out even more to communities around the area.
“We hope inyourarea.co.uk will allow us to get closer to the communities we serve and generate more conversation with our readers.
“Our social media channels will remain unchanged. We have more than 107,000 likes on our Get Reading facebook page and more than 83,000 followers for@getreading on Twitter.
“We will continue to serve our readers with the content which matters most to them, through these channels and InYourArea.
“We have been working closely with the InYourArea team for the past three months and have been publishing content on the CMS platform and sharing it via oursocial media channels over the same period.
“During this time we have seen really encouraging results around engagement with local issues.
“I’m really excited for the future and to ensure getreading merging with InYourArea brings the best hyperlocal news to the communities we serve.”
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