A former regional website of the year winner at Press Gazette’s Future of Media Awards has relaunched after acquiring the domain and archive of the previously defunct Dorset Life magazine.
The digital-only BV Magazine and The BV website relaunched as Dorset Life to reflect the county-wide nature of its output.
The title told readers it will continue producing “long-form features, with no clickbait or churn content” and “proper journalism – reporting on the issues affecting Dorset, covered in depth rather than skimmed for headlines”.
The title is owned by independent publisher Bluebean Publishing, run by Laura and Courtenay Hitchcock.
They acquired the Dorset Life archive and dorsetlife.co.uk domain after its 2023 closure by previous owner John Newth.
The initial intention was to preserve the archive but the team later realised the Dorset Life name was widely recognised across the county and would be advantageous for The BV.
The BV Magazine won Website of the Year (Regional/Local) at the Future of Media Awards 2024.
The judges said: “This site has a clear mission, serving a clearly defined rural audience, delivering news content effectively on multiple platforms and securing the support of local businesses.”
The BV Magazine name referred to Blackmore Vale in North Dorset on which it originally focused before covering the wider rural county area.
The name had caused confusion with the former Reach weekly newspaper Blackmore Vale Magazine, which closed in August 2020 shortly before The BV was launched in response.
Courtenay Hitchcock said: “The BV gave us a strong foundation and audience, but Dorset Life immediately communicates place, identity and editorial ambition in a way that supports the next stage of our growth.
“We’ve spent five years building a sustainable digital publishing model rooted in Dorset journalism, culture and community. This move gives us a stronger county-wide identity while keeping the publication entirely independent and fully digital.”
Although Dorset Life was previously in print, the new iteration is digital only and replaces The BV’s free monthly digital magazine.
Theblackmorevale.co.uk currently remains live but will begin redirecting to dorsetlife.co.uk soon.
The archive of the old Dorset Life was bought as part of the deal to ensure it “remains available, properly attributed and clearly presented” and remains separate from the content produced by the new owners.
The title is free to read and supported through advertising and commercial partnerships.
The owners said revenue was up 7.8% year on year in 2025.
They said they reach more than 350,000 people per month across the digital magazine, website, podcast, newsletter and social media.
Editor Laura Hitchcock said: “There’s still a real appetite for thoughtful regional journalism when it’s rooted properly in place.
“We want Dorset Life to feel intelligent, local and substantial – a publication that reflects the county in full rather than simply skimming its surface.
“Moving to the Dorset Life name gives us the space to grow that ambition further, whether that’s covering farming, politics, planning, culture, business or community life. The format may be digital, but the editorial ambition is very traditional.”
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