East End Life

1
East End Life

• The East Ends favourite newspaper
• LG Communications
• 2008 Reputation Awards Seminar
• Sheffield City Hall - Thursday 3rd July 2008
• Chris Payne
• Head of Commercial Operations
• London Borough of Tower Hamlets

2
EEL background

• East End Life, Tower Hamlets Councils free,
  weekly
  
• community newspaper has been published
  since
  
• November 1993.
• East End Life was the UKs first council-
• funded weekly newspaper, recently joined
  by Greenwich
  
• Times, and a number of councils are
  looking to go weekly.
  
• Since 1997 East End Life has commissioned
  independent
  
• market research using companies such as
  MORI, NOP
  
• and ICM.

3
EEL background

• East End Life has a door-to-door distribution of
  over 80,000 - and over 15,000 through more than
  450 bulk delivery points. (78,914 Verified Free
  Distribution VFD figures. Period July - Dec
  2007), the print run is 99,000.
• East End Life has increased in size from 12 pages
  
  
• in 1993 and is now a regular 48 pages or more,
  up to 72 pages. Once a month EEL includes the 16
  page leisure supplement Get a Life.

4
Editorial environment

• Editorial mix of council community news
• Printed in full colour throughout
• Reflects the rich mix of diversity in Tower
  Hamlets
  
• A key contributor to the Council achieving
  Beacon Council status for Community
  Cohesion 2003/04 and Getting Closer to
  Communities and Promoting Racial Equality both in
  2004/05

5
Editorial appeal

• The appeal of East End Life lies in its
  combination of reporting council news
  (initiatives and services) with mainstream local
  news and features. These are presented in a
  lively and readable manner, reflecting all groups
  within the local community.
• It also includes pages in Bengali and Somali, our
  Harmony pages, which provide translated versions
  of some of the English-language stories that
  appear in the paper.
• East End Life is given extra shelf-life in
  people's homes by the addition of diary and arts
  pages flagging up local events, tv listings,
  restaurant reviews, local sports and
  competitions.
• The ability to print in full colour enables us to
  make full use of photos from what is a colourful
  and diverse borough.

6
Awards

• Winner 2008
• LG Communications - Reputation Awards - Best
  Publication
  
• Winner 2007 - two awards
• Mayor of London - Reporting Asylum Awards
• Winner 2005 - one award
• Mayor of London - Reporting Asylum Awards
• Winner 2004
• Institute of Public Relations Excellence in
  Communications - Best Civic newspaper/magazine
  (circulation over 60,000)
  
• Short-listed Runner Up 2000, 2001 2003
• Commission for Racial Equality 'Race in the Media
  Award'

7
Budget Effectiveness

• BUDGET
• In 2007/08 East End Life had a gross budget of
  1,527,500, of which 1,223,000 was offset by
  advertising income - a net cost of 304,500. EEL
  is on target to be cost neutral by 2012 with an
  income of 1.6 million.
• COST EFFECTIVENESS
• With a high local readership (120,000 adults 18
  and 10,000 young people 13-17) and at a cost to
  the council of 6 pence per copy per week, East
  End Life consistently demonstrates its market
  penetration and cost effectiveness.
• The annual LGIU surveys Benchmarking council
  magazines papers from 2002/03 onwards find EEL
  to have the highest income, frequency and
  pagination of all local authority
  newspapers/magazines in the country with one of
  the lowest print costs per 100 pages.

8
Circulation comparisons
Circulation Comparisons (ABC/VFD July - Dec
2007) East End Life 78,914 The Wharf
Not audited this period

Was 25,526 Jan - June 07
East London Advertiser 9,204 - The actual
number of copies paid for
at
basic cover price (BCP) is 7,954, the remaining

1250 copies are multiple/bulk copies at less than
50 BCP. Tower Hamlets Recorder Not audi
ted this period
Was 784
Jan - June 07 The Docklands Not a
udited - publisher claims 30,000 distribution
9
Independent research

• the papers readership
• how residents want the council to communicate
• with them
• other local media in Tower Hamlets
• residents views on EEL
• the councils website
• national media consumption in Tower Hamlets
• residents satisfaction with the council

10
Who, where and when

• During October 2007 ICM Research asked 1,375
  adults (18) and 342 young people (13-17) 37
  questions face to face.
  
• The people were randomly chosen across the
  borough to match the demographic profile of the
  borough (age, gender, ethnicity, social class,
  housing tenure) based upon the GLA 2007
  population estimates.

11
Sources of info about the council
12
Preferred sources of info on council

13
Local newspapers read regularly
14
Young readers 13 - 17

• Which paper, if any, do you read regularly?
• East End Life 65
• Metro
  35
  
• London Lite
  19
  
• East London Advertiser 18
• The London Paper 16
• Evening Standard 14
• ICM Research, interviewed 342 young people aged
  13-17,
  
• Oct 2007.

15
Favourite local newspaper

16
Young peoples favourite

• Which of them is your favourite?
• All Young People13 -17
• East End Life 45
• Metro 24
• East London Advertiser 7
• London Lite
  6
  
• Evening Standard 5
• ICM Research, interviewed 342 young people
  aged 13-17,
  
• Oct 2007.

17
Myth busting

• Though 23 of residents do not read EEL,
  surprisingly the following reasons are not key
  drivers
  
• Its biased in favour of the council - 3
• Dont believe anything written in it - 2
• Cant read English - 2

18
Non Readers

• The key drivers for not reading East End Life
• All Adults 18 2007 2005
  2003
  
• No particular reason 31 31
  18
  
• Not relevant to me 15
  14 15
  
• Dont read local papers 14 16
  4
  
• Never seen a copy 14 10
  21
  
• ICM Research, interviewed 1,475 adults Oct
  2007, 1,188 adults May 2005, 1,067 May 2003

19
Features looked at / should be more of
20
Entertaining Informative!
21
Informed about council

• Residents feel informed about the council?
• Residents 18 2007 2005
  
  
• All 72
  62
  
• Read East End Life 77 65
• Dont read EEL 58 48
• ICM Research, interviewed 1,475 adults Oct
  2007, 1,188 adults May 2005

22
Satisfaction with council

• Residents satisfaction with council?
• Residents 18 2007 2005
  
  
• All 69
  59
  
• Read East End Life 76 62
• Dont read EEL 52 43
• ICM Research, interviewed 1,475 adults Oct
  2007, 1,188 adults May 2005

23
A Positive Future?

• Many local weekly papers churn out a negative
  diet of grime and crime, often attacking their
  local council and generally creating a poor
  impression. Their circulations continue to
  decline year on year as well as losing readers.
• Instead council residents newspapers help create
  a positive place-shaping agenda, talking up an
  area and its residents achievements, celebrating
  diversity and opportunity for all.

24
Could you do better?

• Look at your local newspapers, paid for and free
  
  
• Check their audited circulations.
• Survey your residents local media consumption.
• Do a VFM study of your advertising investment in
  local media.
  
• Then ask yourself can you do a better, brighter,
  more cost effective, informative, entertaining,
  valued and positive local paper?
  

25
Cohesive Communities

• Council residents newspapers - successfully
  deliver council news and information directly to
  residents without the distortion of other media
  delivery mechanisms.
• Smart communications - creating a positive
  relationship with readers (residents) and
  providing a positive platform for partners and
  local communities to talk to residents in their
  home, building cohesive, integrated and informed
  communities.

26
More information

• For more information about the 37 questions asked
  - and sorted by age, gender, ethnicity, social
  class, work status, housing tenure, and ACORN
  type please contact
• Chris Payne, Head of Commercial Operations
• 020 7364 3059
• chris.payne_at_towerhamlets.gov.uk