Leicestershire “Live”

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Who cares? They don't owe you anything if you're not paying them anything.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

I use the Reach sites for local newspapers to prep for football matches. They're all the same story-wise.

 

The journalists there have been given a list of phrases to use to get the clicks.

[smudgerfox]

Well if you don’t think fake news is a problem then you must have been in a coma this past five years. 

 

There is the dishonesty - pretending something significant has happened or been said when in fact Steve Howey has proffered the wholly unqualified opinion that Brendan Rodgers would be attracted by the Spurs job. There is the fact that people would like to read interesting and insightful news about our club - and I’m sure would be prepared to pay for it. But that isn’t what we get - we get short cut - dishonest (there is no other word for it) sensationalism whose only value is to advertisers who get their wares seen by more people curious as to whether a particular story will break trend and actually have some factual foundation. 

 

So just to be clear based on a few current examples - I don’t care what BR has to say about Conte taking over at Spurs, I don’t care that Tony Dorigo “hopes” Leicester will be tired when they face Leeds on Sunday (described as a “ridiculous” warning) in the headline) - I don’t care that “respected” Jonathan Northcroft says Man City want Rodgers after Pep (though I accept that may at least hold some long term significance), and I don’t regard Mikel Arteta saying the Foxes caused his side “some issues” as remotely newsworthy.  It does the profession of journalism a major disservice 

[Mike Oxlong]

To be fair, it brings us all the must read news

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/couple-say-love-intimacy-strong-6151365

Edited 3 November 2021 by Mike Oxlong

[The_77]

4 hours ago, KFS said:

That last one is pitiful. Good lord

Sick

[Plastik Man]

24 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

To be fair, it brings us all the must read news

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/couple-say-love-intimacy-strong-6151365

Good grief. What a story!

 

The kissing in the checkout queue; the twanging of her bra strap; that jumper; and him playing "Goodnight, Sweetheart" on his organ! 

[wokinghamfox]

They tempt you in with a headline and basically present you with total drivel. The agenda is to tempt advertisers with a large and cross section of local readers. 

Its not about credible news anymore and in fact most of it insults LCFC and the fans. 

Just boycott it.

 

[ceredigion]

I suspect every regional newspaper is compromised by now. The Mercury will be no different. Every one of them will tell you that climate change is 3 times worse where you are than everywhere else, they will not report crime honestly if they report it at all, they will accept without question whatever totalitarian restriction on your freedom is coming next in the name of disease control.

 

I live in an area where the weather is fine and there's no Covid but the local rag is full of doom and gloom.  But if I lived in a disease-ridden, crime plagued ghetto with the sea level rising all around me, the local paper would probably tell me I've never had it so good.

[Saxondale]

Lay off the paper.
 

They’ve lost about 90% of their reporters and editorial staff in the last 20 years because nobody wants to pay for their news any more and, consequently, nobody wants to pay to advertise in the paper. I literally wrote a dissertation on this 17 years ago.
 

Local journalism is dying because it’s no longer commercially viable, and we will miss it when it’s gone, I can assure you of that. They’re now relying on syndicated content to sustain themselves. 
 

For hundreds of years, local journalism has carried out the crucial job of holding power to account on a local level. You can snipe and whinge all you like, but a free press is a critical element of a functioning democracy. 

[Mike Oxlong]

5 hours ago, Plastik Man said:

Good grief. What a story!

 

The kissing in the checkout queue; the twanging of her bra strap; that jumper; and him playing "Goodnight, Sweetheart" on his organ! 

Ha ha ! 

 

It’s one of those rare occasions when you think that a Leicestershire Live story has too much information 

[Guest Danny Clender]

I think The Mercury also suffers because LCFC has chosen to leak all it's major news through FoxesTalk.

 

For instance; The stadium plans, Seagrave plans, Club finances, Club transfer policy, Tielemans contract situation, Maddison's hip injury and head turn, something just not right, Brendan leaving the club etc. 

 

FoxesTalk Live...now that's where the money is for true football journalism. 

[Wymsey]

17 minutes ago, Danny Clender said:

I think The Mercury also suffers because LCFC has chosen to leak all it's major news through FoxesTalk.

 

For instance; The stadium plans, Seagrave plans, Club finances, Club transfer policy, Tielemans contract situation, Maddison's hip injury and head turn, something just not right, Brendan leaving the club etc. 

 

FoxesTalk Live...now that's where the money is for true football journalism. 

I blame @urban.spacemanet al for that..

[smudgerfox]

8 hours ago, Saxondale said:

Lay off the paper.
 

They’ve lost about 90% of their reporters and editorial staff in the last 20 years because nobody wants to pay for their news any more and, consequently, nobody wants to pay to advertise in the paper. I literally wrote a dissertation on this 17 years ago.
 

Local journalism is dying because it’s no longer commercially viable, and we will miss it when it’s gone, I can assure you of that. They’re now relying on syndicated content to sustain themselves. 
 

For hundreds of years, local journalism has carried out the crucial job of holding power to account on a local level. You can snipe and whinge all you like, but a free press is a critical element of a functioning democracy. 

I don’t disagree with anything you say, but is it the best way to find new audiences to provide a load of patronising nonsensical pap? Surely if there’s anything that is commercially viable it’s news about the only Premier League in the city - but genuine news,  and analysis and insight. A good news service on sport in Leicestershire I would subscribe to. RL have improved their coverage of LCFC beyond  all dreams - their podcast is the most popular one on BBC local radio. Hiring Pipes was a master stroke because he knows and loves the club, understands football, takes his work seriously and is likeable. There’s a lesson there. 
 

[Vestan Pance]

www.thisiswhatgarylinekersaidontwitter.co.uk

[Saxondale]

56 minutes ago, smudgerfox said:

I don’t disagree with anything you say, but is it the best way to find new audiences to provide a load of patronising nonsensical pap? Surely if there’s anything that is commercially viable it’s news about the only Premier League in the city - but genuine news,  and analysis and insight. A good news service on sport in Leicestershire I would subscribe to. RL have improved their coverage of LCFC beyond  all dreams - their podcast is the most popular one on BBC local radio. Hiring Pipes was a master stroke because he knows and loves the club, understands football, takes his work seriously and is likeable. There’s a lesson there. 
 

So the solution the death of local journalism is ‘hire Matt Piper’?

[davieG]

Hmm, I look at it most days in the hope of finding something newsworthy that hasn't already aired on here but I can honestly say I've never been pulled towards looking at the adverts I couldn't tell you a single thing I've seen advertised on there.

 

I do wonder what these companies that spend ££££s to put their wares on there think they are achieving, I'm the same with TV adverts I either do something else or record and fast forward through the adverts. If I ever do catch the eye of an advert with some so called celeb pushing it that definitely makes it a no, no product for me.

 

Does anybody actually take any notice of them?

[surrifox]

13 hours ago, SystonFox said:

Have they covered the Nicky Maynard saga yet???

Yes . Just the 14 medicals to be completed and he’s ours 

Edited 4 November 2021 by surrifox

[TheFiveTime]

Leicestershire Live is garbage. We all know it. Kinda sad leicester doesnt have a free good up to date source of analysis and news that isnt just the official mouthpiece of the club. Gap in the market folks

[Guest Lako42]

Is the newspaper the same as the online content? 

[OntarioFox]

10 hours ago, Saxondale said:

Lay off the paper.
 

They’ve lost about 90% of their reporters and editorial staff in the last 20 years because nobody wants to pay for their news any more and, consequently, nobody wants to pay to advertise in the paper. I literally wrote a dissertation on this 17 years ago.
 

Local journalism is dying because it’s no longer commercially viable, and we will miss it when it’s gone, I can assure you of that. They’re now relying on syndicated content to sustain themselves. 
 

For hundreds of years, local journalism has carried out the crucial job of holding power to account on a local level. You can snipe and whinge all you like, but a free press is a critical element of a functioning democracy. 

I still maintain that there's a massive gap in the market for a local news start-up. The model would have to be different to a classic paper, but as far as I'm aware we haven't actually HAD local news since Reach PLC butchered the Mercury and turned it into the frankenshit it is today.

 

Serious question - does anyone here know anybody who reads the Mercury - paper or online - on a regular basis nowadays? Or is it more a case of just having half-baked clickbait making its way into your feed every now and again, with nobody even knowing who read and shared it in the first place?

[Voll Blau]

13 minutes ago, TheFiveTime said:

Leicestershire Live is garbage. We all know it. Kinda sad leicester doesnt have a free good up to date source of analysis and news that isnt just the official mouthpiece of the club. Gap in the market folks

 

Go on then. How do you propose to make this "free good up to date source of analysis and news" work financially?

[wokinghamfox]

42 minutes ago, Saxondale said:

So the solution the death of local journalism is ‘hire Matt Piper’?

I worked in the business for over 30 years and in reality its about greedy owners consistently improving the value of their shares. How did they do this?. To lay off staff, pay themselves big profit bonuses and continually cut costs. This has been going on since the late nineties and investment has been minimal which has led to the demise of the local press.

 

However, it doesn't take a lot for a sports journalist to develop a relationship with the club to build honest and truthful columns. 

 

I worked in the commercial department and had good relationships with a number of clubs to improve both the activities of the club and the publisher I worked for. The reality now is pile as much in to get as many people through the site as possible. I have stopped reading it to be honest as 95% of it has absolutely no credibility whatsoever. 

 

[mozartfox]

I have also given up on Leicester Live. More crap than a very large sewage works.

[OntarioFox]

13 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

 

Go on then. How do you propose to make this "free good up to date source of analysis and news" work financially?

There are ways to use advertising that A) aren't intrusive and B) actually have relevance to the local area.

 

You build it through social media channels and go from there once you have local businesses on-board. It's not rocket science, it's pretty much how newspapers with limited margins survived pre-internet.

 

I think people would have less problem with the Mercury's strategy if they actually advertised local businesses rather than how to sell your gold hoard to make your willy bigger.

[MonkeyTennis?]

10 hours ago, Saxondale said:

Lay off the paper.
 

They’ve lost about 90% of their reporters and editorial staff in the last 20 years because nobody wants to pay for their news any more and, consequently, nobody wants to pay to advertise in the paper. I literally wrote a dissertation on this 17 years ago.
 

Local journalism is dying because it’s no longer commercially viable, and we will miss it when it’s gone, I can assure you of that. They’re now relying on syndicated content to sustain themselves. 
 

For hundreds of years, local journalism has carried out the crucial job of holding power to account on a local level. You can snipe and whinge all you like, but a free press is a critical element of a functioning democracy. 

Completely right - you can trace the fortunes of the Mercury over the last few years by the size of their office. Previously that big building opposite the station that is now a trampoline party place, then a few rooms on New Walk, now I think its a handful of staff working from home - I'm not sure if they are even meeting occasionally in a temp office somewhere in the city. Over the same period they have been acquired by Reach, a huge enterprise that specilises in clustering together local news providers and cutting jobs - which is, currently, the only viable business model they have, so its not even their fault. The truth is, the web has made it very hard for journalism to make money, and the local press/smaller outlets have been the most disproportionately affected. 

 

I agree that the Mercury's content is very weak now, and that its a massive shame that a decent (enough) regional voice has been so degraded, but frankly, writing a letter of complaint is just going to go to someone who has seen most of their colleagues laid off, who thinks, 'Yep, I agree,' and who can't do anything about it. Maybe it would do something, but I can't see it myself. 

 

There probably are solutions to improve the state of local news (perhapos some kind of private/charitable community engagement project could be developed; or maybe more people could buy the paper itself, which is the only thing that makes money; or maybe the Mercury should tap up a kindly billionaire investor). But right now no-one is happy about its current status, including the writers for the paper itself, I would bet.