The "website credits" page of the fresh-faced Cambrian News is blank.
That's a shame because the site is a brave take on what a local paper's online presence should be. The printed Cambrian retains a consistent, trustworthy feel albeit clearly suffering a worryingly visible resource-depression.
But the website tries something a little different and, although imperfect, is to be cheered.
Top left on the home page - http://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/ - is the journal's splendidly traditional Telegraph-style masthead. Laid beneath it is an admittedly insipid evocation of the mountains that shield this delicious West Wales area from the rest of the UK like a referee's blind spot protects Thierry Henry.
Brightly coloured modules carry story and index texts. The colours are moderately complementary in the way that X Factor finalists loosely embellish Dermot O'Leary's stage.
Rather thrillingly there's only one story at the head of the home page at any one time. Yes, there's a rolling menu of three tales from the top of the Aberystwyth agenda, but to see just the single yarn at any one time is refreshing. In this age of info-overload, too many newspaper websites slam the reader with a panoply of stories and attention-grabbers that simply have our trigger fingers dancing straight back to Google.
Cambrian News Online becomes busier as the page scrolls down. But the ads are kept neatly to the sides, there's a prominent plug which makes it easy to buy an e-version of the latest print edition and there's a splendid submitted photo which captures a lightning strike over Machynlleth.
Throughout, the headline font's a tad '90s, the video content seems restricted to the Stereophonics' latest bit of rough-with-smooth-edges pop and there's a depressing proliferation of ads bigging up the paper's own services.
But the navigation's simple, the speed's quick and the words are given plenty of room to breathe. Moreover, the stories are great! Check out: Man who killed wife in sleep was dreaming of boy racers and Did umbrella spark armed police siege?.
So, don't be shy, Cambrian ... get the names of the web team's bright boys and girls on that credits page. And give 'em a nice bright purple.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Fish and chips - no puns necessary
Just when things were looking up, out popped another name-shame blow for a traditional treasure.
Thursday lunchtime was spent with a bag of chips on Penclawdd seafront, the vast grassed lowlands of the Loughor Estuary my cinematic backdrop. I say "bag" but, of course it was a little white polystyrene foam tray. That, however, didn't detract from the excellence served up by the lady proprietor of the Gower Sole chippy.
She's only been there a year but has created a neat, tidy, welcoming corner plot that should do well. There's even a comfy leather sofa for goodness sake - a la Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins.
Her speciality is a spectacular range of fresh fish, with pleasing departures from the normal cod, plaice and haddock.
However - and it's a big however, this one - the latest South Wales Guardian reveals that nearby Glanaman has a new chippy too ... The Codfather.
A new food gem in a great Valleys town is always to be celebrated – but, please, not with an allegedly humorous name which harks back to a movie (albeit a good one) that first hit our screen almost four decades ago. What next - a pasta haven in Capel Isaac called The Italian Hob?
Chippies have suffered from jokey names for too long now - A Fish called Rhondda, Oh My Cod, A Salt N Battered, Codrophenia, Battersea Cods Homes, Al’s Plaice. The madness must stop.
All we want is good, honest cod, chips and mushy peas served from a finger-scorching range in a no-pun environment. If Ronseal ran an upstairs tea shop would they call it Room with a Brew? No!
A Google search of Scarborough, that queen of fried potato destinations, reveals the following chippies:
Martin Jones, owner of Glanaman’s The Codfather, take note.
And, while we’re at it, perhaps the South Wales Guardian headline writers could spend more than 10 seconds thinking up headlines in future – Chippy off to a Fryer indeed!
Thursday lunchtime was spent with a bag of chips on Penclawdd seafront, the vast grassed lowlands of the Loughor Estuary my cinematic backdrop. I say "bag" but, of course it was a little white polystyrene foam tray. That, however, didn't detract from the excellence served up by the lady proprietor of the Gower Sole chippy.
She's only been there a year but has created a neat, tidy, welcoming corner plot that should do well. There's even a comfy leather sofa for goodness sake - a la Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins.
Her speciality is a spectacular range of fresh fish, with pleasing departures from the normal cod, plaice and haddock.
However - and it's a big however, this one - the latest South Wales Guardian reveals that nearby Glanaman has a new chippy too ... The Codfather.
A new food gem in a great Valleys town is always to be celebrated – but, please, not with an allegedly humorous name which harks back to a movie (albeit a good one) that first hit our screen almost four decades ago. What next - a pasta haven in Capel Isaac called The Italian Hob?
Chippies have suffered from jokey names for too long now - A Fish called Rhondda, Oh My Cod, A Salt N Battered, Codrophenia, Battersea Cods Homes, Al’s Plaice. The madness must stop.
All we want is good, honest cod, chips and mushy peas served from a finger-scorching range in a no-pun environment. If Ronseal ran an upstairs tea shop would they call it Room with a Brew? No!
A Google search of Scarborough, that queen of fried potato destinations, reveals the following chippies:
- Winking Willys,
- Mother Hubbard,
- Lifeboat Fish Bar,
- Wackers,
- Silks Fish & Chip Shop,
- Smallfry,
- Hanover Fisheries.
Martin Jones, owner of Glanaman’s The Codfather, take note.
And, while we’re at it, perhaps the South Wales Guardian headline writers could spend more than 10 seconds thinking up headlines in future – Chippy off to a Fryer indeed!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Media ownership - a Skye high
Marvellous news from our friends in the far north. The West Highland Free Press is to become that rarest of rare entities - an employee-owned local newspaper.
Press Gazette blog The Wire is reporting that the title's owners have agreed to sell to their staff who are supported by ownership investment vehicle the Baxi Partnership.
This is a refreshing outlook from all three key parties and my best wishes go to the Isle of Skye's terrific ten. Here's to you, here's to success - and here's to the ripple effects of your inspirational move.
The paper may have a weekly sales figure of under 9,000 but it's a respected provider of a crucial local service and, importantly, is an enterprise with a long and very relevant future.
Encouragingly, there are strong indications that the new owners will not simply produce a decent paper. The Wire reports that the WHFP - meshed by an employee benefits trust to hold staff shares and maintain independence - wishes to create a news agency and further develop digital platforms.
Looking at the broader picture, a press release on the Baxi website states: "This year the UK Employee Ownership Index (EOI) revealed that employee owned companies outperformed the FTSE All-Share in the second quarter of 2009 by 19.9%."
Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS) has played a big part in this development which was unable to tap into traditional routes of finance. CDS chief exec Sarah Deas is quoted as saying: "Research shows that employee-owned businesses are more productive and sustainable, so there is enormous potential for this type of ownership model to contribute to the development of Scotland's economy. Encouraging more business owners to consider an employee buyout is a priority and we are working to build awareness across the business community.”
There's so much food for thought here that I couldn't possibly manage another mouthful of this evening's neeps and tatties.
More
http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/5756
www.baxipartnership.co.uk
www.whfp.com
Thanks for the tip-off
Ms Victoria Trott, one of Wales' finest travel writers - www.victoriatrott.com
Press Gazette blog The Wire is reporting that the title's owners have agreed to sell to their staff who are supported by ownership investment vehicle the Baxi Partnership.
This is a refreshing outlook from all three key parties and my best wishes go to the Isle of Skye's terrific ten. Here's to you, here's to success - and here's to the ripple effects of your inspirational move.
The paper may have a weekly sales figure of under 9,000 but it's a respected provider of a crucial local service and, importantly, is an enterprise with a long and very relevant future.
Encouragingly, there are strong indications that the new owners will not simply produce a decent paper. The Wire reports that the WHFP - meshed by an employee benefits trust to hold staff shares and maintain independence - wishes to create a news agency and further develop digital platforms.
Looking at the broader picture, a press release on the Baxi website states: "This year the UK Employee Ownership Index (EOI) revealed that employee owned companies outperformed the FTSE All-Share in the second quarter of 2009 by 19.9%."
Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS) has played a big part in this development which was unable to tap into traditional routes of finance. CDS chief exec Sarah Deas is quoted as saying: "Research shows that employee-owned businesses are more productive and sustainable, so there is enormous potential for this type of ownership model to contribute to the development of Scotland's economy. Encouraging more business owners to consider an employee buyout is a priority and we are working to build awareness across the business community.”
There's so much food for thought here that I couldn't possibly manage another mouthful of this evening's neeps and tatties.
More
http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/5756
www.baxipartnership.co.uk
www.whfp.com
Thanks for the tip-off
Ms Victoria Trott, one of Wales' finest travel writers - www.victoriatrott.com
Monday, October 26, 2009
Beatbloggers prepare to operate the parish pump
"Local meetings and events ... identifying grassroots issues of importance to residents ..."
The work of your trusty local newspaper reporter? Maybe, but the words actually appear in a sits-vac ad for the rather more broad-church Guardian. They've coined the word "beatblogger" to cover a new role to be employed in three UK cities - Leeds, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Guardian Local is, according to those recruiting, a small-scale experiment in local news gathering and the beatbloggers will be at the coalface. They'll report from events and meetings using a range of tools – text, photos, video and audio, they'll identify and link to material produced by bloggers, journalists and other sources and they'll build a network of community contacts.
There's a lot more too - the beatblogger will identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to build content, he or she will nourish links to other online resources and will be responsible for ensuring all elements of the local page are fresh and relevant.
There's a whole lot more too - check out the job description at http://bit.ly/2Ph9qi - so could this be an intriguing peek into the future or will the experment fizzle out like a Cheryl Cole solo project?
Launch editor Sarah Hartley is quoted as saying she's impressed by the "range and depth of coverage from local websites and blogs." Indeed, this material has been evolving beautifully - and there'll be many more great advances to come.
A piece from the Guardian (below) also touches upon the themes of local being important, of one US broadcaster winning huge public funding for a local news project and of the possibility that the Press Association could be subsidised to cover local courts and councils.
So let's hope the Guardian invests in (and appropriately rewards) genuine journalistic talent to fill its beatblogger roles - and let's hope even better things come of the wider movement back towards local accountibility
See http://bit.ly/yxDN
The work of your trusty local newspaper reporter? Maybe, but the words actually appear in a sits-vac ad for the rather more broad-church Guardian. They've coined the word "beatblogger" to cover a new role to be employed in three UK cities - Leeds, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Guardian Local is, according to those recruiting, a small-scale experiment in local news gathering and the beatbloggers will be at the coalface. They'll report from events and meetings using a range of tools – text, photos, video and audio, they'll identify and link to material produced by bloggers, journalists and other sources and they'll build a network of community contacts.
There's a lot more too - the beatblogger will identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to build content, he or she will nourish links to other online resources and will be responsible for ensuring all elements of the local page are fresh and relevant.
There's a whole lot more too - check out the job description at http://bit.ly/2Ph9qi - so could this be an intriguing peek into the future or will the experment fizzle out like a Cheryl Cole solo project?
Launch editor Sarah Hartley is quoted as saying she's impressed by the "range and depth of coverage from local websites and blogs." Indeed, this material has been evolving beautifully - and there'll be many more great advances to come.
A piece from the Guardian (below) also touches upon the themes of local being important, of one US broadcaster winning huge public funding for a local news project and of the possibility that the Press Association could be subsidised to cover local courts and councils.
So let's hope the Guardian invests in (and appropriately rewards) genuine journalistic talent to fill its beatblogger roles - and let's hope even better things come of the wider movement back towards local accountibility
See http://bit.ly/yxDN
Friday, October 23, 2009
Oi, Rusbridger - take ' em camping!
A week into our Guardian subscription and I have a message for the good newspaper folk at the Scott Trust: "You've missed a trick!"
Me and Claire plumped for the pre-October subscription "sale" because we knew it'd save us cash ... and because we love the paper. It's quality, it's fun and it airs opinions that are always carefully thought through and argued. It's so good, in fact, that we plunged all the way in and now have vouchers for every day of the week.
The recent sales pitch that hooked us in was prolonged, intense, colourful and thoroughly credible. But it wasn't without its faults.
And here's why the newspaper sales manager needs a good talking to. Not once in the pitch did he or she flag up the bounteous beauty of picking up a morning paper once again.
With just five editions under my Pepe Jeans belt I've managed to enjoy more early morning birdsong than even that time in the mid-80s when Beast and Browny suggested: "Let's spend a couple of nights kipping under canvas in the foothills of Pen-y-ghent - either side of torturing ourselves with the Three Peaks Walk."
This season's black 7am autumn skies are necklaced by seafront streetlights around Swansea Bay. Even better, at that time the world hasn't yet been sullied afresh by humankind in the gas-guzzlers that plummet down Wimmerfield Drive towards another day of office oblivion.
So thanks, Guardian, for enlivening each day with nature, a refreshing complement to your prose and pictures. But do yourselves a favour before the next big sales push ... send the subscription marketeers on a camping weekend somewhere remote.
Me and Claire plumped for the pre-October subscription "sale" because we knew it'd save us cash ... and because we love the paper. It's quality, it's fun and it airs opinions that are always carefully thought through and argued. It's so good, in fact, that we plunged all the way in and now have vouchers for every day of the week.
The recent sales pitch that hooked us in was prolonged, intense, colourful and thoroughly credible. But it wasn't without its faults.
And here's why the newspaper sales manager needs a good talking to. Not once in the pitch did he or she flag up the bounteous beauty of picking up a morning paper once again.
With just five editions under my Pepe Jeans belt I've managed to enjoy more early morning birdsong than even that time in the mid-80s when Beast and Browny suggested: "Let's spend a couple of nights kipping under canvas in the foothills of Pen-y-ghent - either side of torturing ourselves with the Three Peaks Walk."
This season's black 7am autumn skies are necklaced by seafront streetlights around Swansea Bay. Even better, at that time the world hasn't yet been sullied afresh by humankind in the gas-guzzlers that plummet down Wimmerfield Drive towards another day of office oblivion.
So thanks, Guardian, for enlivening each day with nature, a refreshing complement to your prose and pictures. But do yourselves a favour before the next big sales push ... send the subscription marketeers on a camping weekend somewhere remote.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Business assistance - frustration's setting in
We're 12 days away from our next meeting to discuss the union-triggered journalism co-op. I sincerely hope our working party members are able to report some progress that night - because embracing public sector-sponsored help is starting to frustrate.
All the individuals we've met as we seek guidance and assistance have been decent, good-humoured individuals with good credentials but, blimey, they ain't half hamstrung by the system.
Costa Coffee in Swansea - opposite Ann Summers, nudge, nudge, wink, wink - was the venue for today's lunchtime chat with a business advisor appointed by the Swansea Business Centre. She was attentive, understanding, ready with ideas and thoughtful in her approach.
However, we were left with a feeling of: "We've come this far - we've ploughed through meeting after meeting - but we're not much further forward."
It was the nth time we'd outlined our plans and aspirations, it was another blast of espresso for the body to fight and it was another valuable two hours out of a day.
The time has come to be decisive and forceful. Our November 2 gathering must deliver some significant advances, including an agreement to formally register the company.
It's also clear that we need cash from somewhere to pay for a development go-getter to kick-start this Vespa that we want to be a Harley. Without a couple of months hard graft from him or her the progress of our willing volunteers will be severely hampered.
There's a thrilling uphill adventure in prospect - but we've not yet starting packing the tent poles for base camp.
All the individuals we've met as we seek guidance and assistance have been decent, good-humoured individuals with good credentials but, blimey, they ain't half hamstrung by the system.
Costa Coffee in Swansea - opposite Ann Summers, nudge, nudge, wink, wink - was the venue for today's lunchtime chat with a business advisor appointed by the Swansea Business Centre. She was attentive, understanding, ready with ideas and thoughtful in her approach.
However, we were left with a feeling of: "We've come this far - we've ploughed through meeting after meeting - but we're not much further forward."
It was the nth time we'd outlined our plans and aspirations, it was another blast of espresso for the body to fight and it was another valuable two hours out of a day.
The time has come to be decisive and forceful. Our November 2 gathering must deliver some significant advances, including an agreement to formally register the company.
It's also clear that we need cash from somewhere to pay for a development go-getter to kick-start this Vespa that we want to be a Harley. Without a couple of months hard graft from him or her the progress of our willing volunteers will be severely hampered.
There's a thrilling uphill adventure in prospect - but we've not yet starting packing the tent poles for base camp.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Why memories are Ev's goal tonight
Holmfirth High School 1976-81 offered much to the aspiring traveller.
Cross-Channel trips took us to Paris coinciding with the delicious final sprint of the Tour de France, Lille before it became moderately trendy and gale-blasted Le Touquet on the exposed Normandy coast. There was even a detour into Belgium one day along with a few days at the small market-square town of Hazebrouck about as far north as the teachers could take us in France.
Powerful memories? The throbbing aroma of breakfast-time non-filter Gitanes which intrigued us pre-health-warning teenagers, the soup bowl-sized mugs of hot chocolate - Choky - and the salty mounds of French fries well before McDonald's copycat pallid gunk had given the treasure a bad name across Europe.
Best of all, as geology O'level approached, a week in Buttermere Youth Hostel, a converted Lakeland slate house, a smooth grassy rise away from Crummock Water. As we paired off with fellow voyagers there were clambers up the stream rushing down from Blueberry Tarn, scrambles up the scree slopes and plunges down towards the flanks of Ennerdale Water.
Great opportunities ... but put into stark contrast tonight as we await the first big school trip of Ev. Aged 13, the lad has his bag packed, his foreign currency crisply tucked into a Post Office card wallet, his squad windcheater Cellophaned and his football boots tucked away. Dimples for Astroturf, studs for the real stuff.
In an hour's time he and 40 others from the local comp head off for 10 days ... in Florida (or What? Nine-hundred quid!? as it's now known).
For this is Olchfa School, Swansea, 2009. In store for them are two soccer matches, several theme parks, the Kennedy Space Center and the ubiquitous, worrying, "shopping day" at somewhere known rather morbidly as Florida Mall. An annual stroll up and down Newton Road, Mumbles, is sufficient for most of us.
Still, good luck to 'em ... and if Ev flies back with as many lifelong memories as those trips to the remaining Vimy Ridge trenches and Lake District glacial deposits then every penny of that £900 will have been worth it.
I think.
Cross-Channel trips took us to Paris coinciding with the delicious final sprint of the Tour de France, Lille before it became moderately trendy and gale-blasted Le Touquet on the exposed Normandy coast. There was even a detour into Belgium one day along with a few days at the small market-square town of Hazebrouck about as far north as the teachers could take us in France.
Powerful memories? The throbbing aroma of breakfast-time non-filter Gitanes which intrigued us pre-health-warning teenagers, the soup bowl-sized mugs of hot chocolate - Choky - and the salty mounds of French fries well before McDonald's copycat pallid gunk had given the treasure a bad name across Europe.
Best of all, as geology O'level approached, a week in Buttermere Youth Hostel, a converted Lakeland slate house, a smooth grassy rise away from Crummock Water. As we paired off with fellow voyagers there were clambers up the stream rushing down from Blueberry Tarn, scrambles up the scree slopes and plunges down towards the flanks of Ennerdale Water.
Great opportunities ... but put into stark contrast tonight as we await the first big school trip of Ev. Aged 13, the lad has his bag packed, his foreign currency crisply tucked into a Post Office card wallet, his squad windcheater Cellophaned and his football boots tucked away. Dimples for Astroturf, studs for the real stuff.
In an hour's time he and 40 others from the local comp head off for 10 days ... in Florida (or What? Nine-hundred quid!? as it's now known).
For this is Olchfa School, Swansea, 2009. In store for them are two soccer matches, several theme parks, the Kennedy Space Center and the ubiquitous, worrying, "shopping day" at somewhere known rather morbidly as Florida Mall. An annual stroll up and down Newton Road, Mumbles, is sufficient for most of us.
Still, good luck to 'em ... and if Ev flies back with as many lifelong memories as those trips to the remaining Vimy Ridge trenches and Lake District glacial deposits then every penny of that £900 will have been worth it.
I think.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Stradey Park's final whistle - a year on
Phew! What a year since Bristol RFC arrived at Stradey Park to help bring down the curtain on 129 years of history at one of world rugby's most famous arenas.
There's been a move to a new stadium, a change of senior management at the club, a radical re-think of how the Scarlets connect with their fanbase - and lots of highs and lows on the playing side.
Of course, there had been a big media build-up to that still, black night of Friday, October 24, 2008. Two weeks before the final whistle there had been Heineken Cup defeat in Llanelli as Harlequins produced a stirring second-half display to win 29-22. A week before the West Countrymen arrived there had been more jitters as Llanelli RFC - the "originals" some will insist - lost 16-10 to Pontypridd on a bright Saturday afternoon of Principality Welsh Premiership rugby.
But now the scene was set for the last rip of the studs on the Stradey turf. And the Scarlets were in no mood to let the occasion pass quietly, quaintly or submissively. There would be pride, there would be flair, there would be a win.
In advance of the 7.10pm kick-off came a hurried and scurried few hours of activity.
The media were there early - more than 250 media personnel would rush in and out through the course of the day. The BBC were broadcasting from breakfast time and the story would move up the Beeb's news agenda as time went on. Eventually BBC News 24 were running hourly updates.
The Scarlets staff were there hours ahead of usual, checking ticket allocation, health and safety measures, food and drink supplies, marquee requirements, sound systems, the pitch, programme deliveries and stewarding levels.
Former captains gathered in one marquee, chatting, laughing, backslapping, reminiscing. Names included Leigh Davies, Scott Quinnell, Wayne Proctor, Robin McBryde, Ieuan Evans and Rupert Moon. There was Phil Davies, Phil May, Derek Quinnell, Phil Bennett and many more. They were eventually paraded onto the pitch escorted by Llanelli Schoolboys U11s.
There was a special presentation to former coach Gareth Jenkins, presentations to past chairmen and presidents, half-time music from Caryl Parry Jones and a final team photo of past captains, chairmen and presidents on the half-way line.
The Scarlets Choir and Cor Meibion Llanelli sang Sosban Fach and Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. There were fireworks.
You know what? There was a match too! The EDF Energy Cup challenge of Bristol was swept aside by waves of emotion and passion. Former Bristol centre Rob Higgitt scuttled over for Stradey's last try; Stephen Jones kicked the last points.
The teams remained together on the pitch after the final whistle in a thrilling moment of sporting camaraderie. The Scarlets gave a warmly applauded lap of honour, wing Mark Jones carrying around his tiny baby son.
A few beers later it was all over. It was time to move on. Artefacts were sold as the stadium was stripped by men with screwdrivers and stepladders, the keys for Parc y Scarlets were handed over ... and a new chapter began.
It still feels like it's just beginning, of course. There are plenty of stories waiting to be written about Scarlets rugby.
Few, however, will match the power of that single autumn night when Bristol came to town.
There's been a move to a new stadium, a change of senior management at the club, a radical re-think of how the Scarlets connect with their fanbase - and lots of highs and lows on the playing side.
Of course, there had been a big media build-up to that still, black night of Friday, October 24, 2008. Two weeks before the final whistle there had been Heineken Cup defeat in Llanelli as Harlequins produced a stirring second-half display to win 29-22. A week before the West Countrymen arrived there had been more jitters as Llanelli RFC - the "originals" some will insist - lost 16-10 to Pontypridd on a bright Saturday afternoon of Principality Welsh Premiership rugby.
But now the scene was set for the last rip of the studs on the Stradey turf. And the Scarlets were in no mood to let the occasion pass quietly, quaintly or submissively. There would be pride, there would be flair, there would be a win.
In advance of the 7.10pm kick-off came a hurried and scurried few hours of activity.
The media were there early - more than 250 media personnel would rush in and out through the course of the day. The BBC were broadcasting from breakfast time and the story would move up the Beeb's news agenda as time went on. Eventually BBC News 24 were running hourly updates.
The Scarlets staff were there hours ahead of usual, checking ticket allocation, health and safety measures, food and drink supplies, marquee requirements, sound systems, the pitch, programme deliveries and stewarding levels.
Former captains gathered in one marquee, chatting, laughing, backslapping, reminiscing. Names included Leigh Davies, Scott Quinnell, Wayne Proctor, Robin McBryde, Ieuan Evans and Rupert Moon. There was Phil Davies, Phil May, Derek Quinnell, Phil Bennett and many more. They were eventually paraded onto the pitch escorted by Llanelli Schoolboys U11s.
There was a special presentation to former coach Gareth Jenkins, presentations to past chairmen and presidents, half-time music from Caryl Parry Jones and a final team photo of past captains, chairmen and presidents on the half-way line.
The Scarlets Choir and Cor Meibion Llanelli sang Sosban Fach and Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. There were fireworks.
You know what? There was a match too! The EDF Energy Cup challenge of Bristol was swept aside by waves of emotion and passion. Former Bristol centre Rob Higgitt scuttled over for Stradey's last try; Stephen Jones kicked the last points.
The teams remained together on the pitch after the final whistle in a thrilling moment of sporting camaraderie. The Scarlets gave a warmly applauded lap of honour, wing Mark Jones carrying around his tiny baby son.
A few beers later it was all over. It was time to move on. Artefacts were sold as the stadium was stripped by men with screwdrivers and stepladders, the keys for Parc y Scarlets were handed over ... and a new chapter began.
It still feels like it's just beginning, of course. There are plenty of stories waiting to be written about Scarlets rugby.
Few, however, will match the power of that single autumn night when Bristol came to town.
Monday, October 19, 2009
20 blogs - base camp to a holy (financial) grail
Blogdistributor (http://www.blogdistributor.com/) has just raised its head above the laptop's parapet. It reckons to be a service which links bloggers with commercial operations ... and one which will pay for penning prose via the pixels.
Just one initial problem in my case - any writer wishing to be signed up to become an overnight star needs to have posted 20 blogs and the one you're adoring right now is somewhere around my 16th.
The consequences? A flurry of blogs from Wordsmith For Hire over the next day or two in a bid to unlock the door to global recognition and respect.
To be fair to the Blogdistributor folk, they make no real promise of instant riches and I'm no believer in that possibility. However, in the interests of ongoing research into online communications as a PR tool, you'll soon see me hit the 20 mark.
Just one initial problem in my case - any writer wishing to be signed up to become an overnight star needs to have posted 20 blogs and the one you're adoring right now is somewhere around my 16th.
The consequences? A flurry of blogs from Wordsmith For Hire over the next day or two in a bid to unlock the door to global recognition and respect.
To be fair to the Blogdistributor folk, they make no real promise of instant riches and I'm no believer in that possibility. However, in the interests of ongoing research into online communications as a PR tool, you'll soon see me hit the 20 mark.
The town hall's all a-twitter
The communications team at Swansea Council is in the process of embracing social media ... and all that entails. Tweets and video shorts are among the items now being discussed and planned at weekly news meetings.
A couple of months ago they asked me and a fresh-from-college techno-dude (Sam Nicholls aka Studio8) to report on the positives and negatives of hoisting the authority's messages onto Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and further across the blogosphere. We were delighted to do so.
What we found was a UK public sector already showing encouraging signs of moving with the times and - for this sector - relatively quickly.
Years ago it would have been that local councils didn't keep up. Photography may not have arrived in some town halls until the 1970s - and then banned again once the Pistols turned up. Indeed, in some respects, they still don't keep pace - too many council departments are still working independently of teams performing the exact same function for neighbouring authorities, for instance.
However, look at how some authorities are taking online social networking to heart and I think we're seeing innovations which some private sector media operators could learn from.
Liz Shellard, the Swansea marketing unit's web development manager is inspirational in this regard. She has a close focus on building the council’s search engine rating, achieved largely by luring increasing numbers to authority websites and existing social media platforms.
Social media, she says, is a highly effective way of getting messages to those who don’t wish to get information from the traditional media or from the council website.
Yes, it can be hugely time-consuming if not carefully managed and policed, but tomorrow's information consumer will demand bespoke, personalised services - and that's the way it's going.
Liz told me: “Let’s take them with us – let’s communicate with them how they want. In future years it will be increasingly important for Swansea Council to adapt the way we communicate to take such trends into account.”
Well said, Liz. Enjoy the ride.
More info If you'd like more detail about my Swansea Council social media report, just reply to the blog.
A couple of months ago they asked me and a fresh-from-college techno-dude (Sam Nicholls aka Studio8) to report on the positives and negatives of hoisting the authority's messages onto Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and further across the blogosphere. We were delighted to do so.
What we found was a UK public sector already showing encouraging signs of moving with the times and - for this sector - relatively quickly.
Years ago it would have been that local councils didn't keep up. Photography may not have arrived in some town halls until the 1970s - and then banned again once the Pistols turned up. Indeed, in some respects, they still don't keep pace - too many council departments are still working independently of teams performing the exact same function for neighbouring authorities, for instance.
However, look at how some authorities are taking online social networking to heart and I think we're seeing innovations which some private sector media operators could learn from.
Liz Shellard, the Swansea marketing unit's web development manager is inspirational in this regard. She has a close focus on building the council’s search engine rating, achieved largely by luring increasing numbers to authority websites and existing social media platforms.
Social media, she says, is a highly effective way of getting messages to those who don’t wish to get information from the traditional media or from the council website.
Yes, it can be hugely time-consuming if not carefully managed and policed, but tomorrow's information consumer will demand bespoke, personalised services - and that's the way it's going.
Liz told me: “Let’s take them with us – let’s communicate with them how they want. In future years it will be increasingly important for Swansea Council to adapt the way we communicate to take such trends into account.”
Well said, Liz. Enjoy the ride.
More info If you'd like more detail about my Swansea Council social media report, just reply to the blog.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Heartstrings and headlines
The story of the out-of-work Welsh journalist may not tug at the heartstrings and it's unlikely to hit the headlines. A cocktail of inhuman old stereotypes and distant mega-media managements in self-preservation mode will ensure the lack of furore.
Yet the work sector in which these (mainly) hardworking, modestly paid professionals operate is undergoing a revolution. It's difficult to predict who the winners will be. Or whether there'll be any.
Radical times call for radical thinking and that's what's been occupying the minds of a working party from the National Union of Journalists' Swansea and District branch.
For two months the group has been considering options with one common aim: creating work for freelance and out-of-work journalists based in south-west Wales.
Experts have been consulted, gatherings of interested individuals called, miles clocked, coffees consumed and valued new acquaintances made. Those in the know from the worlds of business start-ups, the co-operative movement and the community regeneration sector have been encouragingly helpful and supportive.
Now - crucially - a marketplace has been identified, trading principles agreed and options for business models are on the table. It may well be that this is an opportunity not to be missed.
It's also time for the union to hand over the reins to a team of members who are passionate about going it alone (with the branch's wholehearted backing and support, of course) and who will take the project forward.
As cliches go, it's now or never - the idea, the marketplace and the professional assistance awaits. All that's needed now is hard work, vision and a great dollop of the teamwork ethic.
Let's get together To find out more, to get involved, to get energised and to start generating work meet up on Monday, October 12, from 6-7pm in the Swansea Yacht Club, close to the maritime quarter's Dylan Thomas Centre.
Details Andy Pearson - 07758 745 240, andy@hopestreetmedia.co.uk
Yet the work sector in which these (mainly) hardworking, modestly paid professionals operate is undergoing a revolution. It's difficult to predict who the winners will be. Or whether there'll be any.
Radical times call for radical thinking and that's what's been occupying the minds of a working party from the National Union of Journalists' Swansea and District branch.
For two months the group has been considering options with one common aim: creating work for freelance and out-of-work journalists based in south-west Wales.
Experts have been consulted, gatherings of interested individuals called, miles clocked, coffees consumed and valued new acquaintances made. Those in the know from the worlds of business start-ups, the co-operative movement and the community regeneration sector have been encouragingly helpful and supportive.
Now - crucially - a marketplace has been identified, trading principles agreed and options for business models are on the table. It may well be that this is an opportunity not to be missed.
It's also time for the union to hand over the reins to a team of members who are passionate about going it alone (with the branch's wholehearted backing and support, of course) and who will take the project forward.
As cliches go, it's now or never - the idea, the marketplace and the professional assistance awaits. All that's needed now is hard work, vision and a great dollop of the teamwork ethic.
Let's get together To find out more, to get involved, to get energised and to start generating work meet up on Monday, October 12, from 6-7pm in the Swansea Yacht Club, close to the maritime quarter's Dylan Thomas Centre.
Details Andy Pearson - 07758 745 240, andy@hopestreetmedia.co.uk
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Why's school so popular?
How come a modest photo of a steel-and-glass atrium at a South Wales comprehensive school tops the Views list on my Flickr platform?
Why does it outstrip neighbouring images of more hi-viz subjects such as professional music (Billy Bragg), pro-sport (British Lions skipper Paul O'Connell, Motherwell AFC, Ashes winner Monty Panesar) and glorious Andalusia?
Each is posted with the same thought put into geo-tags and text tags, each is flagged up on Facebook and Twitter.
Yes, this school is topical in that it's just opened an impressive new main block after an arson attack - but that's surtely not explanation enough.
Inexplicably as well, by the way, a shot of a fairly standard suburban cafe is second in this particular chart. Third is something I'd expected to do reasonably well as it touches on the art of photography and depicts a leading chef all the way from The Ritz London.
Is there rhyme or reason to social media's hookability? Check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithforhire/ then place your answers on a tweet, please.
Why does it outstrip neighbouring images of more hi-viz subjects such as professional music (Billy Bragg), pro-sport (British Lions skipper Paul O'Connell, Motherwell AFC, Ashes winner Monty Panesar) and glorious Andalusia?
Each is posted with the same thought put into geo-tags and text tags, each is flagged up on Facebook and Twitter.
Yes, this school is topical in that it's just opened an impressive new main block after an arson attack - but that's surtely not explanation enough.
Inexplicably as well, by the way, a shot of a fairly standard suburban cafe is second in this particular chart. Third is something I'd expected to do reasonably well as it touches on the art of photography and depicts a leading chef all the way from The Ritz London.
Is there rhyme or reason to social media's hookability? Check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithforhire/ then place your answers on a tweet, please.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Recession-busting PR package now available
Lots of inquiries are coming in from small businesses looking for PR help to raise their profile as the economy shows hints of picking up. I've responded by creating a new solutions package. Please take a look and pass it on to anyone you know who might be interested.
Cheers,
AP
Hope Street Media A PR solution for Wales’s small businesses
Service A low-cost, effective solution to help small South West Wales businesses climb out of recession.
Aim Regular stories in media relevant to your market
Result Higher profile & higher profits
Method Initial on-site meeting to analyse PR requirements Timeline of regular PR action points On-site no-nonsense consultancy meeting every month Press releases with photography sent to relevant media Advice on other marketing & PR tools eg advertising, leaflets, brochures, newsletters, websites, crisis management, media launches, specialist photography, videography, media coaching, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr etc)
Recession-busting cost £300/month (minimum 12-month contract)
Cheers,
AP
Hope Street Media A PR solution for Wales’s small businesses
Service A low-cost, effective solution to help small South West Wales businesses climb out of recession.
Aim Regular stories in media relevant to your market
Result Higher profile & higher profits
Method Initial on-site meeting to analyse PR requirements Timeline of regular PR action points On-site no-nonsense consultancy meeting every month Press releases with photography sent to relevant media Advice on other marketing & PR tools eg advertising, leaflets, brochures, newsletters, websites, crisis management, media launches, specialist photography, videography, media coaching, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr etc)
Recession-busting cost £300/month (minimum 12-month contract)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Trinity's unholy outlook
Bad news has been a feature of newspapers since the industry began - it sells papers don't you know.
Today, the fact that the doom-laden messages now focus on the news business itself was brought into sharp focus. Trinity Mirror - a margin-hungry nationwide PLC which recently announced an operating profit of almost £50m - has announced the closure of South Wales twin titles the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians.
It'll mean the loss of 15 jobs, a fight by National Union of Journalists members to highlight their heartfelt concerns for print's future ... and the drastic diminution of the crucial local information network for two great Welsh towns.
Neath (population around 47,000) and Port Talbot (35,000) deserve better than the cold, distant relationships offered to them by regional dailies the Western Mail and the South Wales Evening Post. They've enjoyed the warmth of the Guardians for 80 years; the journals have been a cornerstone of their communities.
Which non-Establishment enterprises will now hold in close check the tax-heavy goings-on at the local council and in the courts? Which media will genuinely celebrate the next rugby trophy won by Neath RFC, Aberavon RFC - or by the neighbourhood under-11s? How many ticket sales will be lost at the local cinema, theatres and operatic society presentations? When the hospital wants to publicise news of new visiting hours, the politicians of their surgeries and the police of their Pact meetings - what effect will the loss of the Guardians have?
The demise of the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8273676.stm - is alarming. And they won't be the last local rags to go in these trying times; if you live in a smallish town with a tidy looking weekly newspaper please look after it, support it, buy it.
Good luck to anyone in line to lose their job, best wishes to the Trinity Mirror journalists fighting their corner and all strength to any ... body energetic enough to work hard to rebuild the crucial local media network in those two great Welsh towns.
As newspaper-loving townsfolk are denied their own local papers, here's where Trinity Mirror stood in their latest half-yearly financial report (June 2009) - group revenue £383m, digital revenue £18.6m, operating profit £49.1million.
Have a word, someone!
Today, the fact that the doom-laden messages now focus on the news business itself was brought into sharp focus. Trinity Mirror - a margin-hungry nationwide PLC which recently announced an operating profit of almost £50m - has announced the closure of South Wales twin titles the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians.
It'll mean the loss of 15 jobs, a fight by National Union of Journalists members to highlight their heartfelt concerns for print's future ... and the drastic diminution of the crucial local information network for two great Welsh towns.
Neath (population around 47,000) and Port Talbot (35,000) deserve better than the cold, distant relationships offered to them by regional dailies the Western Mail and the South Wales Evening Post. They've enjoyed the warmth of the Guardians for 80 years; the journals have been a cornerstone of their communities.
Which non-Establishment enterprises will now hold in close check the tax-heavy goings-on at the local council and in the courts? Which media will genuinely celebrate the next rugby trophy won by Neath RFC, Aberavon RFC - or by the neighbourhood under-11s? How many ticket sales will be lost at the local cinema, theatres and operatic society presentations? When the hospital wants to publicise news of new visiting hours, the politicians of their surgeries and the police of their Pact meetings - what effect will the loss of the Guardians have?
The demise of the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8273676.stm - is alarming. And they won't be the last local rags to go in these trying times; if you live in a smallish town with a tidy looking weekly newspaper please look after it, support it, buy it.
Good luck to anyone in line to lose their job, best wishes to the Trinity Mirror journalists fighting their corner and all strength to any ... body energetic enough to work hard to rebuild the crucial local media network in those two great Welsh towns.
As newspaper-loving townsfolk are denied their own local papers, here's where Trinity Mirror stood in their latest half-yearly financial report (June 2009) - group revenue £383m, digital revenue £18.6m, operating profit £49.1million.
Have a word, someone!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Making journalism pay - Wales listens
The Wales Council of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) meets tomorrow and one item under discussion will be an effort by the Swansea branch to explore new ways of making journalism pay.
The background is diminishing employment opportunities in the traditional media; the opportunity is the fast-evolving new media landscape and technology. Wherever it's leading, we want to reach that destination.
Working at Parc y Scarlets as a rugby PR guy, I won't make the Cardiff meeting - but good people in the form of Ken Smith and Mike Burrows will be there fighting our branch's corner. It'd be good to get positive feedback and offers of support and guidance from the council as the Swansea case won't be an isolated one. Newspapers, radio stations and TV channels all over the UK are shedding jobs so something needs to be done to retain and use the skills these jettisoned journos have.
Things are changing dramatically and many regions, cities and towns may soon find themselves in a professional journalism desert. The powers that be and the holders of our public purse strings will find themselves protected by a clogged up information filtration system. Worse, the public will lose a lively tier of entertainment and independent news.
Swansea are looking at the possibility of being a catalyst in the creation of a multi-media thoroughly modern news agency. A working party is looking at key areas such as governmental aid for young businesses, partnerships with academia, tie-ups and with cooperative and development trust movements and, of course, links with like-minded union groups and activists.
I hope the union's Wales Council give a great deal of honest and open thought to what Ken and Mike have to report.
The background is diminishing employment opportunities in the traditional media; the opportunity is the fast-evolving new media landscape and technology. Wherever it's leading, we want to reach that destination.
Working at Parc y Scarlets as a rugby PR guy, I won't make the Cardiff meeting - but good people in the form of Ken Smith and Mike Burrows will be there fighting our branch's corner. It'd be good to get positive feedback and offers of support and guidance from the council as the Swansea case won't be an isolated one. Newspapers, radio stations and TV channels all over the UK are shedding jobs so something needs to be done to retain and use the skills these jettisoned journos have.
Things are changing dramatically and many regions, cities and towns may soon find themselves in a professional journalism desert. The powers that be and the holders of our public purse strings will find themselves protected by a clogged up information filtration system. Worse, the public will lose a lively tier of entertainment and independent news.
Swansea are looking at the possibility of being a catalyst in the creation of a multi-media thoroughly modern news agency. A working party is looking at key areas such as governmental aid for young businesses, partnerships with academia, tie-ups and with cooperative and development trust movements and, of course, links with like-minded union groups and activists.
I hope the union's Wales Council give a great deal of honest and open thought to what Ken and Mike have to report.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Working the new, remembering the old
Well, it's got to be success of a kind - six weeks after the launch of personal Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithforhire/ it's notched up its 150th visitor.
This may not seem too great in the grand scheme of things but for a site with 20-odd images of a fairly random nature it ain't bad. My opinion of spreadin the word via the internet is quickly being coloured brightly by the power of social media.
This new-found enthusiasm - or more accurately the evangelistic streak it's triggered - has led to Swansea Council and Dyfed Powys Police requesting reports into the pro's and cons of them using platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. That's work in progress ... so thanks to the creatives at Cult Cymru who introduced me to the power of e-marketing.
This way of communicating seems so essential that the days of simply putting a newspaper together on a daily or weekly basis seem distinctly old hat. Not that nostalgia doesn't kick in every now and again. Indeed, yesterday I was commissioned to pen a few hundred words on my time as editor of the Llanelli Star. The paper is celebrating its centenary this year and plans a supplement to mark the fact.
Good luck to all - and here's the poetry they've had from me.
Andy Pearson
Llanelli Star editor, Oct 2002-April 2006
It was early one October day seven years ago that I drove into town for the first time as editor of the Llanelli Star. Too early.
At 8am, it seemed, the town was still snuggled up in its autumn duvet. The traffic was limited to one car – mine – and the pedestrian throng along the chicanery of Stepney Place, Upper Robinson Street and Murray Street numbered one living being. It had four legs and was sniffing a lamppost.
Having been based in bigger towns and cities for the previous 19 years, with visits to Llanelli restricted to Stradey Park Saturdays, the initial reaction was: “Bloody hell, what’ve you got yerself into here, my boy?”
A whole can of worms, that’s what! The rugby club faced falling off Welsh rugby’s top tier, hospital bosses had gone anti-media due to a tragic story that had (damagingly) gone global, the burghers of Burry Port were tamping that there wasn’t enough Burry Port news in the paper … and the county council were deluging journalists’ in-boxes with wordy press releases about blue boxes.
The surface didn’t need too much scratching to reveal that every human drama, every Establishment conceit and every type of joyous occasion was there - ready to be reported, edited and headlined.
What fabulous fun! We helped win the long, bitter battle that kept the Scarlets in top-flight sport, we gave more localised pages to the people of Porth Tywyn, the Gwendraeth Valley and those on the dark side of the Loughor Bridge, we rebuilt bridges with the NHS and we virtually eradicated the use of repetitious PR snaps featuring the grins of County Hall big-wigs.
Magical supplements were introduced featuring the faces, thoughts and memories of thousands of local people. Circulation rose.
The secret? Nothing more than a motivated, eager, competent, friendly staff knowing what was the singlemost crucial thing in their working lives – the man on the street.
The Star staff of 2002-06 deserve praise as does every Star reader of that time. It was due to them – and the paper winning a newspaper trade national competition – that my last front page carried the headline: “Simply the best … your Star!”
Andy is based in Swansea and runs his own editorial services and public relations company, Hope Street Media. He’s written two books – including Faces of Stradey Park - and would love to hear from old Llanelli acquaintances. Check out his blog!
This may not seem too great in the grand scheme of things but for a site with 20-odd images of a fairly random nature it ain't bad. My opinion of spreadin the word via the internet is quickly being coloured brightly by the power of social media.
This new-found enthusiasm - or more accurately the evangelistic streak it's triggered - has led to Swansea Council and Dyfed Powys Police requesting reports into the pro's and cons of them using platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. That's work in progress ... so thanks to the creatives at Cult Cymru who introduced me to the power of e-marketing.
This way of communicating seems so essential that the days of simply putting a newspaper together on a daily or weekly basis seem distinctly old hat. Not that nostalgia doesn't kick in every now and again. Indeed, yesterday I was commissioned to pen a few hundred words on my time as editor of the Llanelli Star. The paper is celebrating its centenary this year and plans a supplement to mark the fact.
Good luck to all - and here's the poetry they've had from me.
Andy Pearson
Llanelli Star editor, Oct 2002-April 2006
It was early one October day seven years ago that I drove into town for the first time as editor of the Llanelli Star. Too early.
At 8am, it seemed, the town was still snuggled up in its autumn duvet. The traffic was limited to one car – mine – and the pedestrian throng along the chicanery of Stepney Place, Upper Robinson Street and Murray Street numbered one living being. It had four legs and was sniffing a lamppost.
Having been based in bigger towns and cities for the previous 19 years, with visits to Llanelli restricted to Stradey Park Saturdays, the initial reaction was: “Bloody hell, what’ve you got yerself into here, my boy?”
A whole can of worms, that’s what! The rugby club faced falling off Welsh rugby’s top tier, hospital bosses had gone anti-media due to a tragic story that had (damagingly) gone global, the burghers of Burry Port were tamping that there wasn’t enough Burry Port news in the paper … and the county council were deluging journalists’ in-boxes with wordy press releases about blue boxes.
The surface didn’t need too much scratching to reveal that every human drama, every Establishment conceit and every type of joyous occasion was there - ready to be reported, edited and headlined.
What fabulous fun! We helped win the long, bitter battle that kept the Scarlets in top-flight sport, we gave more localised pages to the people of Porth Tywyn, the Gwendraeth Valley and those on the dark side of the Loughor Bridge, we rebuilt bridges with the NHS and we virtually eradicated the use of repetitious PR snaps featuring the grins of County Hall big-wigs.
Magical supplements were introduced featuring the faces, thoughts and memories of thousands of local people. Circulation rose.
The secret? Nothing more than a motivated, eager, competent, friendly staff knowing what was the singlemost crucial thing in their working lives – the man on the street.
The Star staff of 2002-06 deserve praise as does every Star reader of that time. It was due to them – and the paper winning a newspaper trade national competition – that my last front page carried the headline: “Simply the best … your Star!”
Andy is based in Swansea and runs his own editorial services and public relations company, Hope Street Media. He’s written two books – including Faces of Stradey Park - and would love to hear from old Llanelli acquaintances. Check out his blog!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Be Bop Da Jig - look out for 'em!
It's always a joy to get involved with another wonderful creative force - and Be Bop Da Jig are certainly one of those.
They came to me via an acquaintance who makes a living as one of Wales' most inventive prop makers (www.propmaker.co.uk) - so a round of applause for Mr Jason Hicks!
They also came to me via a gig one of the quartet was playing down Gower way. Dan James hadn't been here for long but he'd already discovered the magnificent watering holes that are The Joiners in Bishopston and The Railway in Killay. He's a Real Cider drinker (like Real Ale but with bits of core left in, I guess) and had heard all about Swansea's finest boozers.
The point of Jason putting us in touch was to promote a gug by Dan's Be Bop Da Jig at the end of this month in Monmouth. The wheels are in motion for some decent Press, with press releases having just gone to a bunch of newspapers in and around Monmouthshire, Gwent, Cardiff, Powys, Gloucs and Bristol. Hope you get some media hits, Dan.
With just a hint of journalistic licence, Dan is now being bigged up as "one of Wales' most thrilling folk troubadors" lining up a gig during the forthcoming Monmouth Festival week (July 24-Aug 1).
Strings specialist Dan is due to play the historic border town's Bridges Centre on Friday, July 31.
Blaenavon-based James will be with his four-piece Be Bop Da Jig whose other members are Blackwood double bass man Steve Tarner, Cardiff keyboards wizard Gareth Hall and celebrated Gilwern saxophonist Martha Skelton.
James, whose summer performances will cover 13 English and Welsh counties, reckons that Be Bop Da Jig fuse folk and modern jazz with blues. Sounds like a genuinely intoxicating formula and they've delighted audiences all over the place, from Mr Wolf’s Noodle Bar in Bristol to Thetford's White Hart, one of East Anglia's folk hotspots.
With the stunning line-up they now have, they're relishing the prospect of playing somewhere closer to home. The Monmouth date comes the night after a show at Cardiff's Millennium Centre and just over a week before they play the Brecon Jazz fringe.
Be Bop Da Jig's flourishing and eclectic soundscape has brought a growing reputation. A CD is available through music stores, at gigs and via the web - www.myspace.com/danjamesmandocello. BBC Radio Gloucestershire's famed Johnny Coppin called it "a fine album, with good energy."
Be Bop Da Jig receive regular airplay on Blaenau Gwent internet TV platform Brfm.Tv which also plans to broadcast the Monmouth gig.
Full-time professional folk musician and singer Dan James plays ancient stringed instrument the mandocello and the seven-string guitar. He is half of folk duo Miln & James and part of ceilidh trio Brand F.
He was singer/songwriter with the folk rockers Reincarnation, was a member of seminal folk band Firebrand and was guitarist with jazz outfit The Gareth Hall Quintet.
Dan has played the Glastonbury Festival five times and has performed as far afield as Jersey and Scotland. He appears on highly regarded compilation CDs A Feast of Folk and Best of British Folk alongside such luminaries as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Kathryn Tickell.
More info www.myspace.com/danjamesmandocello, www.monmouthfestival.co.uk, www.breconjazz.org
They came to me via an acquaintance who makes a living as one of Wales' most inventive prop makers (www.propmaker.co.uk) - so a round of applause for Mr Jason Hicks!
They also came to me via a gig one of the quartet was playing down Gower way. Dan James hadn't been here for long but he'd already discovered the magnificent watering holes that are The Joiners in Bishopston and The Railway in Killay. He's a Real Cider drinker (like Real Ale but with bits of core left in, I guess) and had heard all about Swansea's finest boozers.
The point of Jason putting us in touch was to promote a gug by Dan's Be Bop Da Jig at the end of this month in Monmouth. The wheels are in motion for some decent Press, with press releases having just gone to a bunch of newspapers in and around Monmouthshire, Gwent, Cardiff, Powys, Gloucs and Bristol. Hope you get some media hits, Dan.
With just a hint of journalistic licence, Dan is now being bigged up as "one of Wales' most thrilling folk troubadors" lining up a gig during the forthcoming Monmouth Festival week (July 24-Aug 1).
Strings specialist Dan is due to play the historic border town's Bridges Centre on Friday, July 31.
Blaenavon-based James will be with his four-piece Be Bop Da Jig whose other members are Blackwood double bass man Steve Tarner, Cardiff keyboards wizard Gareth Hall and celebrated Gilwern saxophonist Martha Skelton.
James, whose summer performances will cover 13 English and Welsh counties, reckons that Be Bop Da Jig fuse folk and modern jazz with blues. Sounds like a genuinely intoxicating formula and they've delighted audiences all over the place, from Mr Wolf’s Noodle Bar in Bristol to Thetford's White Hart, one of East Anglia's folk hotspots.
With the stunning line-up they now have, they're relishing the prospect of playing somewhere closer to home. The Monmouth date comes the night after a show at Cardiff's Millennium Centre and just over a week before they play the Brecon Jazz fringe.
Be Bop Da Jig's flourishing and eclectic soundscape has brought a growing reputation. A CD is available through music stores, at gigs and via the web - www.myspace.com/danjamesmandocello. BBC Radio Gloucestershire's famed Johnny Coppin called it "a fine album, with good energy."
Be Bop Da Jig receive regular airplay on Blaenau Gwent internet TV platform Brfm.Tv which also plans to broadcast the Monmouth gig.
Full-time professional folk musician and singer Dan James plays ancient stringed instrument the mandocello and the seven-string guitar. He is half of folk duo Miln & James and part of ceilidh trio Brand F.
He was singer/songwriter with the folk rockers Reincarnation, was a member of seminal folk band Firebrand and was guitarist with jazz outfit The Gareth Hall Quintet.
Dan has played the Glastonbury Festival five times and has performed as far afield as Jersey and Scotland. He appears on highly regarded compilation CDs A Feast of Folk and Best of British Folk alongside such luminaries as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Kathryn Tickell.
More info www.myspace.com/danjamesmandocello, www.monmouthfestival.co.uk, www.breconjazz.org
Friday, July 17, 2009
August 16 - the future starts here
Exciting things are happening down the National Union of Journalists' Swansea and District branch.
Instead of suffering the recession in silence, NUJ members are exploring new ways of creating work (with pay!) for journalists.
As branch chairman, I've been involved in early explorations into the idea of a co-operative enterprise. They have resulted in some innovative thinking and a summer timetable for encouraging progress.
Now members are being invited to a groundbreaking August 16 gathering which will decide on the best business model(s) to pursue. It could be the start of the future so I've urged members to make every effort to attend: the more bright minds we bring together the more feasible a business model we'll devise.
The meeting will be in the form of a brainstorming session open to all NUJ branch members who would consider contributing or getting involved in the practical work of setting up a media co-operative. The venue is the Swansea Sub-aqua and Yacht Club, Pockett's Wharf, East Burrows Road, Swansea SA1 1RE.
The background to all this is that the recession means lost jobs in the traditional media and fewer freelance opportunities. It also creates opportunities. Could a co-op be the way forward? There’s a demand for news & info so why don’t we – the experts - supply it and make a fair living from it? Could we run a grassroots-up network using agreed union rates?
Did you know? Associated Press – the global news agency serving multi-media platforms - is a co-op. New Internationalist, the London-based social affairs mag, is a co-op as is Wisconsin’s 70-year-old weekly Inter-County Leader (7,000 circ, 75 payroll)
There’s enthusiasm for exploring Swansea and District co-op opportunities, a pool of skilled journalists and a lot of niches. Key questions include - What niche? Can we fill gaps left by established media?
What market do we go for? How will revenues be generated? Agency? Publication? New media? Rather than starting an enterprise from scratch, could we buy-out a company, run it along co-op lines & develop new-media lines?
Intersting - and encouragingly - there's UN, UK & Wales support network for co-ops. Individual support/encouragement indicated by co-ops across the UK.
Ideas on a postcard, please ...
Instead of suffering the recession in silence, NUJ members are exploring new ways of creating work (with pay!) for journalists.
As branch chairman, I've been involved in early explorations into the idea of a co-operative enterprise. They have resulted in some innovative thinking and a summer timetable for encouraging progress.
Now members are being invited to a groundbreaking August 16 gathering which will decide on the best business model(s) to pursue. It could be the start of the future so I've urged members to make every effort to attend: the more bright minds we bring together the more feasible a business model we'll devise.
The meeting will be in the form of a brainstorming session open to all NUJ branch members who would consider contributing or getting involved in the practical work of setting up a media co-operative. The venue is the Swansea Sub-aqua and Yacht Club, Pockett's Wharf, East Burrows Road, Swansea SA1 1RE.
The background to all this is that the recession means lost jobs in the traditional media and fewer freelance opportunities. It also creates opportunities. Could a co-op be the way forward? There’s a demand for news & info so why don’t we – the experts - supply it and make a fair living from it? Could we run a grassroots-up network using agreed union rates?
Did you know? Associated Press – the global news agency serving multi-media platforms - is a co-op. New Internationalist, the London-based social affairs mag, is a co-op as is Wisconsin’s 70-year-old weekly Inter-County Leader (7,000 circ, 75 payroll)
There’s enthusiasm for exploring Swansea and District co-op opportunities, a pool of skilled journalists and a lot of niches. Key questions include - What niche? Can we fill gaps left by established media?
What market do we go for? How will revenues be generated? Agency? Publication? New media? Rather than starting an enterprise from scratch, could we buy-out a company, run it along co-op lines & develop new-media lines?
Intersting - and encouragingly - there's UN, UK & Wales support network for co-ops. Individual support/encouragement indicated by co-ops across the UK.
Ideas on a postcard, please ...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Co-operative working - the DIY way forward for journalists?
Could it work? A co-operative working agreement between freelance journalists in a corner of Britain dominated by media monopolies?
Well, that's an idea the National Union of Journalists' Swansea and District branch have started to explore.
The aim would be to create work for freelance and out-of-work branch members in an area covering Port Talbot to Aberystwyth. It's a big ask - but if we don't try who else will?
The recession means lost jobs in the traditional media and fewer freelance opportunities. However, it also creates opportunities. There’s a demand for news and information so why don’t we – the experts - supply it and make a fair living from it? Could we run a grassroots-up network using agreed union rates? Could we complement the big boys of the patch - Northcliffe, Newsquest and the BBC?
The first move is a series of three exploratory meetings to gather the thoughts of members - the first was on June 25 in the Uplands Diner, Uplands, Swansea.
The second is from 7-8pm on July 1 at Costa Coffee, Penllergaer Services, on the M4; number three is from 1-2pm on July 9 in the cafe at Swansea's Dylan Thomas Centre.
Feedback will then be circulated to members who, with help from co-op experts, will decide on a way forward.
That Uplands meeting heard there was a UK-wide support network for co-ops – see www.cooperatives-uk.coop, www.wales.coop - with much expertise to call upon. Individual support and encouragement has been indicated by co-ops with similar skill-sets - Alpha Communication (www.alpha.coop, Durham) and The Very People (www.theverypeople.co.uk, Scotland)
The biggest journalism-based co-op seems to be Associated Press, a global news agency serving multi-media platforms. Could we go down the news agency route with multi-media offerings?
Other media co-ops, the Uplands Diner gathering was told, include the New Internationalist (a London-based social affairs mag) and Wisconsin’s 70-year-old weekly Inter-County Leader newspaper (7,000 circulation75 payroll).
No Welsh journalism-based co-ops have been found and advertising professionals say revenue generation is tough but winnable with right product in right market … and with much groundwork.
One ploy, of course is that rather than starting an enterprise from scratch, we buy-out a company, run it along co-op lines and develop new-media lines. Any available?
The UN, incidentally, has placed its support firmly behind co-ops; indeed, July 4 is International Day of Cooperatives. Sec Gen Ban Ki-moon urging greater government and consumer support for co-ops.
So are there opportunities to fill gaps left by established media? Can we offer news from fresh sources, not relying on PR? Could we encourage freelances to develop new sources?
Could we work as an agency – offering a news service, information provision, training opportunities? Could we embrace help/assistance from various quarters such as start-up agencies, training bodies and business funders?
The co-op model chosen will be crucial: how would the shareholder system operate; would charity status be required; how would a possible board run the co-op (and would it require representatives from other community interests?); or perhaps a member-run organisation would be the most applicable.
Is ‘special interest’ journalism is the way forward? Is special local issue-based journalism the way forward - for example, the environment. Immediacy is important, so could we test the water with e-newsletter carrying grassroots local news?
Is there a gap in the local market for traditional local news reporting such as crime, council and court? Can we plug the gap? There's a quarterly community newsletter in North Gower - The People’s Estuary - which suggests a market for local news. It has attracted Assembly finding and volunteer help. Warning 1: The Swansea Standard local paper launched a few years ago but it was sunk when the South Wales Evening Post dropped ad rates. Warning 2: The cost of print media is high – so should we look to first create a web-based product?
Hey - you tell us! Come to a meeting or reply to the blog.
Well, that's an idea the National Union of Journalists' Swansea and District branch have started to explore.
The aim would be to create work for freelance and out-of-work branch members in an area covering Port Talbot to Aberystwyth. It's a big ask - but if we don't try who else will?
The recession means lost jobs in the traditional media and fewer freelance opportunities. However, it also creates opportunities. There’s a demand for news and information so why don’t we – the experts - supply it and make a fair living from it? Could we run a grassroots-up network using agreed union rates? Could we complement the big boys of the patch - Northcliffe, Newsquest and the BBC?
The first move is a series of three exploratory meetings to gather the thoughts of members - the first was on June 25 in the Uplands Diner, Uplands, Swansea.
The second is from 7-8pm on July 1 at Costa Coffee, Penllergaer Services, on the M4; number three is from 1-2pm on July 9 in the cafe at Swansea's Dylan Thomas Centre.
Feedback will then be circulated to members who, with help from co-op experts, will decide on a way forward.
That Uplands meeting heard there was a UK-wide support network for co-ops – see www.cooperatives-uk.coop, www.wales.coop - with much expertise to call upon. Individual support and encouragement has been indicated by co-ops with similar skill-sets - Alpha Communication (www.alpha.coop, Durham) and The Very People (www.theverypeople.co.uk, Scotland)
The biggest journalism-based co-op seems to be Associated Press, a global news agency serving multi-media platforms. Could we go down the news agency route with multi-media offerings?
Other media co-ops, the Uplands Diner gathering was told, include the New Internationalist (a London-based social affairs mag) and Wisconsin’s 70-year-old weekly Inter-County Leader newspaper (7,000 circulation75 payroll).
No Welsh journalism-based co-ops have been found and advertising professionals say revenue generation is tough but winnable with right product in right market … and with much groundwork.
One ploy, of course is that rather than starting an enterprise from scratch, we buy-out a company, run it along co-op lines and develop new-media lines. Any available?
The UN, incidentally, has placed its support firmly behind co-ops; indeed, July 4 is International Day of Cooperatives. Sec Gen Ban Ki-moon urging greater government and consumer support for co-ops.
So are there opportunities to fill gaps left by established media? Can we offer news from fresh sources, not relying on PR? Could we encourage freelances to develop new sources?
Could we work as an agency – offering a news service, information provision, training opportunities? Could we embrace help/assistance from various quarters such as start-up agencies, training bodies and business funders?
The co-op model chosen will be crucial: how would the shareholder system operate; would charity status be required; how would a possible board run the co-op (and would it require representatives from other community interests?); or perhaps a member-run organisation would be the most applicable.
Is ‘special interest’ journalism is the way forward? Is special local issue-based journalism the way forward - for example, the environment. Immediacy is important, so could we test the water with e-newsletter carrying grassroots local news?
Is there a gap in the local market for traditional local news reporting such as crime, council and court? Can we plug the gap? There's a quarterly community newsletter in North Gower - The People’s Estuary - which suggests a market for local news. It has attracted Assembly finding and volunteer help. Warning 1: The Swansea Standard local paper launched a few years ago but it was sunk when the South Wales Evening Post dropped ad rates. Warning 2: The cost of print media is high – so should we look to first create a web-based product?
Hey - you tell us! Come to a meeting or reply to the blog.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Glastonbury pulls the plug on defeat
Good ol' Bosch Customer Service. The fridge had problems, the pressure was on to excel with some macho mechanics ... and the online help pages came to the rescue! The big question: "Why's the floor of the main refrigerator section always wet?" The answer: "Possibly because the condensation water drainage channel is blocked. Clean it with a cotton bud." And magic - out popped a slimy plug of formerly edible vegitation. One happy missus. Little things like that have help balm the hurt of the last-minute Lions defeat - little things like the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh real ales quoffed by our gentleman visitors as they settled down for our front-room Sky Sportfest. Little things like TV's Glastonbury coverage too. What a fabulous event it looked - small screen highlights were The Specials and Madness, of course, but also Bat For Lashes' Daniel, Bon Iver's Skinny Love, Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up, Blur's The Universal, Tom Jones' Delilah, Kasabian, Springsteen, Quo (yes, why not, Status Bleedin' Quo!), the bum cheeks of Lady Gaga and the enthusiasm of the Beeb's presenters. Mark Riley, take a bow. And happy birthday.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Lions outshone by George to Somethingth
So the British Lions' second-half fightback fell just short but I reckon they showed enough to suggest a monster-monster effort next weekend as the second Test dawns. Good luck, boys, especially Stephen Jones and Matthew Rees who'll both start or my name's Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela *. Saturday was rescued by a remarkable night out down The Railway (Killay), Swansea's greatest basic boozer. A few peppery Lancastrian jars of Phoenix White Tornado, a summery session ale from Heywood, between Bury and Rochdale, were complemented by one of life's more surreal pub quizes. Okay, the congregation raised £40+ for Barnardo's ... but, by 'eck there were rumblings about the obtuse nature of the quizmaster's take on Saturday night "fun." Here's a couple of his gems: "If the Queen died tomorrow, what would be the official name of he new monarch?" And, no, the word "Charles" doesn't enter the equation. "Who was BB King's favourite singer?" How should we know - and why should we care? (Answers: George to Somethingth and Frank Sinatra, in that order ... and * is Winnie Mandela, quizheads)
Sunday, June 14, 2009
From Aldenham to Cape Town thanks to Sky+
The Faces of Stradey Park - the world's greatest book about rugby union - has now made it into the window display of Killay Newsagents. I noticed it on the way past to pick up today's Observer and a handful of delectable pink grapefruits, the breakfast of choice here this summer (along with passion fruits when they're a decent price at Lidl). Thanks go to the friendly shop assistants for their thoughtful approach to plugging it at a topical time for rugby.
I caught up with the SkyPlused Lions today - that tight but welcome win against Western Province. As they were getting soggy in Cape Town yesterday I was on the way back from Aldenham, Hertfordshire, with Terry Morris, my photographer pal. We'd been to meet John Williams, a splendid South Shields exile who's now one of the UK's finest chefs.
He's top man in the kitchens at The Ritz and he was photographed by Terry and interviewed by me at his home as we begin to create a great new UK-wide portrait collection for the very worthy Academy of Culinary Arts.
I caught up with the SkyPlused Lions today - that tight but welcome win against Western Province. As they were getting soggy in Cape Town yesterday I was on the way back from Aldenham, Hertfordshire, with Terry Morris, my photographer pal. We'd been to meet John Williams, a splendid South Shields exile who's now one of the UK's finest chefs.
He's top man in the kitchens at The Ritz and he was photographed by Terry and interviewed by me at his home as we begin to create a great new UK-wide portrait collection for the very worthy Academy of Culinary Arts.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thanks, British Lions
The record of three wins in three hides a few concerns for Ian McGeechan, Stephen Jones, Matthew Rees and co. But it's no time for pessimism (the England 20 Twenty cricket XI are monopolising that field).
Indeed, there's a splendid reason for Lions-related optimism, albeit a reason based on selfishness - yes, the South African tour has triggered interest from bookshops in the fine rugby tome Faces of Stradey Park. I know because I'm the author.
To date it's been sold exclusively through Scarlets outlets but now it's been picked up by multi-national bookseller Borders. I was equally chuffed to see it in Killay News, my local newsagent deep in the heart of Ospreys country.
The book's done well in the Scarlets heartland and it'll be given another boost this October when the first anniversary of the momentous move from Stradey occurs.
If you know of any sports loving booksellers who'd like to stock the Faces of Stradey Park, give me a shout!
Indeed, there's a splendid reason for Lions-related optimism, albeit a reason based on selfishness - yes, the South African tour has triggered interest from bookshops in the fine rugby tome Faces of Stradey Park. I know because I'm the author.
To date it's been sold exclusively through Scarlets outlets but now it's been picked up by multi-national bookseller Borders. I was equally chuffed to see it in Killay News, my local newsagent deep in the heart of Ospreys country.
The book's done well in the Scarlets heartland and it'll be given another boost this October when the first anniversary of the momentous move from Stradey occurs.
If you know of any sports loving booksellers who'd like to stock the Faces of Stradey Park, give me a shout!
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