Original 106.5 sold

News from: Radio Today

Original 106.5 in Bristol has been bought by Tomahawk Radio, a new radio group set up by former Original management team Jonathan Arendt and Richard Johnson.

The pair bought Original 106 in Aberdeen just over a fortnight ago. It means the only station now owned by Canwest is Original 106 on the south coast.

The takeover, which is effective immediately, was completed this morning. The station will continue to operate under licence under the brand name Original 106.5.

Managing Director Richard Johnson told Radio Today: “Bristol is a great city, and we have had a fantastic first year here. We have taken over a station with a great team and are really looking forward to growing audience and business.”

Event: Free media consultancy

SWNS (the UK’s largest independent press agency) and 72 Point (National news PR specialists) are pleased to offer FREE media consultancy sessions in August and September.

Sessions are available on the following dates but slots are limited:

Thursday 7^th August

Tuesday 19^th August

Wednesday 10^th September

Tuesday 23^rd September

Sessions will be held at The One Aldwych Hotel in Holborn and will be headed by;

. Doug Shields - formerly a senior news editor on The Sun newspaper

. Jay Williams - chief consultant for 72 Point with over 20 years national news experience

Our experts will be available on a one-to-one basis to evaluate your current national press campaigns, offer clear-cut feedback and advice and offer brainstorming and ideas generation.

Call Nicky on 0117 9066555 - or email harriet@swns.comto book a slot on one of the days available.

Click here to see examples of our most recent news coverage.

Is your agency bucking the trend?

PR Week last week stated that many of the biggest PR agencies in the country are bucking the trend when it comes to graduate recruitment. According to PR Week, one of the clearest indications that the PR industry is equipped to ride the impending economic storm is that nine of the top ten agencies in the UK by fee income have hired a total of 85 graduates so far in 2008, compared with 64 last year.

PRBristol.co.uk would like to know if this holds true in Bristol? If your agency is bucking the trend and searching for recruits, do let us know by commenting below.

We are also planning a recruitment page with rates that will be very cost-effective and targeted to our members in the Watering Hole.  In our first month, 75 PRO members have joined our network. So, if you are looking for an cost-effective way of reaching your target market, please get in touch.

Email info@prbristol.co.uk with your PR and media vacancies for a rate card.

Hot News Day

WSM Fire - Video

Normally this time of year the local press are scratching around for stories and the phrase S-L-O-W news day abounds. However, there seems to be a fair few HOT stories around in the South West today.

The biggest story of the day is that the Weston-Super-Mare pier is in flames and Avon and Somerset Fire’s very own Steph Mounsey (ex STAR FM) has made it onto Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. As a result PROs are having to work hard for their column inches today.

According to Hold the Front Page: Staff from both the Weston and Somerset Mercury and Weston and Worle News were dispatched to the scene as day broke to cover the breaking story.

Both papers adopted a web-first strategy to break the news before breakfast online with Thursday print editions giving reporters time to dig deeper for a fuller story.

Mercury news editor Simon Angear said: “Our first reporter was down there at 7.15am and I was dragged out from home early doors.

“When we got there, there was just a small lick of flames at the pier.

“We got the story, took some photos, interviewed the crowd and made some videos.

“You can see the smoke from our office, which is about half a mile away, but I’ve been told it’s visible for 60 miles.”

Should we be preparing graduates for a career in the papers?

Paul Bradshaw on his Online Journalism blog made a very valid point on his blog recently, when he asked “Why prepare students in Journalism for careers in the newspapers?” There has been a huge amount of redundancies across the board in the UK and over the last 10 years the number of journalist jobs in the USA has dropped by 25%. He asks “Will the graduates be needed?”

There is a full list of recent redundancies here, but as we recall in the Bristol area in recent times, Northcliffe has made far reaching redundancies at the Bristol Evening Post, Western Daily Press and Bristol Observer. In addition with a further reduction in ad revenue of 7% by Northcliffe recently, these redundancies may not be the last.

So what should journalists be trained in? I believe that there will be always a demand for news, and the basic skills of finding and crafting a story into engaging content will always be needed, as long as there are news addicts like you and I. Naturally there needs to be training in blogging and online news gathering in order that traditional news sources can compete with fleet of foot blog sites such as Guido Fawkes and the Huffington Post. Many newspaper chains have made the mistake of letting very good quality journalists go in the name of cost saving, but now do not have the content to drive traffic and interest online. It’s a catch 22, but ultimately a blog or website is only ever as good as the content.

I will be putting a discussion thread up on our Social Space called the “Watering Hole” for a discussion, if you find it easier please comment below. If you are really technically inclined join Paul Bradshaw’s video blog discussion!

Author - Matt Anderson (My blog)

Temple Quay Bridging The Gap In Bristol

A stunning new £2.4 million stainless steel bridge has been expertly lifted and lowered into Bristol’s Temple Quay harbour today, becoming part of the £200 million mixed use development by Castlemore Securities.

The actual “lift and drop” manoeuvre took around two hours, as one of the UK’s largest cranes lifted the 75 ton bridge into place on the spectacular floating harbour.

Commenting, Majella Lynch project director at Castlemore who is arguably the first woman to mastermind such a complex engineering feat said: “The bridge installation went very successfully and we are delighted to be part of making history in Bristol by bringing a new and exciting visual spectacle to the city, which will be both functional and eye catching.

“The design is imposing yet simple and we feel it really complements its location. This marks an exciting step forward in the development of Temple Quay Central.”

The bridge will link the harbour to the city centre for pedestrians and cyclists as well as offering direct access between the city centre and Temple Meads station. It is scheduled to open to the general public on 20 August once extensive safety checks have taken place following the completion of the installation process.

Media contacts: Anne Parry and Hannah Brookes

Tel: 0121 633 7775

07841465695

Notes for editors:

The bridge has been manufactured by WEC Group in Darwen, Lancashire.

Designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects, artist Martin Richman and structural engineers, Price and Myers.

Castlemore is a wholly private company which has established itself as one of the UK’s most dynamic development companies with a track record for design, innovation and excellence spanning more than 35 years.

It has achieved an outstanding reputation for the excellent of its schemes in and out of town including retail, offices, mixed use and residential. The broad spectrum of its expertise means that Castlemore is able to offer innovative solutions and complete development projects.

Castlemore has a carefully structured and well-balanced programme of schemes under construction, or with planning consent, of more than £1 billion throughout the UK, together with an ever expanding investment portfolio. Castlemore’s net assets are over £225 million.

Connexions West of England launches new online resource

Thousands of young people in the West of England who have been taking exams this summer will have even more support at hand after the launch today of a new Connexions West of England website.

www.connexionswest.org.uk is designed for young people and adults looking to progress in education, employment or training, and also provides useful information about Connexions West of England including the recently launched Education Business Partnership.

Importantly, the website comes online just when many young people are wondering what their exam results hold in store.

Staying at school is often the right option for those who want to continue their education beyond 16 in a familiar and secure environment. The website’s education zone helps young people to decide on the courses to suit them, whether academic or job-related, or a mixture of both.

For many, the path to further study or the world of work will be well mapped out but for others there will be uncertainty and a need for practical information, advice and guidance.

The new website therefore includes a CV toolkit and tips on how to write the kind of covering letter that will immediately interest a prospective employer. Want to know how to find those jobs which are never advertised? The website will tell you.

Those seeking training for specific jobs and careers can also find information which will point them in the right direction.

www.connexionswest.org.uk provides links to useful websites which can make the first steps towards work and training less of an ordeal and more of an adventure.

Parents and carers have a dedicated section aimed at providing them with information needed to support their young person in the choices they need to make. But, for many young people the steps to adulthood are complicated by a lack of support from family and friends that others may take for granted. The life zone tackles these issues head-on, pointing users in the right direction for advice on topics such as health, housing, the law, money, relationships and travel and transport.

Adults also have access through the website to careers information and advice services and information about learning, training courses and work, from a network of organisations across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire offering free and impartial advice. From August 2008 these services will be extended to those in Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Professionals who work with young people will have their own section providing them with useful resources to support them in their work, while the Education Business Partnership pages detail Connexions West of England’s information and brokerage service for education providers and employers, whilst also providing useful information on employing young people.

Keith Harrison, Chief Executive and Managing Director, said: “The website makes finding out about Connexions West of England and the services we offer so easy. If you are a young person thinking about your future or immediate choices or just want some advice, or if you are an adult seeking careers guidance my advice is use the website.

“If you are from a school or college or employer, then our website will provide you with essential information for developing the workforce of the future.”

Photo caption: Logged on … Jenny Mullinder (left) and Rowan Spodris, who are considering their options after sitting GCSEs at Cotham School, Bristol. Both are Young Consultants to Connexions West of England.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Connexions West of England by Montage Communications. For more information contact: Kevin Coughlan Kevin@montagecomms.com or Matthew Anderson Matt@montagecomms.com on 0845 644 5404 or Nicky Summerhill nsummerhill@ConnexionsWest.org.uk on 0117 907 4456.

Notes to Editors

Connexions West of England is a local authority controlled company working in partnership with:

· Bath and North East Somerset Council

· Bristol City Council

· North Somerset Council

· South Gloucestershire Council

· The Learning Skills Council (South West)

Connexions West of England comprises three operational branches committed to increasing participation, progression and achievement of young people and adults by delivering services in a variety of locations and many localities throughout the West of England.

The Connexions Service

Connexions is a service for all young people aged 14 to 19 (up to 25 for those with a learning difficulty or disability). Through multi-agency working and the deployment of Personal Advisers (PAs) in a variety of locations and many localities throughout the West of England, Connexions provides information, advice and guidance (IAG), integrated and targeted youth support, referral to other services and access to personal development opportunities for young people.

The Education Business Partnership (EBP)The EBP at Connexions West of England supports the learning and achievement of young people through applied, enterprise and work-related learning. Offering an information and brokerage service to education providers and employers the EBP exists to link employers with education to develop the workforce of the future.

Adult Careers Service

Connexions West of England supports adults (over 20s) to plan, progress and achieve their potential in learning and work. In partnership with Cornwall and Devon Connexions (through a nextstep contract), we will be providing careers advice and information about learning, training, courses, career change and work throughout the South West from August 2008.

Ujima 98FM

A new community radio station launched in Bristol a few weeks ago. Ujima 98FM reaches the entire city of Bristol and the rest of the world via the internet. It features many types of music as well as chat, topical conversation etc.

Ujima broadcasts from St. Pauls and is being started up by The CEED charity- a training and development charity which helps, particularaly black and ethnic minority people in the St. Pauls and Easton areas of the city. It has a listener figure of 20,000 at peak times.

Company launch brings new spirit to Bristol’s PR scene

Movers and shakers from Bristol’s business and media community got into the party spirit at the launch of the city’s newest public relations consultancy at Riverstation earlier this month.

Spirit Public Relations Ltd represents a range of clients across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors including some of the South West’s leading property developers, the South West of England Regional Development Agency and Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal.

Managing director Caroline Harris has set up Spirit following the recent rapid expansion of her successful and well-respected independent PR consultancy CHPR, which she has run for 10 years with the help of several associates.

She has now built up a team of public relations professionals from backgrounds in both PR and journalism to provide a full range of high level services and advice to Spirit’s growing client list.

She said: “I’ve spent time finding the right team who are totally committed to providing the best advice and service for our clients. I firmly believe that doing a good job for clients helps to create a happy team and a successful business and this philosophy is right at the heart of Spirit Public Relations.

“While this launch signals an important milestone, our focus and personal commitment remains unchanged and I will continue to be involved in all client work.

“Many of our clients are based in and around Bristol and we are passionate about the city and its success. It is a diverse place, which is full of ideas and we enjoy bringing a spirited and creative approach to the work we do here.”

For more information visit the Spirit website at www.spiritpublicrelations.co.uk or call Caroline Harris on 0117 944 1415 or email charris@spiritpublicrelations.co.uk

SoGlos.com launches Gloucestershire interactive map

The online magazine for Gloucestershire SoGlos.com is unveiling the beta 1 version of its Gloucestershire Interactive Map. The innovative new development marks SoGlos.com’s official first birthday and has been developed to allow county residents and visitors to explore the area like never before.

The Gloucestershire Interactive Map uses Google Maps technology in a mash-up with SoGlos.com’s comprehensive directory of 3,000+ arts, entertainment and leisure listings – making Gloucestershire the first county in the UK to be showcased in this way.

Users of the new map can plan a day trip to a county attraction before hunting down a nearby café for a spot of lunch; pinpoint the perfect hotel before booking a treat at a spa, or reserve a table at one of Gloucestershire’s finest restaurants just a short walk away from the theatre.

Unlike national business directories, every one of SoGlos.com’s listings has been researched, written and maintained by the online magazine’s experienced journalists, who are all based in Gloucestershire with a local expertise. The directory and new interactive map compliments SoGlos.com’s high-quality editorial features and reviews, with the online magazine now attracting 60,000 unique users per month, in addition to 10,000 weekly newsletter subscribers.

‘While local print publications continue to see their reader numbers fall, SoGlos.com has become Gloucestershire’s most popular guide to arts and entertainment since launching a year ago. And this brand new development really plays to our strength as an entirely online publication,’ said SoGlos.com editor Michelle Byrne.

‘Our aim for the coming months is for the map to become a rich geographical resource through which to enjoy all of SoGlos.com’s content. Next we’re looking at geo-tagging and mapping our photo galleries, YouTube videos and editorial event previews – not to mention exploring mobile browsing functionality,’ she continued.

SoGlos.com’s latest development is a fitting climax to a highly successful first year. While its founders have their feet firmly rooted in Gloucestershire, it might not be too long before a host of So-online magazines are springing up across the UK.

For more information about SoGlos.com and the Gloucestershire Interactive Map see www.soglos.com. For more information, images or interviews, please contact James Fryer at SoGlos.com on (01242) 210330 or email james@soglos.com.

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