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Telegraph to rival regional papers with local online services?

Posted: 12/06/07 By: Oliver Luft

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Telegraph.co.uk is set to pose an increasing threat to regional newspapers as it aims to provide readers with more and more local editorial information.

Rhidian Wynn Davies, consulting editor at the Telegraph, told NewsTech in Brighton today that the paper aims to provide more relevant local and personalised online information to keep its readers focused on the brand.

"Newspapers have to react more locally and personally as well. They can only really do that if you are a national, like we are, by using their websites, by using data, information on local hospitals and schools for example," he said.

"Our readers are increasingly demanding information that is relevant to them personally. Newspapers can't get away with handing down tablets of stone, information as they see fit to distribute.

"Readers are increasingly pulling information from us rather than us pushing it to them."

Mr Wynn Davies said that central to the Telegraph's aims was to focus on stories rather than on the media on which they were delivered.

"The story can be a splash about a political scandal, it can be about garden furniture, it can be tips on overseas property investment, it can be a sports view, we are good at it nationally, locally and regionally… I personally feel that data at postcode level is important so people can search information and services, the things that are important to them."

He added, however, that he believed the regional press in a stronger position to exploit all of these elements for people living in their catchments.

"I think the regional press is potentially in a fantastic place. We're jealous.

"If you look at a lot of the stuff that Telegraph is doing around things like postcode driven health data, around My Telegraph, we are trying to act more locally and more personally, those are two of the key three or four things that we are trying to achieve in the next three or four months. But if you are a local paper you are in a stronger position to do that."

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