Clare People new comment forum

ClarePeople

The Clare People Newspaper has just revamped it's award winning website - www.clarepeople.com. The new site allows free access to many parts of the weekly paper and to our unrivalled breaking news service - bringing the latest Clare news to you every hour of every day.
The revamped site also offers a much easier way to have your opinions heard.
To join the debate on such issues as racism and immigration policy since the recession (http://www.clarepeople.com/wordp5/201010123552/school-protest-letter-described-as-racist/) and the forced amalgamation of VEC education in Clare and Tipperary (http://www.clarepeople.com/wordp5/201010133566/clare-education-committee-to-be-amalgamated-with-north-tipperary/) just log on now.

akamossie

both two links are not working!!

ClarePeople

Thanks akamossie,
Not sure why that's not working, the urls are correct... anyway, if you want to join the debate on these issues maybe just copy and paste the urls -

http://www.clarepeople.com/wordp5/201010123552/school-protest-letter-described-as-racist/

http://www.clarepeople.com/wordp5/201010133566/clare-education-committee-to-be-amalgamated-with-north-tipperary/

- or better yet, head for www.clarepeople.com and comment on any of the stories up there.
Cheers

ClarePeople

Never mind, the seem to be working fine in that last post...

v300

Are ye closed down ? Is the Clare People newspaper no more ?
I'm asking as your website has not been updated since the 17th of December...

Carry

ClarePeople wrote: »

The new site allows free access to many parts of the weekly paper and to our unrivalled breaking news service - bringing the latest Clare news to you every hour of every day.

With quite some journalists laid off after Christmas how are you going to do it?
I mean, "unrivalled breaking news service" and "bringing the latest Clare news every hour"?
Copy & paste from other news agencies? Listening to Clare FM news and having an unpaid intern scribbling down the news?

Just asking....

You can't even bring your own website up to date. As v300 said, not updated since 17. December.
No staff to do so? I wonder why...

firesidechat

If that is true then it's probably another victim of the economic circumstances.
It happens, Get over it !

I was never impressed with their editorial standards and often wondered how long it would survive.
But, No one invests in a business with the intention of it failing and having to let staff go, So we should spare a though for those that did.
The only way out of this financial mess we are in is through investment in new industries and it is the rule of thumb that some will fail.
Still we must applaud the efforts of all those who have made the effort and investment , No matter what the outcome is..

CptSternn

The Clare People have been running in the red for years. A few other news watch publications released their financial statements over the past few years and I remember the 2009 books showed they had a €950,000 loss for the year (I can dig up that document if anyone is interested).

They gave use of company cars to most all of the top staff, paid for all the petrol, paid for extravagant trips around the country for writers, and best of all bought everyone new laptops.

I mean, lets not also forget half the adverts in the paper are from the Queens, The Cloister, etc. - all the establishments are owned by the Lyons, who also own The Clare People, meaning half the adverts you see they are not getting paid for.

It's really not a shocker if they do close their doors considering the amount of capital they are burning and their lack of paying advertisers.

Balagan

Although co-founded with Sean Lyne, the CP must largely have have been Domhnal Slattery's baby in recent times.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2009/1128/ireland/losses-of-over-1m-for-clare-people-publisher-106645.html

http://www.clarepeople.com/wordp5/20100701570/a-man-of-the-people/

And speaking of newspapers and advertising, the Clare Champion's entertainment advertising has been noticeably minus that of a certain hotel in recent weeks!

Carry

firesidechat wrote: »

If that is true then it's probably another victim of the economic circumstances.
It happens, Get over it !

It is true. No ifs. I happen to know same people. And no, I won't "get over it"! Life is not a fireside chat.

And it's not "another victim of the economic circumstances", as people are happy to say as an excuse. There was no publisher-knight-in-shining-armour who had an agenda of doing a great job against all odds.
It's just another failed enterprise of someone who has no idea about the media business, just thought during the boom times to make some more money or just having a bit of fun or a hobby - apparantly, according to him.

The circumstances about how this paper was run was against all business rules in media circles. Nothing against the journalists, they did a great job. But the whole business plan in a small county as Clare without an urbanite readership was meant to fail.

I know what I'm talking about, believe me. I've been in this business long enough. Though I'm not connected, which ever way, ever to any media in Clare.

Basically I despise business methods where it's just about a private enterprise without responsibility for the employees. Just hire and fire them and make a profit!

As long as this attitude is prevailing in Ireland it's no wonder you try to justify certain business procedures.

Laissez-faire, innit?:rolleyes:

Hey, "Clare People", any answers to that?

CptSternn

As it has been said in many threads recently, those business attitudes are on the way out in todays current economic climate.

Lady Chatterton

I was sorry to hear about the redundancies in the Clare People in recent times. They have a challenging time ahead. I believe that it is very good for the county to have two newspapers, so I hope the Clare People resolve their difficulties.

Shapey Fiend

I've always really enjoyed reading the Clare people. They tend to put a lot of emphasis on the arts and there's more content aimed at people in their 20's and 30's, without it being tabloid-ey.

The Clare Champion are more likely to lead with a story about septic tanks. They're photography tends to be excellent but that's about it.

CiaranMT

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

I've always really enjoyed reading the Clare people. They tend to put a lot of emphasis on the arts and there's more content aimed at people in their 20's and 30's, without it being tabloid-ey.

The Clare Champion are more likely to lead with a story about septic tanks. They're photography tends to be excellent but that's about it.

I'd agree with this. They actually have an order to the paper too, which the C.C. can't seem to manage.

Lady Chatterton

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

I've always really enjoyed reading the Clare people. They tend to put a lot of emphasis on the arts and there's more content aimed at people in their 20's and 30's, without it being tabloid-ey.

The Clare Champion are more likely to lead with a story about septic tanks. They're photography tends to be excellent but that's about it.

Their target market is 20 - 30's and therein lies the problem. I know that most of my friends go online for their news or they read their parents newspaper but most don't actually buy their local papers.

v300

So, is the paper gone so ? Does anyone have a definitive answer either way ?

Balagan

The Clare People is still being published. This thread was specifically about the failure in recent weeks to update the website, which is likely attributable to the fact that some staff were apparently laid-off after Christmas. It would have been better if the CP had put some explanatory notice, however couched, on the website.

Shapey Fiend

MrsD007 wrote: »

Their target market is 20 - 30's and therein lies the problem. I know that most of my friends go online for their news or they read their parents newspaper but most don't actually buy their local papers.

Understandable. It's a shame though because while I find online news an adequate replacement for national newspapers, local stuff is rarely well catered for. The Clare Herald wasn't bad for a while, I used catch a lot of stuff on their Twitter feed that I wouldn't have read about otherwise, but that's gone now so we've no alternative but a newspaper if you want to know what's going on.

Hopefully with the leaner ship they're running now they might eeke out a paper for the forseeable future. Typos bely the fact they're a bit stretched but the content is still interesting.

Updating the website is a 15 minute copy and paste job. The contents already in the paper so I think it's a mistake to leave the online thing go. People are more likely to buy the paper if they're reminded about it via Twitter, Facebook and website updates. There's only a fraction of whats in the paper on the site anyway so it's just promotion.

ClarePeople

I am a staff member at the Clare People and do not speak either for the management or the owners. To clarify some of what has been said here, The Clare People is in the middle of a massive overhaul of its operations - and what the paper will be like in the future is still unclear.

The paper was established, in part at least, with the idea of creating a new and sustainable model for regional papers in Ireland. Every regional title, bar none, is loosing circulation at the moment. Since it was established The Clare People has managed to grow its readership steadily year-on-year. Something which is unheard of in the industry currently. Up until very recently we have been very successful and gaining both older and younger readers - we are one of the few papers in the country who were able to offer the 20 to 35 year old market something that they wanted to buy. The paper was not operated as a some sort of vanity project, social experiment or a means of making a quick buck during the boom - as has been suggested.

It is true that the breaking news website was more of a news digest for Clare rather than having 'original' breaking news stories every hour. To offer that kind of service we would have to have the resources of someone like Sky News - which clearly we don't. What it did do was give Clare people one website where they could get all their local breaking news. When a story came from the Irish Times or Clare Fm, it was credited to them. It is a new era for the print media and everyone from the the very small titles to the nationals are struggling to come up with a format that works. No one has discovered the right answer just yet.

There really isn't much more I can say at the moment. These are difficult times for everyone but I suppose all we can do is stay positive and try to do our best.

Regards

CiaranMT

Something which also must be said for the paper is that their coverage of sport in the county is second to none, one of the best sports sections I've seen in a paper. Absolutely top-notch.

Balagan

When you announce that a publication, or indeed any product, is aimed at a certain age group, you are effectively telling everyone else to feck off and they largely do just that, taking their money with them. The CP's best option was to be the cat among the pigeons and have the courage to expose and challege. It's not enough to have critical editorials and complaining
op ed pieces while the rest of the paper rolls over and purrs. We already, like, have a big old snoozing moggy of a newspaper. Am genuinely sorry to hear about the job losses which are devastating for those who go and bring very significant additional challenges for those who survive, but come on, it's still a newspaper - make it stand for something!

And it's not like one of the co-owners is without a spare few bob http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0119/1224287859931.html

And, for the love of God, put something on the website to say service is suspended or whatever spin you want. Just don't leave it like it is.

Tommy Murphy

In reply to CiaranMT and his comment regarding the standard of the Clare People's sports coverage, I think he should take a closer look. It is regularly littered with mistakes and blatant inaccuracies. This week they claimed that Tony Kelly, a Clare minor hurler, plays for Lissycasey. :eek:
The Clare Champion's sports coverage is significantly better informed and provides more indepth, insightful coverage of gaelic football matches in particular. (Admittedly gaelic football is my main area of interest). Take a look at their McGrath Cup football coverage over the last two weeks. The Clare People do their best but they don't actually know what is happening in front of them. I'm not saying the Clare Champion is perfect but their sports coverage, including soccer and athletics, is excellent.
Speaking from a West Clare persons viewpoint, I also feel that the Clare Champion provides excellent new coverage of the area.
I hope though that The Clare People do come through. I know a couple of people in there and they are sound out.

tatoo

Tommy Murphy wrote: »

In reply to CiaranMT and his comment regarding the standard of the Clare People's sports coverage, I think he should take a closer look. It is regularly littered with mistakes and blatant inaccuracies. This week they claimed that Tony Kelly, a Clare minor hurler, plays for Lissycasey. :eek:
The Clare Champion's sports coverage is significantly better informed and provides more indepth, insightful coverage of gaelic football matches in particular. (Admittedly gaelic football is my main area of interest). Take a look at their McGrath Cup football coverage over the last two weeks. The Clare People do their best but they don't actually know what is happening in front of them. I'm not saying the Clare Champion is perfect but their sports coverage, including soccer and athletics, is excellent.
Speaking from a West Clare persons viewpoint, I also feel that the Clare Champion provides excellent new coverage of the area.
I hope though that The Clare People do come through. I know a couple of people in there and they are sound out.

plus the Champion don't resort to printing quotes taken from fellas in chippers in the early hours of the morning

CiaranMT

Tommy Murphy wrote: »

In reply to CiaranMT and his comment regarding the standard of the Clare People's sports coverage, I think he should take a closer look. It is regularly littered with mistakes and blatant inaccuracies. This week they claimed that Tony Kelly, a Clare minor hurler, plays for Lissycasey. :eek:
The Clare Champion's sports coverage is significantly better informed and provides more indepth, insightful coverage of gaelic football matches in particular. (Admittedly gaelic football is my main area of interest). Take a look at their McGrath Cup football coverage over the last two weeks. The Clare People do their best but they don't actually know what is happening in front of them. I'm not saying the Clare Champion is perfect but their sports coverage, including soccer and athletics, is excellent.
Speaking from a West Clare persons viewpoint, I also feel that the Clare Champion provides excellent new coverage of the area.
I hope though that The Clare People do come through. I know a couple of people in there and they are sound out.

Can't say I agree. The C.C. always has everything scattered everywhere, there's no definitive order to any of it's sections, least of all the sport. Always amuses me to find a report on an underage game on the page after a community interest piece, and the like.

User Friendly

tatoo wrote: »

plus the Champion don't resort to printing quotes taken from fellas in chippers in the early hours of the morning

Dat you Kieran?

your definitly a blue anyhow!:D
let it go man:D

CiaranMT wrote: »

The C.C. always has everything scattered everywhere, there's no definitive order to any of it's sections, least of all the sport.

Aye,scattered all over the place is right....... you never know where the god dam hurling/football report is.

Tommy Murphy wrote: »

It is regularly littered with mistakes and blatant inaccuracies. This week they claimed that Tony Kelly, a Clare minor hurler, plays for Lissycasey. :eek:

The Clare Champion's sports coverage is significantly better informed and provides more indepth, insightful coverage of gaelic football matches in particular. (Admittedly gaelic football is my main area of interest). Take a look at their McGrath Cup football coverage over the last two weeks.

The Clare People do their best but they don't actually know what is happening in front of them. I'm not saying the Clare Champion is perfect but their sports coverage, including soccer and athletics, is excellent.

Ah Tommy man...... how many pages in the paper? and your eagle eye spots one mistake in the edition......:o
there are a couple of Kellys playing with Lissycasey so the reporter could have been confused.

As for the champion and its excellent coverage of GAA....... shur isnt the sports editor part of clare gaa fixture committee........ and they a prevent the people from getting the times of the games:rolleyes:

I have bought the champion 2/3 times in the last 2 years, the people ive purchased perhaps 5,6,7 times in the same period,all just to read match reports i havent attended.

BnB

I think the Sports Reporting in the Clare people is utter utter shoite. It looks good at a glance, with lots of pages and lots of colour pics, but it is so full of inaccuracies and holes it's downright infuriating. If you were to read a report of a match you were at, it would drive you mad all the mistakes in it.

Also, they half try to do so many things. Like, if there were 4 quarter finals on a weekend of something like a Junior A Championship, them might have a half page report on two of them and not a word about the other two. Similarly with their team of the week, they'll pick a few good performers (from matches they were actually at) and fill in the rest with a few usual suspects. Why bother doing it if you are not going to do it right.

For me, the Newmarket Goalie thing this year was the last straw, and I'm not remotely related to that club. But what a young fella says in the chipper on a Saturday night after a few pints should not end up in the paper. That is just gutter journalism.

Having said all that. The Clare Champion is no world beater either. But at least they usually get their facts right and if you read a report in it, you can usualy rely that it is actually correct.

Clareman

Wow, I picked up the Clare People this evening, wow what a paper, besides pictures of people at a Neil Dellamere gig and a 10K run there wasn't much more in it

CptSternn

In all fairness this time of year, what is there to report on in Clare? There is a lack of many sports, which means a lack of any news. Combine that with the fact they have limited resources (i.e. not enough reporters to cover everything) and you end up with a pretty thin paper.

I think they would be better off both switching to a bi-weekly distribution. If they both alternated we would still have a weekly paper and both with have much more content.

Besides, as another poster pointed out, it's a dying medium. They only time I buy either is when there is something I or a friend wrote printed or a picture of someone I know in it. Other than that I read it online or rob it from the 'rents.

maiden

I buy the paper every week and have done since it was launched but it is getting very bad lately, have to agree with poster above, nothing but photos this week of the Neil Delamare gig.

And if you take notice to the classifieds, one page is a copy of the one beside it. Surely this is unacceptable, is there no other news in this county????

Don_Corleone

maiden wrote: »

, is there no other news in this county????

In short No, there really is fcuk all happening in clare in january, I'm surprised they were able to fill that many pages to be honest.
If I was editor I think I'd just start making sh1t up, would probably increase circulation too!

BnB

CptSternn wrote: »

I think they would be better off both switching to a bi-weekly distribution. If they both alternated we would still have a weekly paper and both with have much more content....

That would never work. One of the main reasons anyone buys either paper is for sport. And Biweekly is way too long for sports coverage.

At the end of the day, I think it is just a case of this town ain't big enough for both of us...!!!! I find it very hard to see how two such similar publications can survive in such a small market.