Southport Reporter
Encyclopedia
Online newspaper
An online newspaper, also known as a web newspaper, is a newspaper that exists on the World Wide Web or Internet, either separately or as an online version of a printed periodical....
started by Patrick Trollope, is not only seen as a newspaper but also as the UK's first online-only regional newspaper. It is based in Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, and was quickly recognised by the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
as well as other media groups, authorities and organizations as a newspaper. This recognition was due to the fact it was only run by certificated professional journalists (often the journalist held NUJ or IFJ ID/certification). As a result they had to follow and run under the rules of the UK Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice and the NUJ Code of Conduct.
The virtual newspaper's name was trademarked under the UK's Trade Mark Act 1994
Trade Marks Act 1994
The Trade Marks Act 1994 is the law governing trademarks within the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man. It implements EU Directive No. 89/104/EEC which forms the framework for the trade mark laws of all EU member states, and replaced an earlier law, the Trade Marks Act 1938...
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as a newspaper, on 12 February 2002 under the registration No. 2292469.
Development history
The idea started when Patrick Trollope decided to use unpublished news as a single page on Formby Online over 1998 and 1999 after studying at Wolverhampton University. By 1999 the idea had grown into a multi-page system. In 1999 the site was moved onto his photographic business website PCBT Photography. The interest shown during 1999 helped the idea develop quicker, but produced bandwidth restriction problems by the end of 1999. In 2000, the site was again moved to a new temporary host location, on a newly-launched site called Southport.gb.com. The increase of visitors in 2000 helped the Southport Reporter to become better established. In 2001 the section was moved again and became fully independent, hosted as SouthportReporter.com. As it was by then becoming established, it was also registered as a trademark. As the website became larger, it also began to be published under the names Mersey Reporterand Liverpool Reporter. By April 2002 Southport Reporter was starting to become known as Southport & Mersey Reporter, due to its coverage of news from all parts of Merseyside. By then they had started covering events, as far away as Manchester, with the paper covering the Manchester Commonwealth Games, on a local and international level. By 2007 the paper was being used as a news resource for many international media groups, like HULIQ. In 2008 the paper runs a Limited Company, called PBT Media Relations Ltd. Company UK. Also in 2008 the paper started to push for better rights for photographers in the UK.
Future Developments
After LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's run as European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
2008, tourism has been at an all time high in the area, so by 2009, questions with in the Merseyside's community where being asked about the cities next steps. As a result it was not surprising that Southport & Mersey Reporter would be consulted on the cities future development, resulting in them becoming media partner of the 'Beyond Capital of Culture: A New Dawn for Tourism in Liverpool' event. The aim now to use the paper to help development the area's image.
See also
- Formby Golf ClubFormby Golf ClubFormby Golf Club is a golf links in Formby, Merseyside, England.Founded in 1884, the course was redesigned by Willie Park in 1912, but has, over the years seen some changes since, including some in 1922 by James Braid....
- LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- MerseysideMerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
- SouthportSouthportSouthport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
- Jonathan ThompsonJonathan ThompsonJonathan Thompson, born in Salford, Greater Manchester, November 1976 is a British television presenter but he is also an actor and entrepreneur and photographic model. He is an avid collector of classic arcade games-Early life:...