Berkshire Live to cease publishing

ONLINE news provider Berkshire Live is to cease publishing next week, a move that has led Reading East MP to call for more investment in local media.

In 2014, Reach closed the Wokingham Times and Reading Evening Post as printed publications in favour of a web-only portal, then known as GetReading. It became first InYourArea and then BerkshireLive.

However, as part of a restructure of its business, the company, which publishes the Daily Mirror, the Daily Star and the Daily Express, is to close a number of its websites.

Today – Thursday, November 30 – will be the final day that the BerkshireLive will be updated.

A statement on its website said: “We want to thank our loyal readers for supporting us throughout the last eight years as we have sought to find different ways to make a sustainable future for our title in the county.”

It continued: “It is no secret that changes in the media landscape and decisions made by large tech platforms have made life much harder for all media businesses.”

Matt Rodda, who used to be a journalist before becoming an MP, said he was sorry to hear of the website’s closure.

“It does concern me that we have lost another trusted local news provider at a time when our local media is under continuing pressure, and I would like to see more investment in and support for our local media.

“I also want to thank Berkshire Live journalists and other staff for their outstanding work and to wish them well for the future.”

Wokingham Today was launched as a response to Reach closing the Wokingham Times, with Reading Today following due to demand from readers.

We are an independent company and a social enterprise. The best way that readers can support our journalism is to commit to buying the paper from their newsagent or supermarket every week.

It is also possible to make contributions via our websites.

We extend our sympathy to all affected Berkshire Live employees.