RECORDING OUR HISTORY

Transition from biweekly to 24-hour news cycle

This week the Bulletin celebrates 140 years of delivering the news for North Queensland. From humble beginnings as a thin, biweekly edition, the Bulletin has evolved to become a vibrant daily paper complemented by a world class print site and industry leading website.

The Bulletin, as well as the region, has come a long way.

Townsville Bulletin editor Craig Warhurst said while there had been much change for the newspaper over the past 140 years, the core value of fighting for what was right for the North remained unchanged.

“We’ve been a part of the conversation with people for 140 years and we’ve always, at the core of the business, been for celebrating what’s good about living ‘up north’ and supporting those who seek to improve our chances of success,” Mr Warhurst said.

“The paper is unashamedly for North Queensland and will continue to be so.”

Mr Warhurst said while digital technology and online news was the future of the company, print was still the cornerstone of the masthead.

“Print is so crucial to our business and the community,” he said.

“There is nothing like a front page splash to show state and federal politicians, the mayor and councillors that something is important.

“A front page carries more weight than any digital story package can, people stand up and take notice.

“A front page and a weeklong series of spreads in the paper is still the most powerful way to get a point across and build pressure and momentum.”

But it is not just decisionmakers who understand the power of print.

“Research shows regional print is the most trusted media and ads in regional print products are the most trusted ads,” Mr Warhurst said.

“Now the advertising team can offer clients more than ads in the paper and on our online sites,” he said.

“News Corp’s Newsxtend is one of the most powerful ways to market a business over the internet.”

Mr Warhurst said the company’s digital offering complemented the print product and allowed the team to target new and emerging trends.

“Back when I first started as editor at The Gympie Times I got one report a week,” he said.

“That report had data on newspaper sales from two weeks ago.

“I studied the front pages and worked out what stories sold more copies.

“We learnt from that each week and tried to improve what we did.

“Now it’s not only paper sales but digital subscriptions.

“My one report a week is gone, replaced with three reports each morning and a suite of dashboards that tell us how well we are going each second of every day.

“We have new subscriber numbers, page view numbers, time on site numbers, engagement scores and even a scorecard for the amount of nonsubscribers trying to read each individual story.

“Journalists are taught to read their own personal reports and understand what stories work for them and

their round. They are encouraged not to write stories that people don’t want to read and market their stories via social media.

“It is a massive shift in our work flows and shows how News Corp is using technology to try to get ahead of the curve.

“For us in Townsville it’s working.

“The team has been working hard and kicking important goals for the health of our business.

“And why are subscribers so important.

“That money pays for the 22 editorial staff at the Bulletin, the largest news team in the region.

“Those journalists allow us to hold politicians to account, inform our readers of issues important to the region and most of all campaign for things to benefit North Queensland.”

Currently the Townsville Bulletin has about 18,500 subscribers, which is just under 10 per cent of the population.

“That’s one of the best penetration rates in the country,” Mr Warhurst said.

“Our subscriber page views grew by 110 per cent, another record and the highest number of all regional newsrooms in the country.

“The number of new subscribers we attracted from Facebook was more than 4500, the highest number of any newspaper in the business.”

Looking back over the past 140 years, Mr Warhurst said it was incredible to see all the Bulletin had achieved and he was excited to be a part of the paper’s bright future. “I’m extremely proud of being editor of the Bulletin,” Mr Warhurst said.

“But it’s a daunting reputation to live up to.

“The paper has an amazing history of fighting for the region and winning campaigns.”

And fighting for the region and winning campaigns is exactly what the Bulletin will continue to do.