New nostalgia pullout '“ but a new price, too

A decision to increase the cover price is never taken lightly, particularly at a time when we know the strain remains on the money in your pockets.

But, as with most sectors within our business community, the local media industry continues to operate within a challenging market with pressure on both our traditional income streams and our day-to-day costs.

This includes a reduction in advertising revenues which have traditionally subsidised the production of the paper.

The price rise ensures we can continue to provide the most comprehensive coverage of your local communities throughout the week.

And we are telling you now, a week before the price rise comes into effect, as we have never tried to hide increases from you. We have always been upfront when we are left with no choice except to increase the price of the paper.

We pride ourselves in the quality of journalism and the in-depth news, sport, information and entertainment we bring you every day of the week. And even with next week’s rise, we believe we remain excellent value for money.

It’s not all bad news, though. We are also investing in extra pagination in the Observer, and next week sees the introduction of a new eight-page nostalgia supplement called Looking Back.

Every week, it will be packed with your memories, and pictures and stories from the past.

If you have old pictures and memories of the past that you’d like to share, please email me at [email protected]

And did you know that by becoming a more regular reader, you could save up to 25 per cent on the price of the paper (see Page 2)? Signing up to our subscription scheme ensures you never miss out on what is happening in your area.

As you know, we are committed to producing the best paper we can week in, week out. If we are not covering something you feel we should be, please email me – and we’ll be straight on the case.

TRY OUR E-PAPER TOO

for the first time, anyone who takes out a subscription can also receive our e-paper.

An electronic version of the Observer will be emailed to your inbox at 6am every Thursday morning. Using Page Suite technology, the paper will look exactly like the Observer – and the pages even rustle as you turn them electronically.

For the same price, subscribers can choose to have a paper copy of the Observer, an electronic version, or both.

If you are already a subscriber and would like the e-paper too, simply email your details to me and we will ensure you get it every week. More details on this next week.