Portsmouth Press

I have spoken with my lecturer about my ideas and come to some decisions about what I am going to use. I have decided to call the newspaper Portsmouth Press as I like the alliteration and it is immediately obvious what the publication is about. All of my logo ideas fit with this title so I have decided to hand out a questionnaire to find out which one is the most popular.


I am going with my original idea to write an article on local sporting achievement, and plan to use the success of one of the ice skaters at my ice rink for my story. My lecturer advised me to counteract using a positive lead with a negative article on the inside page, and I think this is a good suggestion. I am not sure yet though what I am going to base my article on.


Over the half term (next week) I plan to write a draft of my lead article and take some photos. I also would like to look at the types of adverts featured in The News to get some ideas of what to feature.   

My Logo

Studying these has given my initial ideas for my own logos. Their suitability will depend on the title I choose.

Spinnaker Tower

(a sketch)

      Portsmouth Crest

Portsmouth Coat of Arms

                                                                    Portsmouth Guildhall

                                                                                          (a sketch)

Newspaper Logos

Logos are employed to make a publication iconic and easy to identify. Having researched, there are many local newspapers that don't have an image for their logo, they just use iconic fonts or colours for their title. However I like the use of an image for a logo like The News' and would like to create one myself. The design of my logo will be very important as it will feature on the newspaper, the website and the poster for my newspaper.


I have looked at some existing local newspapers and their logos.



The News
The logo used by The News is a red ship, which reflects that Portsmouth is perhaps most famous for its dockyard, historic ships and naval bases. 

The Leicester Mercury
The logo used by Leicester Mercury is a statuesque male, which seems slightly irrelevant. I have researched the logo but I don't know why it has been chosen. I feel this is an example of an unsuccessful logo and has given me an idea of what I don't want for my publication.








I have also looked at existing national newspapers and their logos.


The Daily Mail
The Daily Mail uses the coat of arms of the British Monarchy which I think is eye-catching. It features the phrase “Dieu et mon droit”, meaning “God and my right” refers to the divine right of kings. I like the way this logo establishes that the Daily Mail is published in Britain.

Newspaper Titles

I have been researching the names of all the local newspapers in the UK using this website http://www.wrx.zen.co.uk/soupress.htm

I have found that most titles are similar in the way that they all use the name of the region the newspaper is circulated in accompanied by a news-related word such as 'mail', 'express', 'times', 'herald' and 'gazette'. Some examples include:

• Cambridge News
• Ipswich Evening Star
• Oxford Times
• Slough Express

I would like to create something similar for my own publication. I will decide where, specifically, I am going to distribute my newspaper according to which title works the best. Some of my initial ideals include:

• Southern Star
• Portsmouth Express
• Southern Mail
• Portsmouth Post
• Gosport Gazette
• Portsmouth Times
• Portsmouth Press

Example articles in The News

Some of the headlines featured as a lead on the front page of the paper include:

"Mystery man found dead in sea"

A lot of the headlines on the front cover are related to local success or tragedy. This is something to think about when creating my lead article for the cover. I am currently considering using a story about sporting success for my front page as I think this is a newsworthy article and I will be able to get photos easily for this story.

Comparison of Website and Newspaper

• On the newspaper website, the main article is reproduced exactly as it appears in the actual newspaper. However there is an extra feature added which allows people to post comments on the article.
• The website holds archives of much older articles and images that can be accessed if requested, however the newspaper only features an article once, and unless the newspaper is kept, cannot be viewed again.
• The website also includes a section informing people of whats on at the cinema for that week, the newsaper doesnt feature this section every day of the week, only on a Wednesday.
• The website contains hyperlinks on pages that lead to other articles and advertisements, obviously the newspaper does not have this feature

• There is clearly a 'house style' as the website and the newspaper use the same colour scheme (blues and whites) and font (sans serif). The website layout follows the same style as the newspaper. Brand identity is achieved, with both the newspaper and the website featuring the logo and title.

• The weather is featured on both the newspaper and website, however on the website it can be updated instantaneously.

• Both predominantly feature local news from the areas of circulation, however the website also includes scrolling text at the top of the homepage featuring the latest national news.

The News Website

Alongside the paper publication, The News also has a website with the URL http://portsmouth.co.uk/

The function of the website is to support the publication in reporting news, and make the articles and photos more accessible to the public. Studying the website, I have found the following features:

News articles featured in newspaper - organised according to category; sport, news, people, entertainment

Interactive options - allowing people to comment on articles and newsletters

Hyperlinks to sister publications - when clicked the reader is taken to their websites

Search engine - Allowing people to search for a specific topic or article

Online archives - Old articles available for people to view online

Shipping and Travel Information - Makes readers aware of roadworks, weather conditions, delays and accidents

Contact options - Makes it easy for someone to contact the newspaper via email

Registration options - Log in/out, Register, allowing readers to sign up to newsletters etc

Follow on articles - Some articles online following ones featured in other issues of the newspaper

'Latest national news' - Included at the top of the website in scrolling text that changes

Job, business, motor and property searches  - Linked with the advertisements in the newspaper

Online shop - Featuring special discounts offered by The News

Extra articles - Some articles that aren't featured in the newspaper

'What's on Today' guide - Offering recommendations for cinema, eating out and local events

The Portsmouth News

'The News' is a local newspaper in my region. It is distributed in Portsmouth and Southsea, Gosport and Fareham, and Havant and Waterlooville. It is published by Portsmouth Publishing and Printing, which is part of Johnston Press, publishers of 18 daily newspapers, 300 weekly newspapers and more than 300 websites. 


The map below illustrates where the newspaper is circulated:

Facts and figures:
Average Daily Circulation of the newspaper- 45,175, 100% paid.
Average Daily Visitors to the website- 10664
Average Daily Hits on the website- 124,774
The combined online and in-print reach every month lies at around 290,238.