01 Feb 2024
Thursday February 2nd 2023 was a red-letter day for St Albans and district, when the first edition of the proudly independent – and locally produced – St Albans Times was published.
Twelve months on, the St Albans Times is firmly established as an online community news magazine publishing up to 100 pages of news, features, interviews and in-depth analysis of issues that matter to the thousands of people who live in and around the historic city.
I have been an enthusiastic supporter of the project since its inception, seeing the need for greater diversity and depth in local news coverage.
Churches and other faith groups are local by their nature. The Church of England divides up the country into 13,000 parishes, each with a local church. So, as a CofE minister, with a background in media, I want to see journalism flourish, and community journalism specifically survive and thrive.
To mark the anniversary, I spoke with Matt Adams, the founder and editor.
Rev Peter Crumpler
Associate Minister,
St Paul’s Church, St Albans
What made you think that St Albans needed a new media outlet? Isn’t the area well covered by existing local newspapers and radio, and community Facebook groups?
I had seen a notable shift in the district’s regional newspapers, with an increased focus on chasing digital audiences through listicles and breaking news, fewer staff and less emphasis on investigative journalism.
I was convinced that there was still an appetite for well-researched, detailed local news content, it was just that a new business model is required to disseminate this to an audience.
Facebook groups offer a great community platform, but I wanted to offer something which harked back to the core principles of journalism: accuracy, balance and accountability.
How difficult was it to get the Times off the ground? What was your biggest challenge?
The behind-the-scenes process was far more challenging than I had anticipated. I had to learn new design programmes, familiarise myself with publishing platforms, establish the remit and editorial content of the Times, and then produce enough content to fill the first few issues as it got off the ground. The biggest challenge was raising awareness and sourcing content as a new publication, but fortunately my reputation in the local area went a long way towards helping achieve these goals.
How is the Times financed? You don’t charge people to access the site, so does advertising cover your costs or do you have a wealthy backer supporting you?
We are fortunate to have some very loyal and generous commercial supporters, without whom the Times could not survive, and also a growing number of subscribers who are happy to pay a regular monthly amount to keep us going.
I took a substantial pay cut to get the Times off the ground, and spent my savings over the initial start-up period while securing advertising, and have also been clearing my loft of a lifetime’s collection of graphic novels and Doctor Who memorabilia on eBay to help during lean periods!
Could The St Albans Times also be available in print format in the future, as not everyone has access to the web?
Before the untimely passing of my dear friend and mentor Roy Scott, who provided so much support and guidance during the first six months of publishing, we were looking at options for a limited print run, but at the moment this just isn’t tenable when balanced against our current revenue stream.
Should more advertising come in then it’s certainly an option for the future.
What’s made you most pleased about the past year?
The response from the local community has been overwhelmingly gratifying, and I love how much they’ve taken the Times to their hearts, but if you were looking at one particular story then it would be our Mythbusted feature on the conspiracy theories surrounding St Albans Charter Market. I think by dispelling the rumours and presenting the truth behind this contentious issue we showed just what the Times is capable of doing.
What’s been your biggest disappointment?
When I launched the Times it was my firm intention to bring on my friend and former colleague Laura Bill as a full-time member of staff, but at the moment that just hasn’t proved possible, and I feel personally responsible for not having achieved that goal. Hopefully this year I will, because I could certainly do with the help as the Times continues to grow!
What do you know now, that you wished you knew 12 months ago?
Company accounts are a minefield! It’s a steep learning curve which I really didn’t anticipate.
How do you measure success? Is it just by the number of people clicking through to the website?
Obviously the growth of our readership is crucial to our ongoing success, but the thing which really highlights it for me is when members of the public come up to me in the street to thank me for establishing the Times. It really is amazing.
In this, probably, General Election year, will the St Albans Times be declaring its support for any of the candidates standing?
“Independent, insightful, informative local news” is our mission statement, and we are keen to ensure candidates of all political persuasions are reflected in our pages.
Are you optimistic about the future of local journalism generally?
I think the Times has proved there is still an audience for regional journalism, but those readers don’t want to be patronised or presented with stories which don’t have any real local interest. More and more journalists are leaving behind the mainstream publishers to go it alone with their own independent publications, and I believe that is the real future of the industry.
What plans do you have for developing the Times in the future? What will the Times look like this time next year?
It will continue to evolve and reflect the community which it serves, which is what I set out to do from the outset. There won’t be change for change’s sake, and hopefully the Times will keep growing to ensure it has a future which will outlive me when I finally decide to hand in my press card!
