SAD NEWS for the region as this Weeks Stranraer and Wigtownshire Free Press is the first to be printed outside of our region, after the 176 year old paper has moved it’s printing from St Andrew Street, Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway to a centralised printers in Cambuslang, Glasgow and changed to a new colour tabloid style.
A Spokesperson for the Freepress stated “The new format gives us an opportunity to refresh the look of the paper and to better showcase the work of our journalists and photographers.
The editorial and advertising departments will remain in the heart of Stranraer and we will continue to cover the Wigtownshire beat from the building that was custom-built for us in 1976 when the newspaper moved from Castle Street.
Since then, the technology has advanced beyond recognition and it is commonplace across the print industry now for rival newspapers to share a printing press, given their huge complexity and expense.”
Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press is locally owned by Lord Stair of Stair Estates and is the oldest and biggest selling paper in Wigtownshire and has been recording the happenings in the Shire for the last 176 years.
The papers editorial area stretches from Drummore in the southern tip of Scotland up to
Girvan in Ayrshire and east to Creetown, a spread of some 30 miles from its base in
Stranraer.
According to the papers website it has a circulation of 7000 issues per week but data issued on 28 February 2019 suggest a drop in purchesses of the paper, down to less than 5000 – full info on this link https://www.abc.org.uk/product/9142-stranraer-wigtownshire-free-press
After the paper announced the news on it’s facebook page last week (10th of April 2019), the concerned public have left over 100 comments, including questions about possible job loses, the price increasing and the enviromental issues of the extra milage in transporting the papers.
Anne Cuddihy from Stranraer stated “What??!!! This is not what the people of Stranraer want!!!!!”
“I’m just imagining the carbon footprint on the vans delivering the papers down the road every week”
Ian Campbell Rae posted “Does anyone really believe this is progress? Will a more expensive (which it certainly will be) and all colour newspaper make the news any better? Centralisation and the shifting of local services to Glasgow and Dumfries are killing our town. Sad news.”
Lindsay McNeil posted “I think that’s awful. Moving business out of stranraer to cambuslang? Really?? Just so it’s in colour. Wont make the news any better. Hope no local jobs are lost”
It is not known what the long term effect will be on the town.
