Peterborough Evening Telegraph (not off topic)

[jamesw]

There has been some amusing banter on Twitter in recent weeks surrounding the local papers obsession with Peterborough Northern Star.

Deeping and ourselves at Yaxley FC have had some subtle digs at reporter Mark Plummer over his desire to only report on PNS to the detriment of our clubs and a number of others in the city.

Despite this clear bias (and he himself has admitted that even though he is non-league reporter for the paper he is a PNS fan) I have to say I am wondering what might happen to the papers UCL coverage now it is being reduced to a weekly circulation.

I am sure that any casual football supporter would turn to the ET first for news on any fixtures they might be interested in going to around the city.

Will we see any reduction in our attendances?

Also in all seriousness I hope Mark Plummer is still going to be non-league reporter in the new structure (although he needs to see the future is blue and white).

[deepinghatter]

Glad somebody else has noticed the bias James but the future is actually claret and blue!

[glintonian]

pns is a peterborough team a city club not village teams grow up

[jamesw]

and that means?

[deepinghatter]

On current form PNS will struggle to retain Premier League status next season (17 points from 60) so perhaps then the coverage will become more evenly spread.

[jamesw]

I dont want to pre-empt what Glintonian might say but for me it doesn't matter if it's 'village football'.

The ET was a source of news around the city and surrounding areas. All UCL clubs should be given equal coverage.

My original point is more that there might be no coverage if the soon to be weekly paper has spacial constraints.

[tommyc]

The claim of bias towards PNS began during my time at PNS and I would offer the following observations: -
1. PNS is a Peterborough based team and the Peterborough Evening paper will naturally tend to give them more coverage than the smaller towns & villages etc. that whilst in the paper's catchment area will not have the same levels as circulation as the city.
2. Coverage is also based on accessibility and willingness of the club to self promote and not wait for the paper to call them. Whilst taking the PNS average attendance from 50 to over 100 I think that we recognised the importance of PR (even though some at our club took a while to understand that was what I was trying to achieve!).
3. Success or failure are the 2 "imposters" that sell papers. PNS have won division 1, been promoted, won the Hinchinbrooke & League Cup's and then had a great Vase run in the past 4 seasons. The newspapers job is is to sell papers and write about things they think people will read, not to provide balanced coverage regardless.

Both Yaxley & Deeping are clubs I have enormous respect for and with the ET moving to a weekly basis it is clear that the place to win friends and influence people and perspective fans is increasingly online via Social Media

[jamesw]

Hi Tom, this is by no means a critique of PNS. More that there is a feeling their UCL coverage has not been impartial at times, all tongue in cheek of course.

Yaxley certainly have done their bit for PR, taking the lead with BBC Cambs over the plight of the UCL.