A front page from 2009.
The Illawarra Mercury, celebrating 170 Years, has returned to its hyperlocal past to keep the attention of its intensely community minded readers.
Regional daily newspapers went through a phase, starting in the 1970s, of running national and international news on the front pages.
This way they could beat metropolitan newspapers to the punch before they had a chance to distribute outside the cities.
“There was certainly a time when a national news story was often on the front page,” Kathy Sharpe, the editor of the Illawarra Mercury, told AdNews.
“We've gone back to the parochial roots of the Illawarra mercury.
“We focus on the stories no one else is going to tell about the local community.
“I guess we do look inward a lot but this paper has always been very, parochial, a paper that has gone into bat for Wollongong, for the Illawarra.
“That’s the spirit of this paper. We are hyper local.”
The newspaper is celebrating its 170th anniversary with a campaign that honours its legacy, strengthens community connections and drives continued growth in both digital and print readership.
The centrepiece of the celebrations is a 170th Anniversary Souvenir Edition, a 24-page wrap online and in print from today.
The publication highlights the Mercury’s history of journalism, photography and community storytelling since that first issue in 1855.
“Obviously you can measure a lot of things about the audience these days, with the migration of readership to online,” said Sharpe.
“But we still have a very loyal print audience. It's very embedded in people's habits here, getting the Mercury.
“But new readers are coming online, same as every other media organisation.
“And they don’t want that net to be cast too wide outside of Wollongong.”
And it’s stories about people that catch attention.
“I've been saying that for about 30 years, and I think it's coming full circle," she said. "Publishers in general are realising this.
“Where's the human face? The human voice, the local person telling us what they think? This is what brings the story to life. And I think that's one thing that's never changed. People are interested in reading about people.”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.