Accrington Observer photo spreads.
 

I can just about cope with two pages of photographs of people's birthdays/christenings/engagement parties in the Accrington Observer, but this week we had seven pages of children's first communions. Next week we can look forward to all the school prom photographs.

I'm sure it's very nice for the friends and families of the children pictured, but I'm sure 95% of the paper's readers aren't a bit interested, and don't even look, but skip over them.

I was looking through an old copy of the Observer from the late seventies the other day, in it's pre-tabloid format, and the difference was staggering. No filler pages of photographs, and tons more good old fashioned reporting.

Am I being a miserable sod, or does the amount of photographs in the Observer irk you too?

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I know where you're coming from... but without them my mother wouldn't be able to say 'Do you know him, her, them? God how grown up is he?' etc etc
Lea
x

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In a word Garinda Yes(I mean No you aren't a miserable sod)......I skip over the pics too. And the reporting has gone downhill ......I don't quite know why I still buy the blooming thing.......suppose I am frightened of missing something.

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I used to look forward to getting the observer on a thursday night, but as you say margaret it has gone a bit downhill!!

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Garinda, you said what I wanted to say.. would be OK as a supplement, but doesn't seem to be that, does it ? just a way of bulking the paper up.
Suppose they did it for extra copies being bought by parents, I would have bought it if my child had been in there I suppose, but buy it anyway and as stated above .. don't like to miss owt.

Yes, agree reporting not terribly imaginitive. Don't know how they got short listed in the Best Weekly Newspaper.

When one of the biggest stories is 'Mum's horror as caterpillar is found in vegetables' feel somehow they have sunk to rock bottom, but there is a picture of caterpillar emerging from a piece of corn on the cob.. :D Asda had already apologised and offered a gift voucher, but no, the Observer had to take a threesome picture of the victim, friend and son looking miserable at the autrocity.

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seen this story and thought eh?.....
Blaming asda, why is it their fault they only sell the stuff, she should be blaming the supplier!!:rolleyes:
as for banning going again was taking it a bit far!:o

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There is a down side to having you photo in th'Observer, I don't think I should say at the moment though.

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Is that twelve photographs of you were used on Peter Britcliffe's calendar, after first being photographed together in the Observer?:D

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agree with you n rindy, used to buy one every tuesday, n sat, now i only buy one occasionally n thats the reason the reporting is dire,as for how they got shortlisted there can only be 2 possibilitys (1) the rest are even worse, or (2) backhanders.:D

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Always enjoy the way you hit the jugular Cashman ...:D

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its my years spent in the "Diplomatic Corps" katex.:D

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The reason the Observer does photos like that is because they can sell prints - it costs about £8 for a photo. That's why they do the school reception class groups.

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They'll probably make a pretty penny from all those communion photos then but like Garinda said,it must make pretty dull reading for all those who have no connection with any of the children.One page you can just turn over but when it's something like that you find yourself skipping a big chunk of the paper.

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When I was a child the photographers used to come to the school/church, and if your parents could afford, or liked them, they would purchase them.

They didn't expect the whole of the area to have to proof them first, by printing them in the Observer.

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I wouldn't mind there being the communion pictures in the paper, if these had been in addition to 'normal' reporting. But there was a distinct lack of anything else to read this week.

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Schools still do that as a way of raising money as well.

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That's different though because the school sends a small photo home with the child and the only people who see it are the child's family/friends,they don't foist them on the whole of Hyndburn.People aren't interested in the kids of folk they've never met.It's boring.

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Trouble is, lot of cheating going on with this .. people scanning the photos and sending them back to school with a 'no thanks' note. :eek:

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The proofs are usually about two inches and have the word 'proof' written on them - don't think it would work if they were scanned.

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At our school they do still send the little sample photos home but with PROOF stamped on the child's face to discourage people from scanning.I think this is a good idea.At our nursery though,they will not send the samples home.You have to go in to view,to decide if you wish to buy and so does anyone else who might wish to buy.Grandma,Auntie,Godparents,they all have to go into the nursery to view the photos before buying.When you consider how many people this is for all the nursery children it must make a lot of disruption for the staff.

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Ok .. so they got wise .. :D Going back now to earlier ones.

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And to think somebody complained that Kipax charges £3 for his. :D I haven't bought a print from the Observer for ages

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I wonder how the paper made money years ago, before it became a kiddy photographic sales tool?

Oh yes, people paid to read journalism in it.

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Roland Joynson must be spinning!

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they can only put in whats happening in accy crimes etc.theres not exactly anything happening in accy .if there is its usually on here first ;)its a lot better than the telegraph.i like reading the letters page ,the sports pages try and miss the others personal columns.

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You don't call 'Caterpillar in vegetable' exciting news?No neither do I.Looks like they're really scraping the barrel for things to report.What with that and all the photos of kids they're packing the paper with.What awaits us next week I wonder...'Spar runs out of bread'?:D

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It is better than the Telegraph, but that's not saying much.

If you manage to locate an old copy of the Observer, you'll see just what a poor facsimile it is compared with years gone by.

Incidentally the area's news worthiness hasn't changed over the years, just the level of journalism.

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your probably right .but there is less strikes to report on:D:D:Djust had an idea lets have a competition how to get your photo in the paper:D:D

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you can look at old observers from years ago - upstairs at the library if you tell them what year/period you wish to see, you be very surprised what a damn good paper it used to be.

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Idea 1/
'Hello I'm sixty next Saturday and I'm having a party in my back garden.'

Idea 2/
Find an insect on a piece of fruit or veg, act outraged, threaten never to darken the dirty beggars doors again.

Idea 3/
Die.





All three should work well.:D

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4.join a cricket club[dont matter how rubbish i am just get in the clique]:D:D

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Ah, in the olden days the reporters all lived in the area and knew what was going on in the town. Nowadays most of the reporters could`nt find their way around without a Shurmers. I`m sure my good friend "Scoop" Anson former deputy editor will be most interested in these comments.

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The newspapers and magazines such as Hello & OK sell in their millions. Everyone featured in them is the child of someone most of us have never met.:rolleyes:

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If the Telegraph wasn't as guilty! :D

I send a lot of press releases to local papers and am frequently shocked at how inaccurate articles are when they have the information right in front of them. National papers are just as bad.

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think yer on the mark their Uncle Mick, i bet he will,pity he cant do nowt about it.;)

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It was just a passing comment on how pointless some of the stories in the Observer actually are. :rolleyes:

It could just as easily have been40, 50 or 70, or 'my dog is 21'. Do you have a problem with ageism or something?

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I'll change it to keep some people happy.:)

'Hello is that the Observer?'

'I'm having my fortieth birthday party in my front room a week on Sunday, could you send a photographer?'

Result, a sixth of a page taken up with people in a room full of nibbles.:D

(Appologies to anyone approaching forty. I hope I haven't hurt and offended you too much by saying a birth date.):D

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You'll be having Mick banning you next Rindy - when he had his 50th the Observer did come and take photos! :D

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Lolllllllllllll, oopsie.

Bye.:D

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Did they.. Not to me they havent... Now you tell everyone perhaps you can explain who and why?

Before you start I can tell you that even at 3 quid I aint making much more than pennies..The actual print costs me about 20 pence from photobox.. but then 1.50 quid delivery to me.. then I ahve to pay delivery to whoever bought... I make more if someone buys more than one but I dont actually sell many.. I cant remember ever selling an accy stanley pic.. i havent got a printer anymore and cant afford one

I pay 150 quid a yr for public liability cover.. 150 a yr per camera service. fuel to get to places blah blah.. i only charge the 3 quid because aftre giving pictures away for years i was starting to lose out badly..

and now someones complaining at 3 quid .. unbelievable.. :( go on willow.. who ?

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The only person I know who requested a photograph from you, you ended up giving it them for free. Hardly the actions of someone who is out to make a killing from people.

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I would like to point out that as I said in the very first post of this thread, I have no problem with the weekly two page spread of people's celebration photographs, or even the page devoted to photos of people in the featured pub, nor the occasional spread of bonny babies/glasses wearer of the year/cutest pet competition. It is just the seven pages of photographs that are devoted to people that the majority of readers will have no interest in, such as the first communion ones, and next week's promised school prom special.

Photographs can be interesting and help illustrate a story, but compared with the Observer of old, they are just filling valuable space, and replace what we buy a newspaper for, the news.

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I agree with you entirely, maybe the Observer has forgotten that its main function is to provide news. I suppose the only way to get them to sit up and take any notice is if enough people vote with their fwallet and stop buying the paper. Maybe then they might relaise that is news we want.

As an aside - it is also annoying the number of adverts for Rossendale and job vacancies, most of which are for the Rochdale area. Do no employers in Hyndburn want to advertise any job vacancies they have.

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Yeah damn the man he just wasn't for taking my money for services rendered was he?? The pic of my son that is...anyway managed to get him back via paypal on his lens appeal..so got there in the end!!

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In this week's Observer they have interviewed this caterpillar in the corn woman for the 'This Life' section,so is she a local celebrity now?:confused:
Had to laugh though,one of the questions they asked her was 'what ringtone have you got on your mobile phone?' The answer she gave is 'Akorn' Lol:D Is she trying to be funny?Seriously though,you find a caterpillar in...shock horror...a vegetable(its natural habitat),she should have been pleased the veg was fresh! Next news the Observer thinks we want to read all about your personal likes and dislikes including who you would like to be stuck in a lift with! Come on Observer,for crying out loud,is this the best you can offer?:(

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lol that made me laugh too lilly :D oh and by the way, i was in one of those so called photo spreads in the observer last week

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Are we really so short of news in Accrington? :confused:

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Hey, you are back !.. welcome ... :D

LOL Lilly ... she is still looking down in the mouth though, isn't she ? even though describes herself as fun, outgoing and bubbly.

Like the bit too, if you were an animal what would you be and why ? "A tiger so I could eat everyone" ?? Doesn't extend to the meat on a caterpillar though, does it...:D

Aaah, we shouldn't be taking the Mick I suppose .. not her fault. Methinks the Observer might just be sticking their tongues out at us. :p

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tyvm kate xxxxxxxxxxx :D

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about half an hour willa ;)

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Eeew yeh, I found you Flashy .. after spending time looking through the girls in virgin white dresses, tiaras and hands clasped in prayer .. doh ... how stupid am I ?? :D

Spotted you at a 50th .. looks like having a good time.

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lol it was, shall we say...interesting(dont know who the little rogue in the blue jacket is thats stood in front of me though)

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Only a mum, would be able to call her son a rogue ... somebody beginning with 'R' ?

What I did find amusing though was a photo of 1940's mill girls on a trip to the Isle of Man walking linked along the front, and then flick to a photograph of a birthday group of girls on their way to Blackpool, the difference in dress, poses, one on a mobile phone, whilst standing in front of their stretch limousine shows the nearly 70 year gap in changing attitudes.

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lol 67 years on

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I feel really bad about having posted this now.:( It wasn't intended to mean that I thought KIPAX was overcharging for his photographs. I meant the exact opposite - as in how can £3 be considered excessive if the Obs charges £8? But I must not have worded it correctly as it looks as if people think I was complaining at the £3.

I really am sorry that I gave that impression. I'm going to have to think carefully before I say things in future. Maybe the person who complained about me was right. Maybe I do cause trouble here but it isn't intentional. I must just open my mouth and immediately put my foot in it.:(

Once again I am very sorry everyone. I actually did think KIPAX knew what I was referring to too, but I must be mistaken.:o

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After spending a couple of hours perusing this week's Prom Special, I'm very disappointed the 'journalists' at the Observer haven't informed us what is to be in next week's pictorial pull-out.

Is it time for the annual Pets Win Prizes, or whatever they call it?

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stop beating yerself up willow, i and a good few others do that occasionally also,some of us more than others.:o would be surprised very much if anyone had the hump.;)

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Getting back to the original thread, I think the 'Accrington Observer' is rather a toothless bulldog, half a page donated to a young lady supprised at finding a caterpillar in it's natural habitat, supplied by ASDA is going to make any impression on the price of their shares. Much ado about nothing.

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just read todays, its certainly consistent ! Crap Again.:D

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well after all this moaning about the pics, it doesnt stop you lot buying it now does it :D

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Buy it for 'Letters to the Editor' Flashy .. most well written and imformative pages ... :D

At least they put a letter in there this week of someone complaining re. the caterpillar story .. suppose any publicity, etc.

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Hiya! Great to see you're back posting Flashytart!:D

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cheers cous ;) lol

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i'm rather enjoying reading the bickering thats going on between Mr Dodds and Mr Mills, i think its rather funny

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And worse than that, this week we have to endure a sort of profile of this young woman............how long will it be before the paper gets the message......I really don't care who are the important people in her life.......or that she had kebabs and samosas for her tea!
Wouldn't it be better to profile someone who is making a difference to our local area...either that or stop profiling people at all.

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OK rant over. think I had better stop buying this paper.

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I'd blooming well take it too :)

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Just happend to stumble accross it on the 'internet':D

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I think it reflects the quality of the 'reporters' who gather this crap, gone are the days of the likes of Mr Terry Broadhurst. I was priveledged to know the finest editor the 'Observer' has ever known, Mr Kitchener, he would never allowed such claptrap to see the light of day!

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The feature on the young woman who found a bloody caterpillar in her corn on the cob was the pits, and then to have her back the week after to discover the last book she read was a 'TV magazine', and that her Desert Island Disc would be 'a bit of dance music', was shoddy and cheap journalism of the lowest order.

I used to think the LET was the worst local paper in the UK, but the Accrington Observer is fast catching up. When you think what an august newspaper it used to be, it makes you want to weep.

Local newspapers used to be training grounds for people to learn their craft, with the best of the crop going on to Fleet Street. Most of this lot would be better suited to wrapping fish and chips in newspapers, than trying to run and write for one.

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The last time anything as bad as that incident was I think in the Lancahire Telegraph, when an Asian lass saw Mohameds name in a sliced tomato:mad:

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Hang on, what's this?

http://www.mexicanbeautygiftshop.com/images/7009603.gif

LOCAL MANS SEES ANCIENT SUN GOD!

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You want to get that on e- bay Gary, a collectors item if ever I saw one.:D