Ideas...
- Thread starter vitty
- Start date
Council misdeeds, malfeasance and general incompetence.
I would also like to see the Observer take a much more campaigning role; there are a lot of issues which affect the locality which are merely reported as who said what and when.
In addition I think that the people who write the restaurant/fast food reviews and the "Mr Angry" column are badly in need of something better to do with their time.
Could someone also explain why the vast majority of Situations Vacant appear to be in either Rochdale or Bury?
Oh, and by the way, Welcome to Accyweb. I hope you find it as much fun as I do.
I would also like to see the Observer take a much more campaigning role; there are a lot of issues which affect the locality which are merely reported as who said what and when.
In addition I think that the people who write the restaurant/fast food reviews and the "Mr Angry" column are badly in need of something better to do with their time.
Could someone also explain why the vast majority of Situations Vacant appear to be in either Rochdale or Bury?
Oh, and by the way, Welcome to Accyweb. I hope you find it as much fun as I do.
I would also like to see the Observer taking more of a campaigning role. The Arndale Clock may be a start.
I would like to know where our council tax money actually goes, and how much is wasted on useless council meetings where nothing actually gets done. I would like to see profiles of top management working in our local council and what they actually do to earn their money.
Mr Angry has got to go. It is a direct rip off from the old Steve Wright in the afternoon radio show, and lacks originality.
A bigger nostalgia section would be nice, where people could send in their old photos of Accy, especially of streets and events which no longer exist.
I would like to know where our council tax money actually goes, and how much is wasted on useless council meetings where nothing actually gets done. I would like to see profiles of top management working in our local council and what they actually do to earn their money.
Mr Angry has got to go. It is a direct rip off from the old Steve Wright in the afternoon radio show, and lacks originality.
A bigger nostalgia section would be nice, where people could send in their old photos of Accy, especially of streets and events which no longer exist.
The Arndale clock was removed to make way for that pathetic little cafe in the Arndale centre. We have had a few threads about it on here, mainly trying to find its whereabouts and to reinstate it somewhere else in the town. If you type Arndale clock into the search feature on Accyweb, those threads should come up.
Aye. Get rid of Mr Angry & the stale butty column. Every good newspaper has a health correspondent these days, so why not the Accy Observer? I would respectfully suggest Nurses Lettie & Margaret, whose daily health tips we have been following on the Accy Web for several years now. I'm sure they would be quite prepared to bang out a few words for the Observer, providing of course, the price is right.
Could I ask, if it is not impertinant, whether you actually live in the borough, Vitty?
Yes, definitely get rid of Mr Angry. I would suggest that pupils from the local secondary schools could be encouraged to write on local issues that affect them.....or that that they feel strongly about.
It is a good way to encourage the young readership too.
Health issues are poorly covered. The column that tell us about the likes and dislikes of a local person is rubbish too.....I would ditch that.
And surely, even if the main office is in Rochdale, the job adverts could be tailored to the local area.
Vitty.....I think maybe it is a big job you have ahead of you there. Good Luck .
It is a good way to encourage the young readership too.
Health issues are poorly covered. The column that tell us about the likes and dislikes of a local person is rubbish too.....I would ditch that.
And surely, even if the main office is in Rochdale, the job adverts could be tailored to the local area.
Vitty.....I think maybe it is a big job you have ahead of you there. Good Luck .
Less pages of Steve and Leanne's engagement party. All pictured having a jolly time with friends and family at the Canine club. Very nice for the people concerned, but as boring as hell for every other reader. Just seems like a total waste of space, and an easy filler.
Agree with everyone else, Mr Angry makes your reader's angry, not because interesting issues are raised, but because it's rubbish.
Lastly, if you are going to have a best takeaway/ pub grub feature, make sure you have one judge or the same panel visiting all the entrants. Very often the reviewer will say they are vegetarian, and the next they will be enjoying beef in ale pie. Consistency pays, your readers aren't daft, and I for one hate being hood winked.
Good luck. It's a much loved paper, and I for one hope your enthusiasm helps make it more locally relevant.
Agree with everyone else, Mr Angry makes your reader's angry, not because interesting issues are raised, but because it's rubbish.
Lastly, if you are going to have a best takeaway/ pub grub feature, make sure you have one judge or the same panel visiting all the entrants. Very often the reviewer will say they are vegetarian, and the next they will be enjoying beef in ale pie. Consistency pays, your readers aren't daft, and I for one hate being hood winked.
Good luck. It's a much loved paper, and I for one hope your enthusiasm helps make it more locally relevant.
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First, I live near Bolton. I must admit, I much prefer reporters to be from the town they cover.
However, this is nearly always never the case and it's due to the way the industry works at senior level.
Second, we definitely encourage worthwhile, constructive opinions like these to the letters page.
It would be a great help if you could all could write/email in on the subject of the Mr Angry column.
Third, the Arndale Clock. I'll make a deal with the people concerned about it: I will strive to get a 'restore the clock' campaign piece in if you are kind enough to supply me with some quotes on the subject.
The standard layout for such quotes is as follows:
John Smith, aged 33, of Smith Street, Church, said: "<whatever he said".
So those details would have to go in.
Finally, all your suggests have been constructive and in some cases superb.
Rest assured, I will be looking into it.
Keep them coming, and thanks.
However, this is nearly always never the case and it's due to the way the industry works at senior level.
Second, we definitely encourage worthwhile, constructive opinions like these to the letters page.
It would be a great help if you could all could write/email in on the subject of the Mr Angry column.
Third, the Arndale Clock. I'll make a deal with the people concerned about it: I will strive to get a 'restore the clock' campaign piece in if you are kind enough to supply me with some quotes on the subject.
The standard layout for such quotes is as follows:
John Smith, aged 33, of Smith Street, Church, said: "<whatever he said".
So those details would have to go in.
Finally, all your suggests have been constructive and in some cases superb.
Rest assured, I will be looking into it.
Keep them coming, and thanks.
Suggest you look at back copies of the Observer round about August last year when they erroneously reported on the front cover that a local website (unnamed but presumably this one) had saved the Arndale clock and used one of my photographs.
Last known whereabouts of the clock - stored in the cellars at the Arndale centre.
Last known whereabouts of the clock - stored in the cellars at the Arndale centre.
agree with lettie about the nostalgia,possibly bits of old local history,i remember hearing stories of accy victoria hospital being funded by local workers,would love to know the real story. mr angry is a definate no-no though utter rubbish. hope you do well vitty.
To be honest, I think the absence of a nostalgia column is probably logistical.
With the Rochdale column. on the quietest day of each week, one reporter reads a newspaper from 100, 50, 20 and 10 years ago and simply retypes the original story and scans a few pictures....
...which is simple because the archives are stored in the next room.
Whereas I don't think the Accrington papers are stored in the Accrington Office.
With the Rochdale column. on the quietest day of each week, one reporter reads a newspaper from 100, 50, 20 and 10 years ago and simply retypes the original story and scans a few pictures....
...which is simple because the archives are stored in the next room.
Whereas I don't think the Accrington papers are stored in the Accrington Office.
Other issues that have been raised on this forum are the shambles that the Town Centre and the Markets have become, the utter pantomime that is the refuse collection "service".
The proposed Waste Processing site in Huncoat. The shocking state of dereliction in all but two of the boroughs parks. The oldest Park, Milnshaw on Hyndburn Road, is just about ready to be bulldozed and auctioned off for re-development.
And the complete lack of any form of public accountability by officers of HBC and councillors alike; the fiasco that was Nigel Rix has been very swiftly swept under several carpets at enormous financial cost to the borough.
The police in Accrington have also come in for a fair bit of stick too.
The proposed Waste Processing site in Huncoat. The shocking state of dereliction in all but two of the boroughs parks. The oldest Park, Milnshaw on Hyndburn Road, is just about ready to be bulldozed and auctioned off for re-development.
And the complete lack of any form of public accountability by officers of HBC and councillors alike; the fiasco that was Nigel Rix has been very swiftly swept under several carpets at enormous financial cost to the borough.
The police in Accrington have also come in for a fair bit of stick too.