Here's this week's East of the Wantsum. As ever, you can click the pic to enjoy it in full Panavision. And I thoroughly recommend reading the last frame in a Kim Jong Il style 'I'm Rone-ry' accent for maximum sniggering pleasure!Next week it's all change at the Isle of Thanet Gazunder, where my strip usually appears every Friday. The rag's having a makeover, so who knows where, or whether, East of the Wantsum will fit in.
More importantly, buried in the Gazunder 'revamp' news is the shock revelation that the other Thanet papers in the Daily Mail owned Northcliffe Media group, Thanet Times and Sadscene, are 'merging'. Which effectively means one or the other has folded (in the financial rather than the literal paper sense). Clearly the plastic bottom has fallen out of the double glazing market, and with Broadstairs uPvc millionaires barely able to scrape enough together for their third Range Rover, I presume advertising budgets are being cut to the bone.
Still, it's not all doom and gloom as the Gazunder has a new, award winning hack to replace Dr Who and George Formby obsessed Thom Morris who's departed for pastures new (Ashford). Step forward Andy Woodman, who this week scooped [Geddit?!!!?] an 'exclusive' on how the, er, floaters in the water over on the east of the island will prevent Viking Bay from getting a Blue Flag yet again next year. Maybe the poor Dickensians would have more luck applying for a Poo Flag.
And speaking of poo-pooing, needless to say the Gazunder's lovely editor Rebecca poured cold, Viking Bay water on my suggestion that Andy should be given his own column: Woodman's Chopper - A light-hearted look at the burgeoning Thanet dogging scene! Well, come on, if she can have a column called The Joy of Bex, why on earth not?!
3 comments:
I think you'll find that the Adscene title will make way for a free Thanet Times coming through your door. You'll also be able to buy the TT in your newsagent if you can be bothered to go and buy it. All this follows a similar pattern elsewhere in Kent where the Adscene name has been dropped and a paid for title used instead. It's a simple, yet masterful, move and I'm sure has put the KM on the backfoot. The argument being why go and buy any local paper when you can wait a day or two longer and get one free through the letterbox?
Thanet is slightly different as KM has only its Extra free paper (and KMFM radio) to worry about. The Extra has all but wiped out the TT over the past few years - so it will be interesting to see what happens next. I do hope though that patchy distribution problems are resolved quickly.
I do hope the Gazunder's latest recruit has decent local knowledge of Thanet. I'm sure the rest don't - and sadly, it shows sometimes.
The local press appear to print whatever the Council, and their Advertisers want them to print.
Calling them News papers is laughable as the only up to date critical eye kept on Thanet is through the blog sites.
The Editors of the local rags should hang their heads in shame!
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