Council newspapers

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your request for information regarding a council
newspaper, which was received on 3rd January, 2009 and is being dealt
with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We are therefore
required to provide you with a response within 20 working days, which
will be on or before 29th January, 2010.

If we require any clarification or further details, we will contact you
as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to
contact me, remembering to quote the reference number above in any
communications.

Yours faithfully

John Tillman
Swyddog Gwybodaeth a Diogelu Data
Adran y Prif Weithredwr
Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin

Information & Data Protection Officer
Chief Executive's Department
Carmarthenshire County Council

Tel: (01267) 246108
Mewnol/Internal: 6108
Ffacs/Fax: (01267) 246134

show quoted sections

Dear Sir/Madam,

I refer to your request for information regarding a council newspaper,
which was received on 3^rd January, 2010 and has been dealt with under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please accept my apologies for not
providing this response within the 20 working days required by the Act.

I will respond to your request using numbered points as headings for ease
of reference.

1. The name, frequency and distribution/circulation of your council
newspaper (by council newspaper I mean the most frequently published
newspaper or magazine intended for mass distribution covering more than
one topic).

Carmarthenshire County Council normally publishes 6 editions of its
Community News publication per annum. A total of 82,500 copies of each
edition are printed.

2. How much it cost to produce and distribute said newspaper in the last
full financial year, and how much was budgeted from council resources in
the financial year 2009/2010.

Community News costs around £23,000 per issue to print and distribute,
therefore £138,000 for 2008/09 and the same for 2009/10.

3. How much of that cost is offset by advertising

During 2009/10 approximately 60% of each issue has been offset by
advertising. The aim for 2010/11 is for this to increase to 80% with the
paper working towards being fully self financed by 2011/12.

4. How much of that advertising, if any, comes from external sources (i.e.
not from your authority's budgets)?

Of the above, approximately half of this advertising is paid for by
external sources. However, the large percentage of internal advertisements
are those of grant funded projects where money must be spent on
advertising, and Community News is seen as an excellent communication tool
to ensure their message reaches every household within the county.

5. Which other public sector partners pay to run advertising in your
newspaper, e.g. PCTs?

This varies from each issue, but external partners include local colleges,
universities, the voluntary sector and health organisations.

6. Whether recruitment advertising forms part of the advertising in your
newspaper?

Community News includes one page of current Council job vacancies .

7. A copy of an editorial policy guide, if one exists, which governs the
material which is placed in the newspaper, and how it is decided

None is held.

8. A copy of an advertising policy guide, if one exists, which governs
what sort of advertising is suitable.

None is held.

9. The number of people employed to put your newspaper/newsletter
together, including total cost and staff organisation chart

No dedicated staff work on Community News on either a full time or part
time basis. The publication is produced as part of the Communications
team's wider responsibilities. The articles are written by officers in the
Press Office as a small part of their duties and design is carried out by
an in-house graphic designer.

The cost in staff time is not recorded and cannot therefore be
quantified. Also, as there is no specific organisational structure for
producing the publication, we do not hold an organisation chart
specifically for Community News.

If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact
me.

Yours faithfully

John Tillman
Swyddog Gwybodaeth a Diogelu Data
Adran y Prif Weithredwr
Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin

Information & Data Protection Officer
Chief Executive's Department
Carmarthenshire County Council

Tel: (01267) 246108
Mewnol/Internal: 6108
Ffacs/Fax: (01267) 246134

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