The Manchester Evening News is a provincial daily
newspaper, with three issues each day weekday: normal, final, and late final and one issue on Saturday and Sunday. This means this that should something
newsworthy occur whilst the editions are in production, it can be rushed in to the paper before the big nationals - the
Guardian,
The Times,
The Telegraph,
The Independant etc - can publish it. 2 different papers could be published on the same day.
It is based in Manchester's city centre, and its circulation is steady at circa 180,000. It aims to provide a mixture of hard news both national and international, local news, human interest, entertainment, and sport.
I am currently doing a week's worth of work experience here, to see how I like Journalism. The most cynical thing I've heard so far was 'Did no-one get shot? That's a pity.' That puts Jo Moore to shame. Other days they've been very accomodating but today in Sport they made me write up the stellar successes of a local girl's school at Netball and then ignored me for two or three hours. I get the impression they're pretty busy. I don't mind- I've just been on E2 since 11:00.
What surprised me about the paper was the fact that in an enormous open-plan one floor office, (it really is pretty huge) there are a maximum of 20 writers. On the floors above are the Manchester branches of the Observer and the Guardian. Total staff in here is over one hundred, with editors and subs and picture desks and advertising and management. There's more to the business than I'd thought, mostly because I hadn't thought, I suppose.