Serving the community

PROUD to serve: Members of the Oldham Evening Chronicle team outside the company offices in Union Street.

LOCAL NEWSPAPER WEEK

TONIGHT for Local Newspaper Week we turn the spotlight on the staff who bring you a Oldham’s favourite newspaper – the Chronicle.

76 full and part-time staff are based at the Union Street offices of a rarity in the world of media – a family-owned, independent business that has lasted 157 years.

The loyalty of the staff is reflected in the fact that the 76 have clocked up 1,247 years — an average of 16.7 years per employee.

Production director Jim Taylor tops that list with 44 years with the newspaper while at the other end of the spectrum is new media advertising salesperson Sam Morris who has been in post for only three weeks.

Departments throughout the business have men and women with a vast knowledge of newspapers and a loyalty to the Chronicle and to Oldham – with many of the staff living as well as working within the borough.

The family-business link is still very strong too with managing director Philip Hirst and long-serving director Hubert Hirst still involved as non-executive chairman.

The Chronicle has 22 journalists striving to bring you the latest local news and sport. These include reporters, designers and photographers — many of whom meet Oldhamers with a story to tell on a daily basis.

Another team who work closely with the Oldham public is the advertising staff as they look to bring you local, regional and national advertising covering every aspect of life from recruitment to retail and professionals to property.

Other members of the ad team will be familiar faces to readers as they deal with customers who come directly to the Chronicle offices while another front-of-house team are the trio in the promotions department.

And when you add to this mix the teams of advertising origination, computer systems and back office support you have a combination that pulls together a newspaper that is ready for our drivers to get it out to you five nights a week.

Your Chronicle: at the heart of your community.