Standing at the foothills of great change

The North East is changing – and so are we.

As the region unites at the foothills of great devolution change, we too are setting our compass for a new journey.

It has been almost a decade since the team relaunched North East Times in 2015 and, ever since, we have celebrated the region’s incredible business landscape through compelling journalism, striking photography and forward-thinking design.

We have become an established and authoritative voice for business in the North East, and our commitment to quality, creativity and transparency has built a hugely supportive network of readers, partners, and advocates.

I am incredibly proud of this and the team, both past and present, who have played a part in our journey so far.

But we all know the only constant is change, and the acquisition of Bdaily marks an exciting opportunity for NET to grow, working with national partners to maximise impact.

With that in mind, the time has come for us to go further and build on our sturdy foundations – and issue 466 marks the first step in doing so.

I have always been passionate about print, design and publishing – and that remains the same

In 2015, we set out to challenge the benchmark of regional print, and we did this again in 2021, with the relaunch of the publication with a new design and specification.

You will, I’m sure, have noticed the publication no longer carries the masthead of North East Times Magazine; instead, you’re reading N.

N provides a new design identity and a new way to showcase the North East business community to a wider national audience.

However, I want to assure you it doesn’t mean we’re any less committed to our region.

Our focus is stronger than ever to amplify the North East, its business community and the opportunities set to materialise from the north of the region’s headline £4.2 billion devolution deal.

We see great opportunity to shout about the region to new audiences and help regional organisations expand while applying our expertise to business ideas, analysis and conversation across the UK’s business landscape.

To deliver such, we have reconfigured our model slightly.

NET is now the parent company to a house of brands including N and Bdaily – the national digital news business, which complements a dedicated North East focus with similar coverage across areas including Yorkshire and London – as part of the portfolio.

This structure retains our regional heritage while allowing for each brand to have its own identity, values and strategy.

N will continue servicing regional marketing campaigns across print, digital and events channels, and will retain its commitment to delivering at least 40 per cent independent (without charge) coverage across all platforms.

The latter is a proposition provided by no other similar media channel in the North East, and is one we’re very proud of.

Bdaily will continue to service clients’ PR campaigns across its digital platform and 50,000-strong email subscriber list nationally.

But, with the addition of at least 40 per cent independent content from the NET editorial team, its integrity, credibility and authority will be significantly bolstered.

It all means that, collectively through all NET channels, our influence, integrity and reach will be amplified significantly across the UK – and, as partners and advertisers, so will your messaging.

We are the North East’s largest B2B media network, which exists to support and showcase the incredible business stories in the region.

We work independently, which means we have our own voice and have no conflicts of exclusivity with clients or businesses; we’re here to help every individual and organisation succeed.

As always, I’m really open to hearing any ideas on what more we could be doing to support you, so please get in touch.

I can only hope for another decade of exciting change!

 

Pictured, left to right: Colin Young, Sarah Law, Pete Mallon, Pete Anderson, John Duns, Steven Hugill, Kate Hewison, Sian Anderson and Andrew Lowe.