Sections
Four desks fill the magazine every week. Here is what each one covers, and how much of this week’s issue it fills.
This week by desk
Issue 412 has sixteen pages (sample): two for the cover and letters, two for advertising, and the rest split between the desks.
Local
4 pages
Business
3 pages
Culture
3 pages
What's on
2 pages
One square per page, pages 1 to 16 from left to right, each desk in the place its pages sit in the issue. Page counts change every week with the news.
Four desks, one valley
Every story in the magazine comes from one of four desks. The colour on each desk is the colour of its pages in the issue.
Local
Council, schools, roads, planning and the people of Springfield and the valley villages.
Business
Shops opening and closing, jobs, the market hall, farming and the firms that employ the valley.
Culture
Books, music, theatre, food and drink: reviews and interviews, written by people who live here.
What's on
Seven days of listings: gigs, markets, talks, sport and family days, with times and prices.
How a story gets into the issue
From a reader’s message on Monday to your doormat on Thursday.
Monday
Tips and planning
The editor reads the weekend’s tips and plans the flatplan at the 10:00 meeting.
Tuesday
Reporting
Reporters go out: meetings, phone calls, photographs, documents.
Wednesday
Checking
A second editor checks every name, figure and quote.
Wednesday 18:00
Pages close
The issue goes to the printer; late news goes online.
Thursday
On sale
Delivered by 7:00 and on sale in 40 shops (sample).
Read the whole issue
Print on your doormat on Thursday, the briefing on weekdays at 7:00 and every story online. From $4 a month (example prices).