LONDON, September 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
At an exclusive Gorkana, Cision and PR Newswire media briefing event, Christian May, editor of City A.M., explained why the "optimistic newspaper" takes a different approach towards corporate and financial news.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160915/408321 )
May, whose background is in communications, was hired as editor of City A.M., his first newspaper role, just over 12 months ago (June 2 2015). The decision was characteristic of the newspaper's identity as a "risk-taker," May told an audience of PR and comms professionals at the event. He explained how he too has made unconventional hiring choices since joining the title, creating a more diverse editorial team.
The event was the first Media Briefing after a short summer break, and is the first briefing to be hosted by both Gorkana and PRNewswire, which was recently acquired by Gorkana's parent company, Cision.
Among topics favoured by City A.M. are, according to May: cyber security/crime, property and mid-sized deals (such as AIM floats). He also said that interesting research and fresh data is useful, and that, at the moment, everyone's views on Brexit are of interest.
May also revealed City A.M.'s plans to launch two new magazines: one on luxury travel (in January) and one on food and fine dining. The newspaper's current portfolio of magazines includes: Bespoke, Bespoke Living and Money.
Here are a some of May's guidelines from yesterday's (September 14) event, hosted at 1 Wimpole Street in London's Mayfair and chaired by Philip Smith, head of news and content at Gorkana:
City A.M. likes "good news"
The newspaper likes to cover good news and success stories, said May. It also likes stories about individuals. Unlike, perhaps, other financial papers, May suggested, City A.M. is, "more interested in the people behind the deals."
The print paper is here to stay
For some people, City A.M. is a part of the morning routine, May said, and for that reason, the print paper is here to stay. However, the paper also has a digital team who take the early morning shift. This ensures that, by the time the print paper is out, news that has come out since midnight (when the physical paper goes to press) has been posted to the City A.M. website. The print paper is however, according to May, "the most up-to-date print paper you'll find."
City A.M. welcomes commercial content
The paper has launched a third party content platform, City Talk, which allows brands to produce content, and publish it directly onto the newspaper's CMS. May said: "It's not news, but it is expertise, and it is insight." He argues that this approach actually encourages transparency because the commercial content does not, in any way, purport to be editorial.
And it would like to host more videos
According to May, the paper does not necessarily have the means to create its own video content, but it would like to publish more video. It is therefore looking to receive fully-formed video content from PR professionals.
City A.M is very close to its readers
"We feel like trade press because there's little difference between our patch and our readers," May said. He described the paper's readership as well-informed and vocal. City A.M.'s, "Tight geographic and demographic patch", ensures that its readers also have an influence over the content of the paper. "They are, for example, quick to point out if a mistake is made in the daily crossword", May joked.
Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today's communication professionals. Offering the industry's most comprehensive PR, IR and social media software, rich analytics, content distribution and influencer outreach, Cision enables clients to engage audiences, enhance campaigns and strengthen data-driven decision making. Cision solutions include PR Newswire, Gorkana, PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact brands.
Headquartered in Chicago, Cision serves over 100,000 customers in 170 countries and 40 languages worldwide, and maintains offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cision.com or follow @Cision on Twitter.
For more information, visit http://www.gorkana.com | http://www.cision.com or follow @gorkana | @Cision on Twitter
For media information please contact:
Victoria Morrison
Head of Events and Marketing Manager
Victoria.Morrison@gorkana.com
Gorkana
+44(0)20-7674-0200
Video:
https://youtu.be/lRJ1_AI1kWI
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