Your Chronicle’s vital role in democracy

Happy New Year.
It is harder to say that this year, for these are troubled times for the regional press: many group-owned newspapers have been axed or converted into weeklies in towns all over the country.

We know that many Oldham people are avid Chronicle readers and have been for years. Here at the family-owned business of Hirst, Kidd and Rennie we are proud to have been reporting on Oldham nightly for 157 years.

In these tough economic times, it is out of necessity that today’s newspaper has increased in price.

We sincerely hope readers will stick with us as we look to ride out the economic downturn that has hit many areas of business hard. I can promise that we are putting fresh resource into making sure we continue to bring you the latest local news and sport across the borough — from Shaw to Failsworth, from Chadderton to Saddleworth and all points in between.

We will continue to be an independent voice for the town and a key part of the democratic process that makes sure those responsible for the public purse are held to account.

We are determined to offer struggling businesses the very best deals possible to get them to the customers they need to survive. And we are confident that with increased revenue from sales, and other savings we are about to introduce, we can continue to produce a daily product — still printed on the day, unlike the vast majority of local newspapers nationwide — that keeps you up to speed with what goes on in Oldham and beyond.

We also believe the Chronicle as a “brand” is trusted. In these days of phone-hacking scandals and the like, local newspapers have proved that they have the respect of the local community. After all it is your Chronicle.

We will soon be making some changes to the way we display our news on this website – and soon you will be able to read the eChron, our full digital edition, on your tablet computer with a dedicated “app”.

Thanks for your time. If you have any views on the newspaper don’t hesitate to email me at editorial@oldham-chronicle.co.uk  




PS: If you have an internet-enabled computer and love your Chron, it’s cheaper to subscribe to the eChron - check out the info on the tab above.



The eChron gives you every page of every edition, which you can “turn”, just as with the paper Chron.

And if a particular article takes your fancy, you can save or print it.