Next Leeds #altmedia meeting

There’s a change of venue for the next Leeds Alternative Media meeting (we weren’t sure whether PBH had been booked or not).

We’ll be meeting in the Packhorse Pub on Woodhouse Lane from 6.30 on Wednesday, June 8.

Chair Megan Waugh will be outlining her proposals for a Leeds Other Paper/Salford Star type publication for the city, and there will also be an opportunity to break off into groups to discuss the various different media options that people are interested in – it seems clear from the last meeting  that there’s a will for more than one type of media to come from these discussions.

As Mike Chitty suggested, next meeting we need to start working on specifics.

First is the product, the process through which great stories can be created and communicated to the audiences they impact on.

The second is about marketing and PR. How we build an audience and credibility for the project. How we can start to integrate a range of great projects in Leeds with this ‘alt-media story engine’ – publishing, theatre, dance, debate and so on. The stories can be told and explored through many media and in many forums.

The third is around financial management and governance. Business planning, fundraising, managing cash flows, business development and all that dull but vitally important stuff!

Hope to see you there.

Post your ideas/suggestions/observations in the comments section below. Or email leedsaltnews@gmail.com

Leeds needs an alternative media – but what sort?

Wednesday night saw an interesting discussion at Old Broadcasting House in Leeds about the future of media in the city.
It’s no secret that sadly the Guardian’s decided to end its Leeds blog. The decision has led to many discussions about how the democratic deficit between what’s reported in mainstream media and what’s actually happening at the Civic Hall and in our communities can be addressed. How can Guardian Leeds be replaced? Can its closure be a catalyst for something else?
Ideas at the meeting included following a Salford Star/Leeds Other Paper type model, continuing what Guardian Leeds did online or perhaps going down a different route entirely.
The meeting, attended by more than 50 people, agreed that something needed to happen – but it perhaps wasn’t quite sure exactly what and almost everyone there agreed to meet again to thrash out some sort of model for the future and how it can be achieved.
It became clear from the meeting that there was more than one idea out there that people were keen to progress. Check out reports here, here and here. Follow the #altmedia hashtag on Twitter.

One of the decisions to come out of the meeting was to set up a Leeds Alternative Media blog which would let Guardian Leeds readers – and other interested parties – know about the latest developments of the Leeds Alternative Media group and what the next steps were.

This blog will keep you informed of all the latest developments, when the next meeting is and encourages you to put forward your ideas and suggestions in the comments section below. Let us know what you think!

Anyone interested in joining the group or signing up for email updates can email leedsaltnews@gmail.com

More later.