Sunderland Echo: Difference between revisions

Sunderland Echo
	File:Echofrontpage.jpg The paper's 1 July 2008 front page
Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Tabloid
Owner(s)	Johnston Press
Publisher	Northeast Press
Editor	Rob Lawson
Staff writers	20
Founded	22 December 1873 (as The Sunderland Echo and Shipping Gazette)
Political alignment	Independent
Language	English
Headquarters	Echo House; Pennywell Sunderland SR4 9ER; United Kingdom
Circulation	44,198 daily
Website	http://www.sunderlandecho.com

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The Sunderland Echo is a two-edition evening provincial newspaper serving the Sunderland, South Tyneside and East Durham areas of North East England.^[1] The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey, Edward Backhouse, Edward Temperley Gourley, Charles Palmer, Richard Ruddock, Thomas Glaholm and Thomas Scott Turnbull in 1873, as the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette.^[2] Designed to provide a platform for the Radical views held by Storey and his partners, it was also Sunderland's first local daily paper.^[3]^[4]

The inaugural edition of the Echo was printed in Press Lane, Sunderland on 22 December 1873; 1,000 copies were produced and sold for a halfpenny each.^[2] The Echo survived intense competition in its early years, as well as the depression of the 1930s and two World Wars. The Second World War, however, saw the paper change from a broadsheet to its current tabloid layout, because of national newsprint shortages.^[5]

The Echo is published Monday–Saturday at Echo House, Pennywell Industrial Estate, Sunderland by Northeast Press and is part of the Johnston Press group—one of the United Kingdom's largest publishers of local and regional newspapers.^[6] As of July 2008, the paper had an average daily circulation in excess of 40,000, with over 100,000 readers, and a very active website.^[7]^[8]^[9] It retails at 42 pence.^[10]

General overview

Facts and figures

File:Echooutside.jpg

The Echo headquarters at Echo House, Pennywell, Sunderland

The Sunderland Echo is an award-winning two-edition evening newspaper, published from Monday to Saturday each week at Echo House, Pennywell, Sunderland.^[11] The paper has a daily circulation of 44,198, with an overall readership of 110,748.^[7] The Echo website records over 1.7 million page impressions each month and has more than 250,000 unique users.^[1]^[8] The news coverage provided by the Echo focuses mainly on local events, including human interest, crime and court stories, as well as reports on the local Premier League football team, Sunderland AFC.^[12] During the football season, the Echo also publishes a Football Echo edition each Saturday, providing a round-up of general sporting news and football fixture results.^[13]

Reader profile statistics suggest that 47% of Echo readers are male, and 53% are female. The highest proportion of readers, 29%, are between the ages of 15 and 24. The second highest proportion, at 26%, are aged over 65 and the lowest, at 13%, are in the 45–54 age group.^[1] Independent research carried out for the Echo in 2000 found readers spent an average of 33 minutes reading the paper. The same survey showed the Echo appealed to people across the range of demographics, with between 44 and 50% of people in each socio-economic grouping being regular readers.^[14]

Circulation and supplements

Circulation and price^[15]
Year	Price	Circulation
1873	1 halfpenny	1,000
1893	1 halfpenny	21,967
1939	1 penny	49,001
1953	3 halfpennies	56,412
1976	6 pence	65,145
1984	12 pence	70,100
1990	18 pence	68,525
1993	25 pence	63,420
2008	42 pence	44,198

The Sunderland Echo covers a circulation area of 20 square miles (52 km²) in North East England, which includes parts of South Tyneside and County Durham, as well as the city of Sunderland. Whitburn, Marsden and The Boldons, all to the north of Sunderland, are among the South Tyneside communities covered. Peterlee, Horden, Seaham, Dawdon, Murton and Seaton, to the south of Sunderland, are the main towns and villages in the East Durham circulation area. The paper is also sold in Washington, Burnmoor and Durham, which are to the west of Sunderland. Villages on the outskirts of the city, including Houghton-le-Spring, Penshaw, Fencehouses, Ryhope and Hetton-le-Hole are included in the circulation area too.^[1]^[16] The main newspaper rivals in the Sunderland and County Durham area include The Northern Echo, The Journal, the Hartlepool Mail and the Evening Chronicle. The Sunderland Star, a free weekly newspaper printed by the Echo, is also distributed in the city.^[17]^[18] According to independent research conducted on behalf of the Echo in 2000, the "popularity of the Echo in Sunderland and East Durham is greater than that of all other regional newspapers put together".^[14]

In addition to the main newspaper, the Echo also produces a number of regular supplements and articles of specialist interest each week. These include sport and business supplements each Monday, a Down Your Way local news supplement on Tuesdays, jobs, junior football and nostalgia features on Wednesdays, an entertainment supplement, cars guide and nostalgia stories on Thursdays and a property pull-out on Fridays. The Saturday edition includes a leisure pull-out, featuring fashion, entertainment and restaurant reviews, while a local history nostalgia supplement, Retro, is published once a fortnight on Mondays.^[12]^[19] Two nostalgia calendars, featuring old photographs of Sunderland and Seaham, are also produced each year.^[20]

Early years

Foundation

The first edition of the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette was printed on 22 December 1873, on a flat-bed press in Press Lane, Sunderland.^[3]^[21] Five hundred copies of the four-page issue were produced at noon and 4 pm, and sold for a halfpenny each.^[2]^[22] At present the Echo is printed on a £12 million full-colour press, installed at its purpose-built base in Pennywell, Sunderland, in 1996. More than 44,000 copies are printed each day, which sell for 42 pence each.^[1]^[7]

File:Firstechopic.jpg

The first edition of the Echo, published on 22 December 1873

Samuel Storey, a former teacher and future Sunderland mayor and Member of Parliament, founded the paper to provide a platform for his political views and to fill a gap in the newspaper market.^[3]^[4] Although the 100,000-strong population of Sunderland was already served by two weekly newspapers—The Sunderland Times and The Sunderland Herald—neither reflected the radical views held by Storey and his partners and there were no daily papers in the town.^[11] Storey promised readers in the first edition that, if things went wrong, "the Echo would try its best to put them right". But he added: "Always with moderation and without esteeming all those who oppose us as fools and knaves."^[23] Early copies of the Echo included lengthy reports of Liberal meetings, and critical articles on Liberal opponents.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The Sunderland Echo was launched with an initial investment of £3,500, raised by donations of £500 each from Storey and his business partners.^[4]^[24] Those joining the venture were Quaker banker Edward Backhouse, shipbroker and MP Edward Temperley Gourley, shipbuilder and MP Sir Charles Palmer, newspaper editor Richard Ruddock, rope-maker Thomas Glaholm and draper Thomas Scott Turnbull.^[2] Lack of experience—only Ruddock had previous knowledge of newspaper management—and over-optimistic estimates of costs meant that the initial funds were quickly exhausted.^[4]^[21]^[11] Storey later admitted: "In our childlike, simple ways, we thought this might be sufficient, but in a few months all the money was gone, so we paid in another £3,500 and that soon went too."^[21] As the prospect of any great financial success receded, Ruddock, Gourley and Palmer withdrew from the project. Storey, however, remained dedicated to the idea, and took on their shares.^[2]^[25] A further £7,000 in investment from Storey enabled the remaining partners to abandon the "wheezing flat-bed press"^[21] and, in July 1876, the Echo moved to new premises at 14 Bridge Street, Sunderland.^[2]

Bridge Street

File:Echobridgestreet.jpg

The old Bridge Street base of the Echo

Bridge Street remained the home of the Echo for the next 100 years.^[26] Old buildings were demolished, new machine and composing rooms built on West Wear Street and two rotary presses installed just before the move, each capable of printing 24,000 copies an hour.^[11] These changes brought about increased circulation, but it took another seven years before the Echo made a profit.^[21] It was a time of intense competition; the Sunderland Times converted from a bi-weekly to a daily paper in the same month as the Echo moved to Bridge Street, and Tory supporters started a paper of their own, the Sunderland Daily Post.^[3] The Sunderland Times was the first to collapse, but the Post survived for the next quarter of a century, providing the Echo with an often bitter rival.^[3]^[4]^[21]

Following the deaths of two further partners, Backhouse in 1879 and Turnbull in 1880, Storey bought their shares to become the Echo's chief proprietor.^[21] A year later, in 1881, he met Scottish-born millionaire Andrew Carnegie, and formed a syndicate with him to set up new newspapers and buy up others. Among those purchased were the Wolverhampton Express and Star, the Northern Daily Mail in Hartlepool and the Portsmouth Evening News. An attempt to buy the Shields Gazette, the country's oldest daily newspaper, failed.^[5] The syndicate finally broke up in 1885, with Storey retaining control of the Echo, Hampshire Telegraph, Portsmouth News and the Northern Daily Mail. These papers formed the basis of a new company, Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers Ltd, formed in the 1930s.^[11] The 19th century ended with the rivalry between the Echo and the Sunderland Daily Post intensifying. The Silksworth Colliery strike of 1891 pitted the two papers against each other, with the Post attacking Storey for having exploited the strike for political gain. Storey successfully sued for libel.^[3]^[4]^[21]

20th century

Consolidation

The new century saw the Echo falling behind the times in its production methods. Established as a "leading daily newspaper",^[2] it was one of the last to still be setting type by hand in 1900.^[21] This changed in 1902, when Linotype lead-setting machines were brought in to set type mechanically.^[5] A landslide victory for the Liberal Party followed at the 1906 General Election, which heralded a new era for the Echo. The paper's old rival, the Sunderland Daily Post, was discontinued six months later, and the Football Echo was launched on 7 September 1907.^[3]^[27]^[28]

File:Echo001.jpg

The pre-war days of hot metal newspaper production at the Echo

The First World War brought its own difficulties for the Echo. Reporters went off to battle and, after the cost of newsprint soared, the paper was forced to double in price to a penny.^[21] The Echo's 50th anniversary in 1923 was marked by a visit from company chairman Samuel Storey. Storey died two years later, three months after his eldest son Fred, and the chairmanship passed to another Samuel—Fred's elder son. In the same year, plans were laid to improve the Bridge Street premises. The work included enlarging the printing works and was completed by the end of the 1920s.^[5]

Depression years

The depression of the 1930s brought mass unemployment to Sunderland. But, for the Echo, it was a also time of important structural changes in ownership. A new company controlling the three titles owned by the Storey family was formed in 1934—Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers Ltd.^[5] There was a change in name for the Echo too, when the word Daily was dropped from its title of Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette.^[5] The decade also, however, brought a fire which destroyed most of the bound files of archive copies of the Echo. Nineteenth-century editions of the Echo can only be accessed in Sunderland at the City Centre Library in Fawcett Street.^[12]

Second World War

File:Echoprint.jpg

The Echo press in the 1960s

The Second World War brought havoc to Wearside, with Sunderland one of the seven most heavily bombed towns in the country.^[29] Despite the heavy shelling of the North East coast and River Wear, the Echo offices and printing plant escaped undamaged. The Shields Gazette, the Echo's nearest rival, was not as fortunate. Its premises in Chapter Row, South Shields, were bombed in September 1941 and, under an emergency wartime arrangement, the paper was printed on the Echo presses.^[30]^[31] The Echo continued to be published throughout the war, despite paper rationing, a lack of reporters and a strict censorship of photographs.^[32] The war did have one major impact on the Echo—in the form of its size. Wartime restrictions on newsprint reduced the former broadsheet to its present tabloid size, and this style has been retained ever since.^[5]^[30]

Post-war changes and centenary

The post-war years saw the Echo drop Shipping Gazette from its main title-piece, following a redesign in 1959. Instead, the paper became known as Echo Sunderland for several years, although the name Sunderland Echo and Shipping Gazette continued to be printed in much smaller type above the new title. A further title-piece redesign in 1972, however, dispensed with the words Shipping Gazette and introduced an illustration of Wearmouth Bridge alongside the title Echo Sunderland.

Following a major refurbishment of the Bridge Street base in the mid-1960s,^[26] the next milestones for the paper came in 1973. The first was Sunderland A.F.C.'s 1–0 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup Final. Ian Porterfield's winning goal was headline news at the time, giving the Echo its all-time record circulation figure of 95,000 copies of the Sports Echo.^[5]^[33] The second important event of 1973 was the 100th anniversary of the paper. Celebrations included a birthday party, with dignitaries such as Sunderland A.F.C. manager Bob Stokoe among the guests. Lord Buckton, the chairman of Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers Ltd, announced his retirement at the event, and was succeeded by his son, The Honourable Richard Storey. News of a move from Bridge Street to Pennywell, Sunderland, was also announced during the anniversary celebrations.^[5] The old newspaper building has since been replaced by a modern apartment block. The Echo name still lives on, however, as the project as been named Echo24.^[34]

Modern era

File:Echopressnow.jpg

The Echo press in 2006

Decades of change

The Echo moved from Bridge Street to a purpose-built newspaper office at Echo House, Pennywell Industrial Estate in 1976. The move brought an end to the traditional methods of printing using hot molten metal to produce type and printing plates, and introduced computer technology.^[3] The £4 million development saw the Echo become the first daily newspaper in the North East to be completely produced by photo-composition and web-offset printing. It also saw a change in the Echo's appearance, with a new shape, bolder typefaces and clearer printing. The first new-look Echo was printed at Pennywell on 26 April 1976 and was issue number 32,512.^[5]

Another change inspired by the move was a return for the Football Echo man. The cartoon character had for years indicated the match results of Sunderland with a smile, a frown or a tear, while adorning the outside wall of the Bridge Street building. After several years in storage, he was returned to the wall of the new Echo building in 1976, where he still remains today.^[35]

In 1985 there was a break in tradition when the Echo title-piece appeared reversed out in white on a red background, instead of the more familiar red or black lettering. The new title-piece was designed to give a greater impact to the colourful front page.^[5] It was the first in a series of changes which included dropping Sunderland from the title in 1990, the paper simply becoming The Echo. This change was reversed in 1997, with a return to the name Sunderland Echo.^[5]^[36]

Technological changes

The 1990s saw the Echo take a huge technological leap forward when a £12 million printing press was installed. It was used for the first time in December 1996 and was capable of printing up to 70,000 newspapers an hour. The press was part of a multi-million pound revamp, which also saw journalists making up full news pages on computer screens for the first time. The Echo's first internet news service was also launched in 1996.^[5] A further £5 million was spent on updating the pre-press and press hall area in 2004, to improve printing quality and speed of production.^[37]

The Echo was still part of Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers until the end of the 1990s, although printed by Northeast Press, a subsidiary of the main company. However, the last link to the original founder, Samuel Storey, disappeared in 1999, when Johnston Press took over the business in May that year. The Sunderland Echo is still published by Northeast Press, although Johnston Press—the nation's second largest regional publisher—now owns the whole company.^[38]

File:Echodig.jpg

Echo digital journalists at work

On-line revolution

As of July 2008, the Echo is still published each Monday to Saturday at Echo House, but the newspaper can also be read on-line.^[16] The Echo's new-look website was launched in February 2007, while a digital editing suite was created within the office at the same time. The audio-visual equipment now allows reporters to both write about and film stories as they happen, and the articles can be published on-line within seconds.^[9]^[39]

Statistics show that almost 80,000 people visited the Echo's website in January 2007, and this figure had risen to 216,000 by January 2008.^[8] The website is updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with stories including football match reports and football transfer rumours among the most popular. Slideshows, videos and podcasts are also included on the site in addition to the news of the day.^[9]

Awards and recognition

File:Echoofficebeamish.jpg

Sir Richard Storey opens the Echo exhibit at Beamish

The Echo has won numerous accolades, as well as government praise, for its campaigning journalism, specialist writing, community work, photographic images and appeals for good causes over the decades.^[40]^[41] Examples of notable writing include a 2006 campaign highlighting the threat posed by bogus callers to the elderly and a 2005 campaign to protect 999 crews from being attacked on duty, which both received official praise in Parliament.^[42]^[43] A 1996 drug education campaign, which included the creation of a telephone service for tip-offs about suspected local drug dealers, was also highly praised. The Newspaper Society named the Echo as its Campaigning Newspaper of the Year for the Drug Busters drive, and the campaign also won an award from the International Newspaper Marketing Association.^[44]

In the 135 years of its existence, the Echo has become part of the culture of the North East of England and a replica branch office of the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette was built at the open air Beamish Museum in County Durham in 1991.^[45] Designed to show visitors how the newspaper would have operated in around 1913, the life-size exhibit includes a distribution office, reporter's office, stationary shop and fully working printing press.^[46] The replica office took museum staff several months to research and create, and was opened by Sir Richard Storey, great-grandson of Echo founder Samuel Storey, on 10 May 1991.^[45]

A racehorse was named after the paper in 1991, which was owned by a consortium of 250 Echo readers. The gelding won races at Hamilton, Redcar, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Haydock in the early 1990s, but had to be put down on 17 February 1996 after pulling up badly lame during a routine morning gallop.^[47] The Echo was also used in a display at the Science Museum in London in 1999, to show how writing can be made simpler for people with reading difficulties, and a specially printed edition of the newspaper appeared on the TV show Touching Evil, starring Robson Green, in the same year.^[48]^[49]

Recent awards won by the Sunderland Echo
Year	Award	Person(s)	Work
2008 Northeast Press Awards^[40]	Trainee of the Year (Daily paper)	Ross Robertson	Best general news reporting portfolio from a trainee
2008 Northeast Press Awards^[40]	Best Columnist	Richard Ord	The Richard Ord Column
2008 Northeast Press Awards^[40]	Best Feature Writer (Daily paper)	Linda Colling	Women's features and weekly columnist
2008 Northeast Press Awards^[40]	Best Online Contribution	Lee Hall	Sunderland Echo website
2008 Northeast Press Awards^[40]	Best portfolio of pictures/Best Picture	Tony Colling	Best general news photography portfolio
The 2005/06 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[50]	Tom Cordner Quill: Trainee journalist of the Year	Bethany Usher	Best general news reporting portfolio from a trainee
The 2005/06 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[50]	North East Health Prize	Linda Colling	Best portfolio of health stories
The 2005/06 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[50]	The Steve Jones Prize For reporting that contributes most to the community	Rob Lawson - Editor	Best community stories reporting portfolio
The 2004/05 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[51]	Consumer Affairs Prize	Andrea Thurlbeck	Best general consumer reporting portfolio
The 2004/05 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[51]	The Steve Jones Prize For reporting that contributes most to the community	John Howe	Best community stories reporting portfolio
The 2004/05 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[51]	ABC Spike for overall newspaper page design	Les Oliver	Best design sub-editing portfolio
The 2004/05 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards^[51]	Eric Dobson Scroll	Bethany Usher	North East trainee with highest marks in the NCTJ examination

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Media and marketing information" (PDF). North East Press. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h How the Echo came to be. Sunderland Daily Echo. 3 April 1902. pp. Page 3. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Sarah Stoner (14 September 2005). "Behind the Scenes". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Stuart Miller (1990). Sunderland: River, Town and People. Borough of Sunderland Council. pp. Pages 126, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 138, 146. ISBN 0947637060.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m The Echo through the ages. Sunderland Echo. 28 November 1998. pp. Page 4. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Andrew Murray-Watson (2 September 2007). "Johnston joins the digital revolution". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Circulation figures". Newspaper Society. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c holdthefrontpage staff (20 March 2008). "Record traffic for Sunderland Echo website". Hold the Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cara Houchen (22 February 2008). "Echo digital". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "Your value Echo". Sunderland Echo. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "The Sunderland Echo". Wearside online website. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c Katy Wheeler (9 May 2008). "For the news that matters to you". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "Football Echo". Sunderland Echo. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b Simply the best!. Sunderland Echo. 21 November 2000. pp. Page 3. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Footnote: These figures are a combination of ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations UK) figures and details taken from old editions of the Sunderland Echo.
^ ^a ^b "Home page for the Sunderland Echo". Sunderland Echo. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "Newspaper Report for the publication: Sunderland Star". The Newspaper Society. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
^ "World-Newspapers Europe UK North East". World Newspapers website. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
^ "Retro". Sunderland Echo. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Sarah Stoner (27 September 2007). "Your favourite photos". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Echo founding fathers. Sunderland Daily Echo. 22 December 1923. pp. Page 7. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Footnote reference: This version of halfpenny refers to the older currency, not the post-1971 decimal half-penny piece. According to the website Measuringworth.com, a halfpenny in 1873 had a current purchasing power of 14.5 pence
^ Our promise. Sunderland Daily Echo. 22 December 1873. pp. Page 2. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Footnote reference: According to the website Measuringworth.com, £3,500 in 1873 had a purchasing power equivalent to about £242,240.36 today.
^ "Share history" (PDF). Competition Commission. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b Rob Ford (16 June 2005). "Fond memories of the old Echo office". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-07-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Echo Sport Team (25 September 2007). "100 years of the Football Echo". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Patrick Astill (25 September 2007). "Echo sports extra celebrates centenary". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ Carol Roberton (13 May 2005). "Hitler: his part in our town fall". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b 70 Years Old Today. Sunderland Echo. 22 December 1943. pp. Page 2. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Brian Pears (2005). "Incidents 11 September, 1941 to 1 October, 1941". North-East Diary 1939-1945 website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Quote= ignored (|quote= suggested) (help)
^ Carol Roberton (26 February 2007). "Can you help us tell Wearside's wartime tale". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "1973 Cup Final". Sunderland Echo. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "End of an Era as Demolition Begins at Echo Building". Echo24 website. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ "Echoman". Sunderland Echo. 6 August 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Echo Sunderland Title gets Update. Sunderland Echo. 9 August 1985. pp. Page 7. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Josh Brooks (September 3, 2004). "Sunderland Echo invests £5 m". Print Week website. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ "Northeast Press history". Shields Gazette. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Martin Wainwright (3 March 2008). "Local Heroes". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f holdthefrontpage staff (10 April 2008). "Mail and Echo sweep the board at new press awards". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ holdthefrontpage staff (18 May 2004). "Gazette scoops six in North East Press Awards". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ holdthefrontpage staff (8 November 2006). "Echo wins praise in Parliament". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ Sunderland Echo staff (2005). "Praise in Commons for Echo campaign". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ We've Cracked It!. Sunderland Echo. 19 April 1996. pp. Page 3. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b Echoes of the past for north museum. Sunderland Echo. May 1991. pp. Page 7. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ All our yesterdays. Sunderland Echo. 10 May 1999. pp. Page 6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Echo horse put down after tragic injury. Sunderland Echo. 17 February 1996. pp. Page 27. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Your Echo's a star!. Sunderland Echo. 23 January 1999. pp. Page 17. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Echo goes to Science Museum to help people to read again. Sunderland Echo. 23 March 1999. pp. Page 8. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c "The 2005 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards - full list". North East Press Awards. 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Cordner Awards - 2004 Winners". North East Press Awards. 2005. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

External links

Wearsideonline: A brief history of the Echo
Hold The Front Page: Echo awards and stories about the paper.

[statistics-1] "Media and marketing information" (PDF). North East Press. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[oldechoo-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h How the Echo came to be. Sunderland Daily Echo. 3 April 1902. pp. Page 3. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[politicaltalk-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Sarah Stoner (14 September 2005). "Behind the Scenes". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[riverpeople-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Stuart Miller (1990). Sunderland: River, Town and People. Borough of Sunderland Council. pp. Pages 126, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 138, 146. ISBN 0947637060.

[sunarchives-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m The Echo through the ages. Sunderland Echo. 28 November 1998. pp. Page 4. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[6] Andrew Murray-Watson (2 September 2007). "Johnston joins the digital revolution". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[circulationfig-7] "Circulation figures". Newspaper Society. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[frontpage-8] thefrontpage staff (20 March 2008). "Record traffic for Sunderland Echo website". Hold the Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[echodig-9] Cara Houchen (22 February 2008). "Echo digital". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[echo_price-10] "Your value Echo". Sunderland Echo. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[wearsideonline-11] "The Sunderland Echo". Wearside online website. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[newsmatters-12] Katy Wheeler (9 May 2008). "For the news that matters to you". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[footieecho-13] "Football Echo". Sunderland Echo. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[echoresearch-14] Simply the best!. Sunderland Echo. 21 November 2000. pp. Page 3. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[15] Footnote: These figures are a combination of ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations UK) figures and details taken from old editions of the Sunderland Echo.

[homepage-16] "Home page for the Sunderland Echo". Sunderland Echo. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[17] "Newspaper Report for the publication: Sunderland Star". The Newspaper Society. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-06.

[othernews-18] "World-Newspapers Europe UK North East". World Newspapers website. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-15.

[retro-19] "Retro". Sunderland Echo. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[20] Sarah Stoner (27 September 2007). "Your favourite photos". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[archiveechoo-21] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Echo founding fathers. Sunderland Daily Echo. 22 December 1923. pp. Page 7. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[22] Footnote reference: This version of halfpenny refers to the older currency, not the post-1971 decimal half-penny piece. According to the website Measuringworth.com, a halfpenny in 1873 had a current purchasing power of 14.5 pence

[firstchoo-23] Our promise. Sunderland Daily Echo. 22 December 1873. pp. Page 2. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[24] Footnote reference: According to the website Measuringworth.com, £3,500 in 1873 had a purchasing power equivalent to about £242,240.36 today.

[25] "Share history" (PDF). Competition Commission. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[bridgestreet-26] Rob Ford (16 June 2005). "Fond memories of the old Echo office". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-07-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[footyecho-27] Echo Sport Team (25 September 2007). "100 years of the Football Echo". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[footballlecho-28] Patrick Astill (25 September 2007). "Echo sports extra celebrates centenary". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[sunbomb-29] Carol Roberton (13 May 2005). "Hitler: his part in our town fall". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[warrechoes-30] 70 Years Old Today. Sunderland Echo. 22 December 1943. pp. Page 2. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[shieldsbomb-31] Brian Pears (2005). "Incidents 11 September, 1941 to 1 October, 1941". North-East Diary 1939-1945 website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Quote= ignored (|quote= suggested) (help)

[32] Carol Roberton (26 February 2007). "Can you help us tell Wearside's wartime tale". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[33] "1973 Cup Final". Sunderland Echo. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[echo24-34] "End of an Era as Demolition Begins at Echo Building". Echo24 website. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[35] "Echoman". Sunderland Echo. 6 August 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[titlechanges-36] Echo Sunderland Title gets Update. Sunderland Echo. 9 August 1985. pp. Page 7. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[37] Josh Brooks (September 3, 2004). "Sunderland Echo invests £5 m". Print Week website. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[38] "Northeast Press history". Shields Gazette. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[digitally-39] Martin Wainwright (3 March 2008). "Local Heroes". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[echoawards-40] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f holdthefrontpage staff (10 April 2008). "Mail and Echo sweep the board at new press awards". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[41] thefrontpage staff (18 May 2004). "Gazette scoops six in North East Press Awards". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[echopraise-42] thefrontpage staff (8 November 2006). "Echo wins praise in Parliament". Hold The Front Page website. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[govpraise-43] Sunderland Echo staff (2005). "Praise in Commons for Echo campaign". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[drugpraise-44] We've Cracked It!. Sunderland Echo. 19 April 1996. pp. Page 3. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[beamish-45] Echoes of the past for north museum. Sunderland Echo. May 1991. pp. Page 7. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[beam-46] All our yesterdays. Sunderland Echo. 10 May 1999. pp. Page 6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[horse-47] Echo horse put down after tragic injury. Sunderland Echo. 17 February 1996. pp. Page 27. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[tvshow-48] Your Echo's a star!. Sunderland Echo. 23 January 1999. pp. Page 17. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[science-49] Echo goes to Science Museum to help people to read again. Sunderland Echo. 23 March 1999. pp. Page 8. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[cordnerawards06-50] "The 2005 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards - full list". North East Press Awards. 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

[cordnerawards05-51] "Cordner Awards - 2004 Winners". North East Press Awards. 2005. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

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@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The inaugural edition of the ''Echo'' was printed in Press Lane, Sunderland on 22 December 1873; 1,000 copies were produced and sold for a [[Halfpenny (British coin)|halfpenny]] each.<ref name="oldechoo"/> The ''Echo'' survived intense competition in its early years, as well as the [[Great Depression|depression]] of the 1930s and two World Wars. The [[Second World War]], however, saw the paper change from a [[broadsheet]] to its current [[tabloid]] layout, because of national [[newsprint]] shortages.<ref name="sunarchives"/>
-The ''Echo'' is published Monday&ndash;Saturday at Echo House, [[Pennywell]] Industrial Estate, Sunderland by Northeast Press and is part of the [[Johnston Press]] group&mdash;one of the [[United Kingdom]]'s largest publishers of local and regional newspapers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/johnston-joins-the-digital-revolution-401135.html|title=Johnston joins the digital revolution|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Andrew Murray-Watson|work = The Independent |date=2 September 2007}}</ref> As of July&nbsp;2008, the paper had an average daily [[Newspaper circulation|circulation]] in excess of 40,000, with over 100,000&nbsp;readers, and a very active website.<ref name="circulationfig">{{cite web|url=http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/default.aspx?page=1921|title=Circulation figures|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=Newspaper Society |date=2007}}</ref><ref name="frontpage"/><ref name="echodig"/> It retails at 42&nbsp;[[British one penny coin|pence]].<ref name="echo price">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Your-value-Echo.3835712.jp|title=Your value Echo|accessdate=2008-07-17|publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=3 March 2008}}</ref>
+The ''Echo'' is published Monday&ndash;Saturday at Echo House, [[Pennywell]] Industrial Estate, Sunderland by Northeast Press and is part of the [[Johnston Press]] group&mdash;one of the [[United Kingdom]]'s largest publishers of local and regional newspapers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/johnston-joins-the-digital-revolution-401135.html|title=Johnston joins the digital revolution|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Andrew Murray-Watson|work = The Independent |date=2 September 2007}}</ref> As of July&nbsp;2008, the paper had an average daily [[Newspaper circulation|circulation]] in excess of 40,000, with over 100,000&nbsp;readers, and a very active website.<ref name="circulationfig">{{cite web|url=http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/default.aspx?page=1921|title=Circulation figures|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=Newspaper Society |year=2007}}</ref><ref name="frontpage"/><ref name="echodig"/> It retails at 42&nbsp;[[British one penny coin|pence]].<ref name="echo price">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Your-value-Echo.3835712.jp|title=Your value Echo|accessdate=2008-07-17|publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=3 March 2008}}</ref>
 ==General overview==
 ===Facts and figures===
 [[Image:Echooutside.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Echo'' headquarters at Echo House, Pennywell, Sunderland]]
-The ''Sunderland Echo'' is an award-winning two-edition evening newspaper, published from Monday to Saturday each week at Echo House, Pennywell, Sunderland.<ref name="wearsideonline"/> The paper has a daily circulation of 44,198, with an overall readership of 110,748.<ref name="circulationfig"/> The ''Echo'' website records over 1.7&nbsp;million page impressions each month and has more than 250,000 unique users.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="frontpage"/> The news coverage provided by the ''Echo'' focuses mainly on local events, including human interest, crime and court stories, as well as reports on the local [[Premier League]] football team, Sunderland AFC.<ref name="newsmatters">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Page-6-feature-For-the.4067225.jp|title=For the news that matters to you|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Katy Wheeler |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=9 May 2008}}</ref> During the football season, the ''Echo'' also publishes a ''Football Echo'' edition each Saturday, providing a round-up of general sporting news and football fixture results.<ref name="footieecho">{{cite web|url=http://cnb-host4.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/northeastpress?op=catalogue-products-null&prodCategoryID=13|title=Football Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=2007}}</ref>
+The ''Sunderland Echo'' is an award-winning two-edition evening newspaper, published from Monday to Saturday each week at Echo House, Pennywell, Sunderland.<ref name="wearsideonline"/> The paper has a daily circulation of 44,198, with an overall readership of 110,748.<ref name="circulationfig"/> The ''Echo'' website records over 1.7&nbsp;million page impressions each month and has more than 250,000 unique users.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="frontpage"/> The news coverage provided by the ''Echo'' focuses mainly on local events, including human interest, crime and court stories, as well as reports on the local [[Premier League]] football team, Sunderland AFC.<ref name="newsmatters">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Page-6-feature-For-the.4067225.jp|title=For the news that matters to you|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Katy Wheeler |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=9 May 2008}}</ref> During the football season, the ''Echo'' also publishes a ''Football Echo'' edition each Saturday, providing a round-up of general sporting news and football fixture results.<ref name="footieecho">{{cite web|url=http://cnb-host4.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/northeastpress?op=catalogue-products-null&prodCategoryID=13|title=Football Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |year=2007}}</ref>
-Reader profile statistics suggest that 47% of ''Echo'' readers are male, and 53% are female. The highest proportion of readers, 29%, are between the ages of 15 and 24. The second highest proportion, at 26%, are aged over 65 and the lowest, at 13%, are in the 45&ndash;54 age group.<ref name="statistics">{{cite web|url=http://www.nepress.co.uk/mediapack/mediapack.pdf|format=PDF|title=Media and marketing information|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=North East Press |date=2008}}</ref> Independent research carried out for the ''Echo'' in 2000 found readers spent an average of 33&nbsp;minutes reading the paper. The same survey showed the ''Echo'' appealed to people across the range of [[demographics]], with between 44 and 50% of people in each [[socio-economic]] grouping being regular readers.<ref name="echoresearch"/>
+Reader profile statistics suggest that 47% of ''Echo'' readers are male, and 53% are female. The highest proportion of readers, 29%, are between the ages of 15 and 24. The second highest proportion, at 26%, are aged over 65 and the lowest, at 13%, are in the 45&ndash;54 age group.<ref name="statistics">{{cite web|url=http://www.nepress.co.uk/mediapack/mediapack.pdf|format=PDF|title=Media and marketing information|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=North East Press |year=2008}}</ref> Independent research carried out for the ''Echo'' in 2000 found readers spent an average of 33&nbsp;minutes reading the paper. The same survey showed the ''Echo'' appealed to people across the range of [[demographics]], with between 44 and 50% of people in each [[socio-economic]] grouping being regular readers.<ref name="echoresearch"/>
 ===Circulation and supplements===
@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 |}
-The ''Sunderland Echo'' covers a circulation area of {{convert|20|sqmi|km2}} in North East England, which includes parts of South Tyneside and [[County Durham]], as well as the city of Sunderland. [[Whitburn, South Tyneside|Whitburn]], [[Marsden, Tyne and Wear|Marsden]] and [[The Boldons]], all to the north of Sunderland, are among the South Tyneside communities covered. [[Peterlee]], [[Horden]], [[Seaham]], [[Dawdon]], [[Murton, County Durham|Murton]] and [[Seaton, County Durham|Seaton]], to the south of Sunderland, are the main towns and villages in the East Durham circulation area. The paper is also sold in [[Washington, Tyne and Wear|Washington]], [[Burnmoor]] and [[Durham]], which are to the west of Sunderland. Villages on the outskirts of the city, including [[Houghton-le-Spring]], [[Penshaw]], [[Fencehouses]], [[Ryhope]] and [[Hetton-le-Hole]] are included in the circulation area too.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="homepage">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com|title=Home page for the Sunderland Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=2008}}</ref> The main newspaper rivals in the Sunderland and County Durham area include ''[[The Northern Echo]]'', ''[[The Journal (newspaper)|The Journal]]'', the ''[[Hartlepool Mail]]'' and the ''[[Evening Chronicle]]''. The ''Sunderland Star'', a free weekly newspaper printed by the ''Echo'', is also distributed in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsdatabase.co.uk/newspaperdetail.cfm?paperid=1012|title=Newspaper Report for the publication: Sunderland Star |accessdate=2007-03-06|publisher=The Newspaper Society|date=2007 }}</ref><ref name="othernews">{{cite web|url=http://www.world-newspapers.com/north-east.html|title=World-Newspapers Europe UK North East|accessdate=2008-07-15 |publisher=World Newspapers website |date=2008}}</ref> According to independent research conducted on behalf of the ''Echo'' in 2000, the "popularity of the ''Echo'' in Sunderland and East Durham is greater than that of all other regional newspapers put together".<ref name="echoresearch">{{cite book |title=Simply the best! |year=21 November 2000 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 3}}</ref>
+The ''Sunderland Echo'' covers a circulation area of {{convert|20|sqmi|km2}} in North East England, which includes parts of South Tyneside and [[County Durham]], as well as the city of Sunderland. [[Whitburn, South Tyneside|Whitburn]], [[Marsden, Tyne and Wear|Marsden]] and [[The Boldons]], all to the north of Sunderland, are among the South Tyneside communities covered. [[Peterlee]], [[Horden]], [[Seaham]], [[Dawdon]], [[Murton, County Durham|Murton]] and [[Seaton, County Durham|Seaton]], to the south of Sunderland, are the main towns and villages in the East Durham circulation area. The paper is also sold in [[Washington, Tyne and Wear|Washington]], [[Burnmoor]] and [[Durham]], which are to the west of Sunderland. Villages on the outskirts of the city, including [[Houghton-le-Spring]], [[Penshaw]], [[Fencehouses]], [[Ryhope]] and [[Hetton-le-Hole]] are included in the circulation area too.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="homepage">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com|title=Home page for the Sunderland Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |year=2008}}</ref> The main newspaper rivals in the Sunderland and County Durham area include ''[[The Northern Echo]]'', ''[[The Journal (newspaper)|The Journal]]'', the ''[[Hartlepool Mail]]'' and the ''[[Evening Chronicle]]''. The ''Sunderland Star'', a free weekly newspaper printed by the ''Echo'', is also distributed in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsdatabase.co.uk/newspaperdetail.cfm?paperid=1012|title=Newspaper Report for the publication: Sunderland Star |accessdate=2007-03-06|publisher=The Newspaper Society|year=2007 }}</ref><ref name="othernews">{{cite web|url=http://www.world-newspapers.com/north-east.html|title=World-Newspapers Europe UK North East|accessdate=2008-07-15 |publisher=World Newspapers website |year=2008}}</ref> According to independent research conducted on behalf of the ''Echo'' in 2000, the "popularity of the ''Echo'' in Sunderland and East Durham is greater than that of all other regional newspapers put together".<ref name="echoresearch">{{cite book |title=Simply the best! |date=21 November 2000 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 3}}</ref>
-In addition to the main newspaper, the ''Echo'' also produces a number of regular supplements and articles of specialist interest each week. These include sport and business supplements each Monday, a ''Down Your Way'' [[local news]] supplement on Tuesdays, jobs, [[Association football|junior football]] and nostalgia features on Wednesdays, an entertainment supplement, cars guide and nostalgia stories on Thursdays and a property pull-out on Fridays. The Saturday edition includes a leisure pull-out, featuring fashion, entertainment and restaurant reviews, while a local history nostalgia supplement, ''Retro'', is published once a fortnight on Mondays.<ref name="newsmatters"/><ref name="retro">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?sectionid=14647|title=Retro|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=2008}}</ref> Two nostalgia calendars, featuring old photographs of Sunderland and Seaham, are also produced each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=
+In addition to the main newspaper, the ''Echo'' also produces a number of regular supplements and articles of specialist interest each week. These include sport and business supplements each Monday, a ''Down Your Way'' [[local news]] supplement on Tuesdays, jobs, [[Association football|junior football]] and nostalgia features on Wednesdays, an entertainment supplement, cars guide and nostalgia stories on Thursdays and a property pull-out on Fridays. The Saturday edition includes a leisure pull-out, featuring fashion, entertainment and restaurant reviews, while a local history nostalgia supplement, ''Retro'', is published once a fortnight on Mondays.<ref name="newsmatters"/><ref name="retro">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?sectionid=14647|title=Retro|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |year=2008}}</ref> Two nostalgia calendars, featuring old photographs of Sunderland and Seaham, are also produced each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=
 http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Your-favourite-photographs.3237692.jp|title=Your favourite photos |accessdate=2007-03-06|author=Sarah Stoner|publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=27 September 2007 }}</ref>
 {{-}}
@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 == Early years ==
 ===Foundation===
-The first edition of the ''Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette'' was printed on 22 December 1873, on a flat-bed press in Press Lane, Sunderland.<ref name="politicaltalk">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Behind-the-scenes.1189062.jp|title=Behind the Scenes|author=Sarah Stoner|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=14 September 2005}}</ref><ref name="archiveechoo"/> Five hundred copies of the four-page issue were produced at noon and 4&nbsp;pm, and sold for a halfpenny each.<ref name="oldechoo">{{cite book |title=How the ''Echo'' came to be |year=3 April 1902 |publisher=''Sunderland Daily Echo'' |pages=Page 3 }}</ref><ref>Footnote reference: This version of ''halfpenny'' refers to the older currency, not the post-1971 [[decimal]] half-penny piece. According to the website Measuringworth.com, a halfpenny in 1873 had a current purchasing power of 14.5&nbsp;pence</ref> At present the ''Echo'' is printed on a £12&nbsp;million full-colour press, installed at its purpose-built base in Pennywell, Sunderland, in 1996. More than 44,000&nbsp;copies are printed each day, which sell for 42&nbsp;pence each.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="circulationfig"/>[[Image:firstechopic.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The first edition of the ''Echo'', published on 22 December 1873]]
+The first edition of the ''Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette'' was printed on 22 December 1873, on a flat-bed press in Press Lane, Sunderland.<ref name="politicaltalk">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Behind-the-scenes.1189062.jp|title=Behind the Scenes|author=Sarah Stoner|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |date=14 September 2005}}</ref><ref name="archiveechoo"/> Five hundred copies of the four-page issue were produced at noon and 4&nbsp;pm, and sold for a halfpenny each.<ref name="oldechoo">{{cite book |title=How the ''Echo'' came to be |date=3 April 1902 |publisher=''Sunderland Daily Echo'' |pages=Page 3 }}</ref><ref>Footnote reference: This version of ''halfpenny'' refers to the older currency, not the post-1971 [[decimal]] half-penny piece. According to the website Measuringworth.com, a halfpenny in 1873 had a current purchasing power of 14.5&nbsp;pence</ref> At present the ''Echo'' is printed on a £12&nbsp;million full-colour press, installed at its purpose-built base in Pennywell, Sunderland, in 1996. More than 44,000&nbsp;copies are printed each day, which sell for 42&nbsp;pence each.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="circulationfig"/>[[Image:firstechopic.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The first edition of the ''Echo'', published on 22 December 1873]]
-Samuel Storey, a former teacher and future Sunderland mayor and [[Member of Parliament]], founded the paper to provide a platform for his political views and to fill a gap in the newspaper market.<ref name="politicaltalk"/><ref name="riverpeople">{{cite book |title=Sunderland: River, Town and People|author=Stuart Miller|year=1990 |publisher=Borough of Sunderland Council |pages=Pages 126, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 138, 146|isbn=0947637060}}</ref> Although the 100,000-strong population of Sunderland was already served by two weekly newspapers&mdash;''The Sunderland Times'' and ''The Sunderland Herald''&mdash;neither reflected the radical views held by Storey and his partners and there were no daily papers in the town.<ref name="wearsideonline">{{cite web|url=http://www.wearsideonline.com/sunderland_echo.html|title=The Sunderland Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=Wearside online website |date=2007}}</ref> Storey promised readers in the first edition that, if things went wrong, "the ''Echo'' would try its best to put them right". But he added: "Always with moderation and without esteeming all those who oppose us as fools and knaves."<ref name="firstchoo">{{cite book |title=Our promise |year=22 December 1873 |publisher=''Sunderland Daily Echo'' |pages=Page 2 }}</ref> Early copies of the ''Echo'' included lengthy reports of [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] meetings, and critical articles on Liberal opponents.<ref name="oldechoo"/><ref name="politicaltalk"/><ref name="riverpeople"/>
+Samuel Storey, a former teacher and future Sunderland mayor and [[Member of Parliament]], founded the paper to provide a platform for his political views and to fill a gap in the newspaper market.<ref name="politicaltalk"/><ref name="riverpeople">{{cite book |title=Sunderland: River, Town and People|author=Stuart Miller|year=1990 |publisher=Borough of Sunderland Council |pages=Pages 126, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 138, 146|isbn=0947637060}}</ref> Although the 100,000-strong population of Sunderland was already served by two weekly newspapers&mdash;''The Sunderland Times'' and ''The Sunderland Herald''&mdash;neither reflected the radical views held by Storey and his partners and there were no daily papers in the town.<ref name="wearsideonline">{{cite web|url=http://www.wearsideonline.com/sunderland_echo.html|title=The Sunderland Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=Wearside online website |year=2007}}</ref> Storey promised readers in the first edition that, if things went wrong, "the ''Echo'' would try its best to put them right". But he added: "Always with moderation and without esteeming all those who oppose us as fools and knaves."<ref name="firstchoo">{{cite book |title=Our promise |date=22 December 1873 |publisher=''Sunderland Daily Echo'' |pages=Page 2 }}</ref> Early copies of the ''Echo'' included lengthy reports of [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] meetings, and critical articles on Liberal opponents.<ref name="oldechoo"/><ref name="politicaltalk"/><ref name="riverpeople"/>
-The ''Sunderland Echo'' was launched with an initial investment of £3,500, raised by donations of £500 each from Storey and his business partners.<ref name="riverpeople"/><ref>Footnote reference: According to the website Measuringworth.com, £3,500 in 1873 had a purchasing power equivalent to about £242,240.36 today.</ref> Those joining the venture were [[Quaker]] banker Edward Backhouse, [[shipbroker]] and MP Edward Temperley Gourley, [[shipbuilder]] and MP Sir Charles Palmer, newspaper editor Richard Ruddock, rope-maker Thomas Glaholm and draper Thomas Scott Turnbull.<ref name="oldechoo"/> Lack of experience&mdash;only Ruddock had previous knowledge of newspaper management&mdash;and over-optimistic estimates of costs meant that the initial funds were quickly exhausted.<ref name="riverpeople"/><ref name="archiveechoo">{{cite book |title=Echo founding fathers |year=22 December 1923 |publisher=''Sunderland Daily Echo'' |pages=Page 7 }}</ref><ref name="wearsideonline"/> Storey later admitted: "In our childlike, simple ways, we thought this might be sufficient, but in a few months all the money was gone, so we paid in another £3,500 and that soon went too."<ref name="archiveechoo"/> As the prospect of any great financial success receded, Ruddock, Gourley and Palmer withdrew from the project. Storey, however, remained dedicated to the idea, and took on their shares.<ref name="oldechoo"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.competition-commission.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1999/fulltext/428c3.pdf|format=PDF|title=Share history|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=Competition Commission |date=2007}}</ref> A further £7,000 in investment from Storey enabled the remaining partners to abandon the "wheezing flat-bed press"<ref name="archiveechoo"/> and, in July 1876, the ''Echo'' moved to new premises at 14&nbsp;Bridge Street, Sunderland.<ref name="oldechoo"/>
+The ''Sunderland Echo'' was launched with an initial investment of £3,500, raised by donations of £500 each from Storey and his business partners.<ref name="riverpeople"/><ref>Footnote reference: According to the website Measuringworth.com, £3,500 in 1873 had a purchasing power equivalent to about £242,240.36 today.</ref> Those joining the venture were [[Quaker]] banker Edward Backhouse, [[shipbroker]] and MP Edward Temperley Gourley, [[shipbuilder]] and MP Sir Charles Palmer, newspaper editor Richard Ruddock, rope-maker Thomas Glaholm and draper Thomas Scott Turnbull.<ref name="oldechoo"/> Lack of experience&mdash;only Ruddock had previous knowledge of newspaper management&mdash;and over-optimistic estimates of costs meant that the initial funds were quickly exhausted.<ref name="riverpeople"/><ref name="archiveechoo">{{cite book |title=Echo founding fathers |date=22 December 1923 |publisher=''Sunderland Daily Echo'' |pages=Page 7 }}</ref><ref name="wearsideonline"/> Storey later admitted: "In our childlike, simple ways, we thought this might be sufficient, but in a few months all the money was gone, so we paid in another £3,500 and that soon went too."<ref name="archiveechoo"/> As the prospect of any great financial success receded, Ruddock, Gourley and Palmer withdrew from the project. Storey, however, remained dedicated to the idea, and took on their shares.<ref name="oldechoo"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.competition-commission.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1999/fulltext/428c3.pdf|format=PDF|title=Share history|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=Competition Commission |year=2007}}</ref> A further £7,000 in investment from Storey enabled the remaining partners to abandon the "wheezing flat-bed press"<ref name="archiveechoo"/> and, in July 1876, the ''Echo'' moved to new premises at 14&nbsp;Bridge Street, Sunderland.<ref name="oldechoo"/>
 ===Bridge Street===
@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 ==20th century==
 ===Consolidation===
-The new century saw the ''Echo'' falling behind the times in its production methods. Established as a "leading daily newspaper",<ref name="oldechoo"/> it was one of the last to still be setting type by hand in 1900.<ref name="archiveechoo"/> This changed in 1902, when [[Linotype machine|Linotype]] lead-setting machines were brought in to set type mechanically.<ref name="sunarchives">{{cite book |title=The Echo through the ages |year=28 November 1998 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 4 }}</ref> A landslide victory for the Liberal Party followed at the 1906 [[United Kingdom general election, 1906|General Election]], which heralded a new era for the ''Echo''. The paper's old rival, the ''Sunderland Daily Post'', was discontinued six months later, and the ''Football Echo'' was launched on 7 September 1907.<ref name="politicaltalk"/><ref name="footyecho">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/we-need-you/100-years-of-the-Football.3230196.jp|title=100 years of the Football Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Echo Sport Team |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=25 September 2007}}</ref><ref name="footballlecho">{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/2007/09sep/070928sun.shtml|title=Echo sports extra celebrates centenary|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Patrick Astill |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=25 September 2007}}</ref>[[Image:Echo001.jpg|thumb|left|The pre-war days of hot metal newspaper production at the ''Echo'']]
+The new century saw the ''Echo'' falling behind the times in its production methods. Established as a "leading daily newspaper",<ref name="oldechoo"/> it was one of the last to still be setting type by hand in 1900.<ref name="archiveechoo"/> This changed in 1902, when [[Linotype machine|Linotype]] lead-setting machines were brought in to set type mechanically.<ref name="sunarchives">{{cite book |title=The Echo through the ages |date=28 November 1998 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 4 }}</ref> A landslide victory for the Liberal Party followed at the 1906 [[United Kingdom general election, 1906|General Election]], which heralded a new era for the ''Echo''. The paper's old rival, the ''Sunderland Daily Post'', was discontinued six months later, and the ''Football Echo'' was launched on 7 September 1907.<ref name="politicaltalk"/><ref name="footyecho">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/we-need-you/100-years-of-the-Football.3230196.jp|title=100 years of the Football Echo|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Echo Sport Team |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=25 September 2007}}</ref><ref name="footballlecho">{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/2007/09sep/070928sun.shtml|title=Echo sports extra celebrates centenary|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Patrick Astill |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=25 September 2007}}</ref>[[Image:Echo001.jpg|thumb|left|The pre-war days of hot metal newspaper production at the ''Echo'']]
 The [[First World War]] brought its own difficulties for the ''Echo''. Reporters went off to battle and, after the cost of [[newsprint]] soared, the paper was forced to double in price to a [[British one penny coin (pre-decimal)|penny]].<ref name="archiveechoo"/> The ''Echo'''s 50th anniversary in 1923 was marked by a visit from company chairman Samuel Storey. Storey died two years later, three months after his eldest son Fred, and the chairmanship passed to another Samuel&mdash;Fred's elder son. In the same year, plans were laid to improve the Bridge Street premises. The work included enlarging the printing works and was completed by the end of the 1920s.<ref name="sunarchives"/>
@@ Line 109: / Line 109: @@
 ===Second World War===
 [[Image:Echoprint.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The ''Echo'' press in the 1960s]]
-The Second World War brought havoc to [[Wearside]], with Sunderland one of the seven most heavily bombed towns in the country.<ref name="sunbomb">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Hitler-his-part-in-our.1026657.jp|title=Hitler: his part in our town fall|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Carol Roberton |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=13 May 2005 }}</ref> Despite the heavy shelling of the North East coast and [[River Wear]], the ''Echo'' offices and printing plant escaped undamaged. The ''Shields Gazette'', the ''Echo's'' nearest rival, was not as fortunate. Its premises in Chapter Row, [[South Shields]], were bombed in September 1941 and, under an emergency wartime arrangement, the paper was printed on the ''Echo'' presses.<ref name="warrechoes"/><ref name="shieldsbomb">{{cite web|url=http://www.ne-diary.bpears.org.uk/Inc/ISeq_23.html|title=Incidents 11 September, 1941 to 1 October, 1941|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Brian Pears |publisher=North-East Diary 1939-1945 website|date=2005|Quote="The Shields Gazette Offices and Printing Works received a direct hit by heavy calibre bombs, the whole printing department and part of the offices were wrecked." }}</ref> The ''Echo'' continued to be published throughout the war, despite paper [[rationing]], a lack of reporters and a strict [[censorship]] of photographs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/wearside-echoes/Can-you-help-us-tell.2077628.jp|title=Can you help us tell Wearside's wartime tale|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Carol Roberton |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=26 February 2007}}</ref> The war did have one major impact on the ''Echo''&mdash;in the form of its size. Wartime restrictions on newsprint reduced the former broadsheet to its present tabloid size, and this style has been retained ever since.<ref name="sunarchives"/><ref name="warrechoes">{{cite book |title=70 Years Old Today |year=22 December 1943 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 2}}</ref>
+The Second World War brought havoc to [[Wearside]], with Sunderland one of the seven most heavily bombed towns in the country.<ref name="sunbomb">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Hitler-his-part-in-our.1026657.jp|title=Hitler: his part in our town fall|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Carol Roberton |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=13 May 2005 }}</ref> Despite the heavy shelling of the North East coast and [[River Wear]], the ''Echo'' offices and printing plant escaped undamaged. The ''Shields Gazette'', the ''Echo's'' nearest rival, was not as fortunate. Its premises in Chapter Row, [[South Shields]], were bombed in September 1941 and, under an emergency wartime arrangement, the paper was printed on the ''Echo'' presses.<ref name="warrechoes"/><ref name="shieldsbomb">{{cite web|url=http://www.ne-diary.bpears.org.uk/Inc/ISeq_23.html|title=Incidents 11 September, 1941 to 1 October, 1941|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Brian Pears |publisher=North-East Diary 1939-1945 website|year=2005|Quote="The Shields Gazette Offices and Printing Works received a direct hit by heavy calibre bombs, the whole printing department and part of the offices were wrecked." }}</ref> The ''Echo'' continued to be published throughout the war, despite paper [[rationing]], a lack of reporters and a strict [[censorship]] of photographs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/wearside-echoes/Can-you-help-us-tell.2077628.jp|title=Can you help us tell Wearside's wartime tale|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Carol Roberton |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=26 February 2007}}</ref> The war did have one major impact on the ''Echo''&mdash;in the form of its size. Wartime restrictions on newsprint reduced the former broadsheet to its present tabloid size, and this style has been retained ever since.<ref name="sunarchives"/><ref name="warrechoes">{{cite book |title=70 Years Old Today |date=22 December 1943 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 2}}</ref>
 ===Post-war changes and centenary===
@@ Line 128: / Line 128: @@
 The 1990s saw the ''Echo'' take a huge technological leap forward when a £12&nbsp;million printing press was installed. It was used for the first time in December 1996 and was capable of printing up to 70,000&nbsp;newspapers an hour. The press was part of a multi-million pound revamp, which also saw journalists making up full news pages on computer screens for the first time. The ''Echo'''s first [[internet]] news service was also launched in 1996.<ref name="sunarchives"/> A further £5&nbsp;million was spent on updating the pre-press and press hall area in 2004, to improve printing quality and speed of production.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.printweek.com/news/450779/Sunderland-Echo-invests-5&nbsp;m/|title=Sunderland Echo invests £5&nbsp;m|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Josh Brooks|publisher=Print Week website|date=September 3, 2004}}</ref>
-The ''Echo'' was still part of Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers until the end of the 1990s, although printed by Northeast Press, a subsidiary of the main company. However, the last link to the original founder, Samuel Storey, disappeared in 1999, when Johnston Press took over the business in May that year. The ''Sunderland Echo'' is still published by Northeast Press, although Johnston Press&mdash;the nation's second largest regional publisher&mdash;now owns the whole company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shieldsgazette.com/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?sectionid=6602|title=Northeast Press history|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Shields Gazette''|date=2007}}</ref>
+The ''Echo'' was still part of Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers until the end of the 1990s, although printed by Northeast Press, a subsidiary of the main company. However, the last link to the original founder, Samuel Storey, disappeared in 1999, when Johnston Press took over the business in May that year. The ''Sunderland Echo'' is still published by Northeast Press, although Johnston Press&mdash;the nation's second largest regional publisher&mdash;now owns the whole company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shieldsgazette.com/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?sectionid=6602|title=Northeast Press history|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=''Shields Gazette''|year=2007}}</ref>
 [[Image:echodig.jpg|thumb|left|''Echo'' digital journalists at work]]
@@ Line 140: / Line 140: @@
 [[Image:echoofficebeamish.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Sir Richard Storey opens the '' Echo'' exhibit at Beamish]]{{seealso|Beamish Museum}}
-The ''Echo'' has won numerous accolades, as well as [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|government]] praise, for its campaigning journalism, specialist writing, community work, photographic images and appeals for good causes over the decades.<ref name="echoawards">{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/awards/080410northeast.shtml|title=Mail and Echo sweep the board at new press awards|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=holdthefrontpage staff |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=10&nbsp;April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/awards/040518cord.shtml|title=Gazette scoops six in North East Press Awards|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=holdthefrontpage staff |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=18&nbsp;May 2004}}</ref> Examples of notable writing include a 2006 campaign highlighting the threat posed by bogus callers to the elderly and a 2005 campaign to protect 999 crews from being attacked on duty, which both received official praise in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref name="echopraise">{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/campaigns/2006/11nov/061108bog.shtml|title=Echo wins praise in Parliament|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=holdthefrontpage staff |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=8&nbsp;November 2006}}</ref><ref name="govpraise">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Praise-in-Commons-for-Echo.1973152.jp|title=Praise in Commons for Echo campaign|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Sunderland Echo staff |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|date=2005}}</ref> A 1996 drug education campaign, which included the creation of a telephone service for tip-offs about suspected local drug dealers, was also highly praised. The ''Newspaper Society'' named the ''Echo'' as its Campaigning Newspaper of the Year for the ''Drug Busters'' drive, and the campaign also won an award from the ''International Newspaper Marketing Association''.<ref name="drugpraise">{{cite book |title=We've Cracked It! |year=19&nbsp;April 1996 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 3}}</ref>
+The ''Echo'' has won numerous accolades, as well as [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|government]] praise, for its campaigning journalism, specialist writing, community work, photographic images and appeals for good causes over the decades.<ref name="echoawards">{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/awards/080410northeast.shtml|title=Mail and Echo sweep the board at new press awards|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=holdthefrontpage staff |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=10&nbsp;April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/awards/040518cord.shtml|title=Gazette scoops six in North East Press Awards|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=holdthefrontpage staff |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=18&nbsp;May 2004}}</ref> Examples of notable writing include a 2006 campaign highlighting the threat posed by bogus callers to the elderly and a 2005 campaign to protect 999 crews from being attacked on duty, which both received official praise in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref name="echopraise">{{cite web|url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/campaigns/2006/11nov/061108bog.shtml|title=Echo wins praise in Parliament|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=holdthefrontpage staff |publisher=Hold The Front Page website|date=8&nbsp;November 2006}}</ref><ref name="govpraise">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Praise-in-Commons-for-Echo.1973152.jp|title=Praise in Commons for Echo campaign|accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Sunderland Echo staff |publisher=''Sunderland Echo''|year=2005}}</ref> A 1996 drug education campaign, which included the creation of a telephone service for tip-offs about suspected local drug dealers, was also highly praised. The ''Newspaper Society'' named the ''Echo'' as its Campaigning Newspaper of the Year for the ''Drug Busters'' drive, and the campaign also won an award from the ''International Newspaper Marketing Association''.<ref name="drugpraise">{{cite book |title=We've Cracked It! |year=19&nbsp;April 1996 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 3}}</ref>
 In the 135&nbsp;years of its existence, the ''Echo'' has become part of the culture of the North East of England and a replica branch office of the ''Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette'' was built at the open air [[Beamish Museum]] in County Durham in 1991.<ref name="beamish">{{cite book |title=Echoes of the past for north museum|year=&nbsp;May 1991 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 7 }}</ref> Designed to show visitors how the newspaper would have operated in around 1913, the life-size exhibit includes a distribution office, reporter's office, stationary shop and fully working printing press.<ref name="beam">{{cite book |title=All our yesterdays |year=10&nbsp;May 1999 |publisher=''Sunderland Echo'' |pages=Page 6 }}</ref> The replica office took museum staff several months to research and create, and was opened by Sir Richard Storey, great-grandson of ''Echo'' founder Samuel Storey, on 10&nbsp;May 1991.<ref name="beamish"/>
@@ Line 180: / Line 180: @@
 |-
 | The 2005/06 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards<ref name="cordnerawards06">{{cite web|url=http://www.northeastpressawards.org.uk/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/591/1716/5467|title=The 2005 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards - full list
-|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=North East Press Awards |date=2006}}</ref>
+|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=North East Press Awards |year=2006}}</ref>
 | Tom Cordner Quill: Trainee journalist of the Year
 | Bethany Usher
@@ Line 195: / Line 195: @@
 | Best community stories reporting portfolio
 |-
-| The 2004/05 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards<ref name="cordnerawards05">{{cite web|url=http://www.northeastpressawards.org.uk/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/591/1716/4937|title=Cordner Awards - 2004 Winners|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=North East Press Awards |date=2005}}</ref>
+| The 2004/05 Tom Cordner North East Press Awards<ref name="cordnerawards05">{{cite web|url=http://www.northeastpressawards.org.uk/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/591/1716/4937|title=Cordner Awards - 2004 Winners|accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher=North East Press Awards |year=2005}}</ref>
 | Consumer Affairs Prize
 | Andrea Thurlbeck
@@ Line 231: / Line 231: @@
 {{featured article}}
 [[Category:Newspapers published in England]]
 [[Category:Tyne and Wear]]