Pink Paper update

After 25 years of bringing news to the UK LGBT community, the sad news that the Pink Paper is no longer to update its website, was announced this week.

Media director Kim Watson of Pink Paper publishers MPL commented: “With a hardening economy, diminished job advertising and increasing global online news services covering similar stories, it has become harder to justify continuance of this award-winning website as part of our publishing portfolio.

“We have chosen instead to focus our energies on our main print and digital brands GT (Gay Times) and DIVA. We thank the community, staff, advertisers and especially our readers for their support over the years and hope they will find the same valuable support and information from GT and DIVA in future.”

Pink Paper was launched in print format as a weekly lesbian and gay newspaper in 1987. Distributed free at scene venues, it quickly became a community mainstay, reporting major national stories such as the campaigns against Section 28 and for civil partnership as well as local news. It also carried interviews, arts reviews, comic strips, listings, job adverts and personals.

Over the years it was to go through many different incarnations, including a brief period as a paid-for newsstand magazine.

Owned by Millivres Prowler Ltd who acquired Pink Paper in 2005 the publication’s financial backbone of recruitment, housing and display advertising slumped due to the recession, Pink Paper suspended its fortnightly print and distribution schedule on 25 June 2009, turning its entire content over to the website at PinkPaper.com.

In January of this year, PinkPaper.com, along with sister site divamag.co.uk, was awarded the Net Observer Excellence award for visitor satisfaction.

DIVA and GT will continue to update the LGBT community with relevant news content.

Published: 20-Sep-2012: (1525)