Rochdale Online and Oldham Chronicle join forces

Oldham and Rochdale have combined to create a new force in online news and website development.

Rochdale Online, the town’s popular news and information website, will develop the neighbouring Oldham Evening Chronicle’s new website - and the Chronicle has become co-owner of Rochdale Online.

“The Chronicle’s website has been around for about eight years. It’s popular - we’ve clocked up over 6,000,000 visitors in that time - but it’s definitely showing its age,” said Philip Hirst, managing director of Hirst, Kidd and Rennie Ltd, which owns the Oldham Evening Chronicle and the free Chronicle Weekend.

“In choosing a company to help us redevelop the site, we wanted to think local – and we’ve found an excellent partner in Rochdale Online, which has had a big impact on the web scene just next door to Oldham.”

“It has developed a very popular site of its own in which the viewers play a big role, and we hope that we can follow this path in Oldham, providing more interactivity with our readers, viewers and advertisers, as well as a wonderful news service.

“From an advertising point of view, the combination of daily and free Oldham newspapers, the online E-Chron and the new website will be unique, not to mention the Chronicle’s radio station, 96.2 The Revolution – that kind of package is an advertiser’s dream, delivering a big tranche of the borough’s population.

“We’ve also become a co-owner of Rochdale Online because we believe the company has great potential to develop its web portals further and provide excellent website solutions to its advertisers and customers.”

It’s also the marriage of old and new. While the Chronicle celebrates its 155th birthday this month, Rochdale Online has grown out of a small website started by Chairman Malcolm Journeaux 10 years ago.

The Rochdale Online website has seen a massive expansion since then. The site now has thousands of pages of local interest and information, and is constantly maintained and updated to ensure the site remains Rochdale's definitive website.

Rochdale Online's in-house web development team developed and maintains the site and after a year's work, March, 2008, saw the launch of the completely redeveloped Rochdale Online website.

Rochdale Online also has an impressive portfolio of over 100 corporate clients whose websites have been developed and are maintained by the company.

Said Malcolm Journeaux: “I am delighted that Rochdale Online is now co-owned by such a well established and reputable company with a long tradition in media production, this can only strengthen the appeal of our products and services to potential clients; having the expertise of Philip Hirst on the Board is also a major plus and I very much look forward to his contribution to our strategic aims.

Date article online: 06/05/2008