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Newsquest Media Sales has signed up its first independent client,

the Berks and Bucks Observer Group, which publishes five weeklies in the

Thames Valley.

The new client, part of Clyde & Forth Press, includes the paid-for

Slough & Langley Observer, the Berks & Bucks Observer and the Windsor &

Maidenhead Observer. It was previously represented nationally by CN.

Newsquest has 33 local newspapers in Greater London, including

neighbouring titles such as the Bucks Free Press, the South Bucks Star,

the Staines Guardian and the Kingston Guardian.

Newsquest Media Sales’ managing director Gary McNish said: ’The Berks

and Bucks Group leads the M4 ’Golden Triangle’ market, which is

important to national advertisers and slots into our sales package

perfectly.’

McNish said he had turned down independent clients in the past because

they might distract his team from their efforts to sell Newsquest

titles, but this represented an easy geographic fit into his

portfolio.

Berks and Bucks’ operations director Amanda Gee said: ’CN did a good job

for four years but the move should give national clients an easier route

to our titles.’

Newsquest formally takes on the new business from 1 February and on the

same day it is relaunching its website newsquestmedia.co.uk.

The revamped site promises to be the most comprehensive of all national

sales websites. It will feature maps showing the geographic coverage of

Newsquest’s 186 titles, with package opportunities and mechanical data

for each title.

The site will also carry readership data by postcode and drive times,

which is vital for retailers to assess the size of the catchment

area.

There will not be an immediate facility for advertisers to make online

bookings, although this technology is being tested by Newsquest, as is

the downloading of bookings to its own publishers.

Newsquest is also seeking two sales executives for its new-business

unit, which is headed by business development manager Julie Williams.