The site will act as a daily companion to life in Scotland’s capital city, covering crime, traffic and travel, jobs, property, food and drink, nightlife, family activities, humour and football, with a dedicated sports reporter covering Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian FC and Edinburgh City FC.
It’s the latest Live launch from Reach PLC, following on from standalone digital brands in Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Leeds.
The launch team comprises five journalists: Editor Hilary Mitchell, formerly Scotland Editor for BuzzFeed UK, Digital Sports Journalist Ross Pilcher, formerly freelance sports reporter for Edinburgh Evening News, Trainee Digital Journalist Claire Galloway, who previously worked for Scottish Field magazine, Digital Journalist Robert Fairnie, formerly a reporter for Reach PLC title the Stirling Observer, and Digital Journalist Neil Pooran, formerly a reporter for STV News.
The site will be staffed from 7am every day, and daily coverage will start with a live blog of traffic and travel news, designed to help the people of Edinburgh get to work safely.
Hilary said: “Edinburgh Live will also be covering the courts as well as reporting on crime, but will also showcase the best of Edinburgh; with sections that cover excellent restaurants and bars, cool events, fun things to do and new schemes designed to benefit local people, like the upcoming Serco-sponsored bike hire program.
“Edinburgh Live will be a one-stop shop for everything that’s happening in the capital.
“Sports coverage is a priority, with plans to liveblog Hearts and Hibs matches and also cover local and national rugby, with help from excellent rugby website The Offside Line.”
Edinburgh Live has a dedicated Facebook page for sport, called (unsurprisingly) Edinburgh Live Sport. Edinburgh Live’s approach to sport will be fan-focused, and draw on expertise and best practice from the wider Reach PLC group.
Hilary added: “Edinburgh Live will harness the latest digital storytelling techniques to make sure every angle of a story is covered to the full, using video, galleries, interactive maps and much more besides.
“It’s a modern, dynamic digital newsroom with no political agenda or bias. Edinburgh Live is an independent voice with no editorial constraints.”
Edinburgh Live’s main Facebook page already has 15,000 likes, and an engaged audience in the 18–35 age bracket. That audience is steadily growing all the time, say the publishers.
Using polls, comments, and social media, Edinburgh Live will also invite comment and feedback from readers; encouraging a two-way relationship with their audience.
Hilary added: “Edinburgh Live already receives great local tips through its Facebook page and associated Facebook group (Edinburgh Life), and has plans to launch additional Facebook groups in future.”
For David Dick, Editor-in-chief (Nationals and Digital) at Media Scotland, it’s the second such city website he has overseen in Scotland, having led the launch of Glasgow Live.
He said: “Edinburgh Live is an exciting addition to Media Scotland’s digital portfolio.
“Glasgow Live launched two and a half years ago and has firmly established itself as the city’s number one site for news and entertainment.
“We have recruited a fantastic team in Edinburgh and we are confident the site will be a great addition to daily life in Scotland’s capital city.”
