BerkshireLive editor Lucy Thorne will take responsibility for the new site.
Sports coverage, including Wycombe Wanderers, newly promoted to football’s Championship, will be provided by Reach’s new sports vertical team.
David Bartlett, Audience and Content Director for Reach’s Live digital brands in London and the South East, said: “Our audience growth in the South East is among the fastest in the country, and we’re delighted to be launching a site in Buckinghamshire.
“We’re looking to recruit people with a real passion for the area. The site will be covering breaking news and all that’s brilliant about living and working in Bucks.”
Reach has been expanding rapidly in the South East and South of England this year. In March, just days before lockdown, HertsLive launched in neighbouring Hertfordshire, while in June, Reach launched HampshireLive and SussexLive, both of which are now recruiting for permanent teams.
Reach has also seen a 69% year on year growth in readers of MyLondon, its news and what’s on site for the capital, while KentLive is recognised by Comscore as the 8th largest local news site in the UK, says Reach.
The South East is currently the company’s fastest growing region for both loyal readers and page views, according to internal data.
David Higgerson, chief audience officer at Reach, said: “We try to blend the news people want to read with the news we feel they need to read to be informed locally.
“That principle of listening to what readers say they want, and then suggesting other things they might be interested in, has helped us to reach new audiences in new parts of the country, and help ensure local news is read by more people than ever before.
“Our teams across the South East are setting the standard for local news in the UK by writing stories people want to read and sharing important information in a way which ensures it is read by as many people as possible.”
