The Oxford Times

Celebrating the title’s 160th year in circulation, The Oxford Times had a brilliant 12 months cementing its position as one of the UK’s strongest weekly titles. A quality product which leads the agenda locally – and often nationally – it’s been at the centre of some of Oxford’s biggest talking points in 2023, with the politics and opinion coverage in particular head and shoulders above its peers. With an eye-catching, yet traditional design, the upmarket print-only weekly has gone from strength-to-strength and continues to represent one of Newsquest’s best sales performers. Boasting strong news – particularly across politics, health and education – sports, opinions, events, property, entertainment, features and a brilliant ‘Weekend’ supplement, the Times has also thrived this year with hard-hitting scoops. Investigations have included uncovering the true scale of A&E waiting times, the impact of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods on 999 response times and the hidden costs of some of the council’s hugely controversial transport overhaul schemes. The title has a strong average pagination between 80 and 96 and one of the UK’s best sales records. To be the best in the community is always our aim, with our quality content second to none in the marketplace. From a wide variety of news and features to insightful investigations, we offer a huge range for readers. Efforts with campaigning and investigations has been met with the biggest success, resulting in higher engagement levels and securing our place as the trusted news brand for our community. The Times team prides itself on exclusive content – from news stories investigated and uncovered to celebrity interviews being regularly featured. Some of the biggest stories this year have included news of major housing developments, exclusives on school staffing crises and the fallout – which sparked UK-wide interest – from Professor Kathleen Stock speaking at the Oxford Union. Our submissions showcase our biggest and best editions and stories of the year. To support The Oxford Times entry, we have submitted three editions which highlight the quality and depth of our coverage: - May 11: A bumper edition packed full of news insight. The splash had exclusive news on the fallout of the Oxford Union storm. Elsewhere, we had a special report on local elections, coverage across 11 pages – including an 8-page local souvenir pull-out – on the Coronation and a series of exclusives including police reaction to unenforceable 20mph speed limits and shocking fuel poverty statistics. There was a strong mix of content throughout. - August 10: Our FOI investigation revealed the shocking reality of A&E waiting times across the county leaving one MP to admit it was ‘splitting at the seams’ amid ongoing pressures. - August 24: Another well-rounded example of the typical work done week-in, week-out: A-Level results special, strong news stories and presentation throughout, a vibrant Weekend supplement and weighty opinion/letters sections. *Note: PDF attachments to this entry are low-resolution due to the file size limits. I assure you that picture quality was better and hi-res can be shared if required.