Headline of the month victory for Wembley and Kingsbury Times

Posted by Axegrinder on 8 December 2009 at 10:26
Tags: Headline of the month, Headlline of the month

This month’s headline of the month postbag included an eclectic bunch of offerings. Here are Axegrinder’s favourites:

The Times

Story: Andrew Billen’s review of a warts-and-all BBC biopic of the Enid Blyton starring Helena Bonham-Carter.

Headline: BLIGHT ON ENID

Venue (Bristol what’s on guide)
Story: Kate Macleod tries out the latest health craze to his Bristol – Bikram Yoga.

Headline: BEND IT LIKE BIKRAM

The Times

Story: Matt Rudd tries out an iPhone app that tells you the value of a house by pointing your phone at it.

Headlines: PRICE ON APPLICATION

But this month’s winner is from the Archant-owned Wembley and Kingsbury Times.

Story: A shop owner in Kingsbury has been fined for selling fake Durex condoms.

Headline: JOHNNY ROTTEN.

Thanks to sub editor and reporter Lorraine King for nominating this one and for sports editor Ben Pearce for coming up with the headline.

A bottle of Jura Single malt whisky is its way to you both: Happy Christmas!

The deadline for entries for the January edition is fast approaching, we need them in please by next Wednesday.

Email nominations to pged@pressgazette.co.uk.

Headline heroes: The shortlist and winner for headline of the month

Posted by Axegrinder on 9 October 2009 at 15:05
Tags: Headline of the month, Headlline of the month

Competition is hotting up in Press Gazette’s relaunched Headline of the Month competition, sponsored by Jura single malt whisky.

This month’s contenders were:

Story: A farmer has been given £500,000 to clean up the country air turning pig muck into electricity.

Headline in Metro:

And this little piggy went to spark it.

Story: Alan Duncan is sacked from the Shadow Cabinet after claiming MPs were living “on rations”.

Headline in The Sun:

Dave’s dunked Duncan donut.

Story: A man was jailed for “pleasuring himself” with a muck-spreader.

Headline in The Sun:

You can’t slurry love

Story: Germans and Austrians claim they are not getting enough beans in the cans of Heinz baked beans.

Headline in Metro:

Mean beanz, Heinz!

Story: About the things people leave behind in hotel bedrooms when they check out – including a dog.

Headline in the Daily Echo, Bournemouth:

Left be-hound.

Story: Schools give pupils chocolates to ease their exam nerves.

Headline in The Sun

Exam smarties.

The winner is…And this little piggy went to spark it, written by Metro Scotland editor Kie Miskelly who will receive a bottle of Jura single malt whisky.

The deadline for nominations in the November competition is 23 October.

Thelondonpaper subs taste the whisky of victory

Posted by Axegrinder on 9 September 2009 at 09:05
Tags: Headlline of the month, sub-editors

Some good news for journalists at News International’s doomed free London daily thelondonpaper - which is set to close later this month.

The craft on display on the subbing team has been recognised by the judges of Press Gazette’s revived headline of the month competition. And a bottle of Jura single malt whisky is on its way to them courtesy of our sponsors - and to Francis Harvey, who nominated them.

The final shortlist included:

SHE DOES MORE HARMAN GOOD, the Daily Mirror - on deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman’s short stint in charge of the country this summer.

LONG ARM OF THE DRAW, The Sun - for the story which revealed how a retired art teacher ensured her mugger was tracked down by police after she drew a portrait of him.

WE KICKED THEIR ASHES, The Sun - on England’s cricket victory over Australia.

Thelondonpaper’s subs won out, with extra marks for performance in the face of adversity, for:

WEISZ AFTER THE EVENT, after actress Rachael Weisz won rave reviews for her performance in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse.

The deadline for entries to headline of the month is 22 September.

The sub who writes the winning headline, and the person who nominates them, will both receive a bottle of single malt whisky. The winners also go into the headline of the year draw, with the winner receiving an exclusive holiday on the Isle of Jura.