THERE is a school of thought that says bad news helps to sell newspapers. What I am about to tell you will test that theory.

The price of the Weekend edition of The Northern Echo goes up from today by 10p. The price on weekdays will not increase.

That means that you can still buy the bumper Weekend edition of the Echo, which is packed with news, features and sport, for less than the price of a cup of coffee. 

I feel it is important that, as the paper’s editor, I explain why the price rise has been necessary.

Advertising revenues, which have been the foundation of the newspaper business for generations, have declined significantly in recent years and that trend is continuing in the midst of fierce competition from social media businesses and the revolution which has taken place in the way in which we all consume news.

We are always extremely reluctant to increase the price of any of our titles but to deliver the high quality content which we know you value we have had to implement this modest rise.

If the price increase is the bad news, the good news is that The Northern Echo continues to be the number one newspaper for readers in the North-East and North Yorkshire who value its unique blend of local, regional and national news, nostalgia, comment, arts, culture and sport.

By continuing to buy the Echo you are making an investment in the investigative reporting and campaigning journalism which remains at the heart of what we do.

Thank you for your continued support.

If you have any ideas about how we can make the Echo even better then I would love to hear from you. Contact me via email: andy.richardson@nne.co.uk , on Twitter: @EchoAndyR or write to me at The Northern Echo, PO Box 14, Priestgate, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1NF