Concrete (student newspaper)

Concrete is the University of East Anglia's student newspaper. With a circulation of up to 5,000, Concrete is free and published fortnightly on a Tuesday, during term time. The newspaper celebrated its 250th issue in January 2011.

Concrete is compiled by a team of around 25 section editors and headed by the editor-in-chief. It is distributed throughout campus and around Norwich as a free pickup newspaper. Distribution locations include the Theatre Royal, Puppet Theatre and a number of establishments located within the Golden Triangle. It is printed by local newspaper group Archant.

Its sections include News, Comment, Features, Sport, Global, Travel, Lifestyle, Science and Tech and Environment. Inside Concrete is Venue, a 24-page culture supplement which includes Music, Film, Arts, Creative Writing, Gaming, Fashion, TV and Competitions and Listings. Previous issues have included interviews with Tony Blair, Nick Clegg, Charles Clarke, Paul McCartney, Harrison Ford, Stephen Fry, Max Mosley and Greg James.

Concrete also publishes annual drug and sex surveys.

History

Concrete was first published on January 22, 1992, continuing a tradition of student media at UEA that included Phoenix and Insight. There was also an earlier short-lived magazine called Concrete in the 1970s, whose logo was adapted by the newspaper in a redesign in 1997. The paper was originally set up independently of both the University and student union, though with the support of the School of English and American Studies. It became part of the UEA Student Union in 1995, and formally became a union society in 2001. It was unusual among UK student newspapers in having a full-time paid student editor who was not a sabbatical officer of the student union. However, in 2012 this system was discontinued and the job became a part-time unpaid position alongside academic studies. The positions of managing and online editor were created to help alleviate the responsibilities.

On September 29, 1993, Concrete launched a standalone entertainment supplement called The Event which was offered for sale off-campus. The last standalone edition of The Event was published on March 2, 1994 but the brand was retained. It was replaced by Venue in 2010. Past editors and contributors have had notable careers in the media, including Polly Graham, who was a founding member of the Daily Mirror newspaper's The 3am Girls gossip column, and Katie Hind, who is The People's showbiz editor.

Concrete also communicates with UEA students via social media on Facebook and Twitter, and its website was redesigned prior to the 2012-2013 academic year. It was through both these mediums that Concrete operated a live feed for Derby Day - the annual sporting competition between UEA and the University of Essex - which at its peak was followed by 500 students at the University.

Awards

• 1995 The Guardian / NUS Student Media Awards – Winner, Newspaper of the Year
• 2000 The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards - Winner, Best Newspaper ^[1]
• 2000 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Newspaper of the Year ^[2]
• 2000 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Feature Writer of the Year - Stephen Collins ^[3]
• 2000 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Sports Writer of the Year - Nick Henegan ^[4]
• 2001 The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards – Runner-Up, Best Newspaper ^[5]
• 2002 The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards – Nominated, Best Reporter - Katie Hind^[6]
• 2002 The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards – Nominated, Best Arts Journalist - Charlotte Ronalds^[7]
• 2003 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Feature Writer of the Year - Jo Locke^[8]
• 2003 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Newspaper of the Year ^[9]
• 2003 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Feature Writer of the Year - Nathan Dixon^[10]
• 2004 The Guardian Student Media Awards – Nominated, Magazine of the Year - The Event supplement ^[11]
• 2005 The Guardian Student Media Awards - Winner, Travel Writer - Robert Castell ^[12]

References

External links

• Concrete's website