If you’ve searched for the County Press newspaper Isle of Wight, you’re probably after one of a few things: how to buy a copy, how much a digital subscription costs, or simply what this paper actually is. The short answer: the Isle of Wight County Press is the island’s weekly newspaper, published every Friday since 1884, and it’s currently the biggest selling local weekly paper in the United Kingdom, published every Friday on the Isle of Wight, and it is the biggest selling local weekly newspaper in the United Kingdom as of 2025. It’s read in print, online at countypress.co.uk, and through a dedicated app.
Below, we cover the paper’s history, how to read it in every format, current prices, who owns it, how it compares to other Isle of Wight news outlets, and why some people confuse the island with the Channel Islands.
What is the Isle of Wight County Press?
The County Press is a weekly, compact-format newspaper covering news, sport, property and community stories across the island. It’s published every Friday and sold in newsagents, supermarkets and shops across the Isle of Wight, alongside a daily-updated website and app.
It isn’t a free paper. Unlike some of its rivals, you pay for it at the newsstand, and that funding model is part of why it has stayed the dominant title on the island for over 140 years.
A brief history of the paper
The County Press was founded in 1884, with George Alfred Brannon serving as co-proprietor, established in 1884 with George Alfred Brannon serving as co-proprietor. For over a century it was a broadsheet, printed and owned locally.
Two changes reshaped the paper in the 2000s and 2010s:
- 2008: it switched from broadsheet to compact (tabloid) format. The first compact issue landed on 3 October 2008, after a reader survey found 87 percent of islanders in favour of a compact format.
- 2017: after 133 years of local ownership, the paper was bought by Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK’s largest regional publishers, following a takeover offer in June 2017 that was met with local criticism and an unsuccessful community counter-bid.
More recently, the paper moved out of its long-time home, Brannon House, which it sold to a local animal charity in August 2024, before opening a new office at the Innovation Centre, St Cross Business Park, in early December 2024. That December also saw the launch of a fully searchable digital archive covering 230,000 digitised newspaper pages dating back to 1884, made available through Newspapers.com.
The paper’s website has been running since 1999, and it’s now the main way most islanders check the news day to day rather than waiting for Friday’s print edition.
How to read the Isle of Wight County Press
There are three main ways to get your news: print, the website, and the app. Each suits a slightly different reader.
Print edition
The print paper comes out every Friday and is sold in newsagents and supermarkets across the island. You don’t need a subscription to buy it at the newsstand, though home delivery and digital-edition options exist for readers who want the paper without leaving the house.
Website subscription
At countypress.co.uk, articles are free to browse up to a point, then a metered paywall kicks in. Subscribing removes most of that friction: subscribers see 80% less display advertising when reading articles, and get access to the digital edition of the print paper plus the historic archive.
Pricing changes periodically, and offers come and go, so treat any figure here as a snapshot rather than gospel; always check the live price on countypress.co.uk before you buy. As one example, earlier in 2026 the paper ran a promotion offering five months for £5, or 40% off an annual subscription. Outside of sale periods, expect a monthly or annual rolling rate closer to typical UK regional paywall pricing.
The County Press app
The app is aimed at readers who want breaking news on the move. It includes live news updates, an ad-free reading experience, the weekly digital edition, and daily puzzles such as crosswords and sudoku. It’s available on both the App Store and Google Play, and subscriptions through the app auto-renew unless you cancel.
Who owns and edits the County Press today?
The paper is owned by Newsquest Media Group, which also runs titles such as the Southern Daily Echo in Southampton. Editorial leadership has changed hands a few times recently: Alan Marriott returned as editor in January 2020, then left in April 2023 after 39 years at the paper, handing over to co-editors Lori Little and Lucy Morgan. By summer 2024, Lucy Morgan had departed, leaving Lori Little as sole editor.
Circulation has fallen sharply over the past decade. Print sales dropped from 30,912 copies at the end of 2013 to 10,084 by December 2023, a 66% decline. Even with that fall, it remains the biggest selling local weekly paper in the country, which says as much about the wider decline of regional print as it does about the County Press itself.
News in Isle of Wight: how the County Press compares to other outlets
The County Press isn’t the only source for news in Isle of Wight. If you’re weighing up where to get your local updates, here’s how the main players differ.
Isle of Wight Observer
Launched on 10 August 2018, the Observer is a free weekly paper, distributed through supermarkets, newsagents and other outlets across the island rather than sold at the newsstand. It’s independently owned rather than part of a national publisher, which appeals to readers who wanted an island-owned alternative after the County Press was bought by Newsquest.
Isle of Wight Radio and Island Echo
Isle of Wight Radio covers news alongside music programming, useful for headlines while driving or working. Island Echo is an online-only news site running around the clock, which makes it a common source for breaking, minute-by-minute updates rather than in-depth weekly reporting.
In practice, most islanders use more than one source: the County Press or Observer for depth and archive value, radio for quick headlines, and an online-only site for anything breaking right now.
Is the Isle of Wight the same as the Channel Isles?
No, and this mix-up comes up a lot. The Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and the smaller islands) sit off the coast of Normandy, France, and are Crown Dependencies with their own governments, separate from the United Kingdom.
The Isle of Wight sits in the English Channel too, but off the south coast of England, near Portsmouth and Southampton. It’s part of England, has its own unitary council, and sends its own MP to Westminster. So while both sit in the Channel, “channel Isle of Wight” searches are really just people confirming the island’s location, not looking for the separate Channel Islands group. The County Press covers Isle of Wight news specifically, not Channel Islands news.
How to contact the County Press
If you want to submit a story tip, book advertising, or place an obituary notice, the paper handles these through its website rather than a single public phone line. The current office address is Innovation Centre, St Cross Business Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5WB. For anything time-sensitive, the contact and submission forms on countypress.co.uk are the fastest route, since staffing and phone numbers change more often than the website copy does.
FAQs
What is the Isle of Wight County Press?
It’s the island’s main weekly newspaper, published every Friday since 1884, covering local news, sport and community events. It’s owned by Newsquest Media Group and is currently the UK’s biggest selling local weekly paper by print circulation.
How much does a County Press digital subscription cost?
Pricing varies and the paper regularly runs offers, so there’s no single fixed rate. Check the subscribe page on countypress.co.uk for the current monthly and annual rates before signing up, since promotional pricing can differ significantly from the standard rate.
Is the Isle of Wight County Press free?
No. The print edition is sold at newsagents and supermarkets, and the website uses a metered paywall after a set number of free articles. The rival Isle of Wight Observer, by contrast, is a free weekly paper.
Who owns the Isle of Wight County Press?
Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK’s largest regional newspaper publishers, has owned the paper since July 2017. Before that, it had been locally owned since it was founded in 1884.
Who is the editor of the County Press?
Lori Little has been the sole editor since summer 2024, after previously co-editing the paper with Lucy Morgan from April 2023.
Does the County Press have an archive?
Yes. A digitised archive of roughly 230,000 pages, covering editions from 1884 onwards, launched in December 2024 and is accessible to digital subscribers through Newspapers.com.
Is the Isle of Wight part of the Channel Islands?
No. The Isle of Wight is part of England, off the south coast near Portsmouth. The Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey and others) are separate Crown Dependencies near the French coast.
How do I get the County Press app?
It’s free to download on the App Store and Google Play. The app itself is ad-free for subscribers and includes live updates, the digital edition and daily puzzles, though full access requires a paid subscription.
What other newspapers cover the Isle of Wight?
The main alternative is the Isle of Wight Observer, a free weekly paper launched in 2018. Isle of Wight Radio and Island Echo also cover local news, though neither is a print newspaper in the traditional sense.
