MEDIA MARKET DATA - World Association of Newspapers

debate in the Forum. http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/media/article/557976/murdochset-go-alone-free-london-newspaper/;May 9, 2006United KingdomThe Manchester Evening News, one of the country’s biggest regional evening newspapers, isto distribute free of charge in Manchester city centre. The rest of the industry will be watchingto assess the impact of the move, already being labelled one of the great turning points in thehistory of the regional press. Bosses say the change will shore up circulation and allow betterforward planning. The decision was made in response to the downturn in the economy andshifts in advertising income. There will be a daily distribution of 50,000 copies to offices,newsagents and also by hand in the heart of the city centre in the middle section of eachweekday. It will take the circulation up to 180,000 copies a day, as it taps into the 150,000commuter population, making it the largest regional daily newspaper in the UK. The existingMEN Lite edition, launched in November 2004 to distribute 10,000 copies each weekday tooutbound commuters from the city centre, will close. Lite’s first readership research showedthat the title was read by 80 per cent ABC1 audience and achieved an average readership timeof 24 minutes. Guardian Media Group regional division chief executive Mark Dodson said:"Evening newspapers have been in full circulation decline for over 40 years. "After a longperiod of reflection we have decided to use the lessons we have learned from Metro and MENLite and take a more radical approach to the problem. "We want to take control of our futureand believe that a part free, part paid MEN is the future for this great newspaper." Editor PaulHorrocks added: "Every newspaper needs volume and every newspaper is struggling with adecline in ABC figures. "We have already shown that a real and valuable market exists withthe test of our Lite edition last year. It has given us the confidence to go for a bigger and morebold free model in the city centre. Lite’s readership was young, upmarket and rarely bought anewspaper. "We have proved that their loyal readership exists and we plan to develop thiswith the enhanced offer of a MEN providing all of our readers with the same service of newsand information throughout the day." He anticipated that journalists as well as advertisingwould reap the benefits, with stories more widely read, as long as editorial independence andeditorial ratios were not cut. The distribution of the city centre copies starts at the beginningof May and will run each weekday. ABC auditing will put the MEN in the bulk sales categoryalongside Associated’s UK Metro, which will show clearly if the new strategy is paying off.There are more than 40 media products available from the owners of the Manchester EveningNews, which was founded in 1868. These include the paid-for evening paper, the freeevening, a paid-for Sunday, eight paid-for weeklies, 12 free weeklies, seven nichepublications, 21 websites and a television channel. The company announced in February thatit was cutting 27 editorial posts - more than a fifth of the total - as part of changes "to thrive ina digital future". Features and news subs' desks are being merged. A new weekly paid-for fullcolourcompetitor, the North West Enquirer, is due to launch this week, with a team ofexperienced senior regional newspaper journalists and executives at the helm. The new title isaimed at people who live and work in the North West - and at advertisers who wanted toreach a wider audience than that offered by "more localised titles", according to the launchteam. Paul Horrocks said: "This plan has been in the making for six months and is not aresponse to anyone but a response to the continuing erosion of circulation."http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/2006/04apr/060424free.shtml; April 24, 2006United KingdomMetro UK (Associated Newspapers) adds editions for Liverpool (March 7) and Cardiff(March 14). Both editions have a print run of 25,000. Metro is also increasing circulation inLondon from 500,000 to 550,000 - total UK circulation will be 1.1 million. Trinity Mirror43