The Globe & Mail is reporting that CanWest will launch a free commuter newspaper aimed at young readers in Vancouver and other Canadian cities in March. According to the report in Friday’s paper:
The paper will be distributed in five Canadian markets, and have an initial circulation of more than 300,000, but it will also be linked to a website and eventually send information to readers over cellular phones.
The idea, sources say, is to attract readers in the 18-to-34 age range, who are tech savvy, and less likely to read a broadsheet paper. The new paper has already hired senior staff, some of whom will be meeting with media buyers next week to outline the launch plans.
The possibility of new publications has been floating around since mid-January, driven by fear of competition. A Jan. 12 article from globeadvisor.com reports:
CanWest Global Communications Corp. may jump into the free commuter newspaper business in Canada, in a defensive move to protect its metropolitan broadsheets, which are showing slim growth. CanWest will consider linking up with Metro International SA to establish new free commuter newspapers in some Canadian markets, or establish free papers in competition with the Swedish-based company…
Metro International publishes 42 free dailies, mostly in Europe, but also in Montreal and Toronto. According to the company’s website:
All Metro editions carry headline local, national and international news in a standardized and accessible format and design, which enables commuters to read the newspaper during a typical journey time of less than twenty minutes. The timing and location of distribution enables Metro to target a high proportion of young and active, professional readers. This demographic group is not typically reading daily newspapers but is most attractive for advertisers.
CanWest says a commuter newspaper won’t compete with its established newspapers, especially if it teams with Metro, which would extend the monopoly CanWest enjoys in Vancouver. (I’m not sure a free commuter daily aimed at younger readers wouldn’t have some impact on The Province, which currently fills that role.)
I’d rather see a livelier newspaper scene here with a non-CanWest commuter freesheet. It might not provide quality journalism, but the competition for advertising and eyeballs could drive CanWest to revitalize and improve its newspapers.
TECHNORATI TAGS: NEWSPAPERS, METRODAILY, VANCOUVER
