An intriguing lede on one of the latest articles at Editors Weblog:
The market of free newspapers, described by the Times as “one of the fastest growing areas for print media companies”, is on the move: rising readership, new editions, publishers trying to fight free newspapers and even the plan for a free business newspaper.
The article cites a number of stats: Metro now has 16.8 million readers worldwide and plans are afoot for a new free German daily and a free financial daily newspaper for London. It also reports that the London edition of Metro has passed the one million circulation mark and is now the fourth largest newspaper in the U.K.
Some questions come to mind, primarily this one: Is the reason the free newspaper sector is “one of the faster growing areas for print media companies” part of a genuine desire to find new ways of newspapering, or is it part of a continuing desperate attempt to protect the core properties (already suffering from falling circulation and flattening ad revenue) against newer companies like Metro?
TAGS: NEWSPAPERS, FREE, METRO
