Jon E. Dougherty, NewsMax.com
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2005

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  The trend to free dailies began first in Europe in 1995 when the late Swedish media mogul Jan Stembeck launched his "Metro" free tabloid in Oslo.

The paper, a thin tabloid chock full of wire stories, entertainment features and photos, became an almost instant success.

Soon, Stembeck launched dozens of more free dailies across Europe and later here in the the U.S and South America. Metro made a beachhead in the U.S. with tabloids in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

But Stembeck's success spawned copycats, including many traditional newspaper publishers.

The rise of the tabloids – that cost readers nothing and offer discounted ad rates – threatened the dominance of the traditional "broadsheet" print newspapers who have seen a steady decline in circulation over the years.

But many of these papers and the media conglomerates that own them decided if you can't beat the free tabloids, join them!

To counter faltering readership, these media companies are publishing their own free tabloids aimed at broadening audiences and reaching niche markets. One area that has taken a heavy toll on traditional newspapers is the new media — all-news cable channels and Internet-based news services like the NewsMax.com, which publish breaking stories at the speed of light. But also, say media analysts, younger Americans have avoided traditional newspapers as well, leading print media firms scrambling for ways to entice new readers while boosting circulation and advertising revenue. One way companies are attempting to broaden their reach is by offering new, tabloid-style papers aimed at commuters, consumers and male- or female-specific audiences.

According to media industry executives and analysts, the return of the tabloid is an idea that seems to be working. A typical example is Knight-Ridder Inc., which owns a number of newspapers. It's chief executive, Tony Ridder, says as more Americans get caught up in the hectic pace of today's world, they are avoiding traditional newspapers. So, to boost sagging circulation – and ad revenue – he says his company will most likely begin offering free tabloid-style papers to commuters soon. "We think that a tabloid size has a lot of appeal and there's a track record in various places that indicates that really works and can boost circulation," Ridder told analysts in a conference call Jan. 26. "Even though we haven't made a final decision, we will probably be testing in a few markets," Ridder said. In the meantime, reported Reuters, KRI will be studying the issue further. Ridder says the company has assembled a circulation task force which will, in part, look at other publications that have recently adopted free distribution of tabloid papers. Some U.S. and European publishers have recently launched tabloid versions of their paid broadsheets.

Britain's two largest daily newspapers have reduced their papers to tabloid size.

The venerable broadsheet The Times of London went completely to the tabloid format this past year. Most broadsheets in Britain, including the Financial Times, offer both a broadsheet and tabloid version to readers for sale.

Trendy Tabloids Targeted and trendy tabloids are replacing traditional broadsheet-style newspapers elsewhere too. The tabloids are packed with shorter stories, so commuters on a tight travel schedule have time to read and peruse them.

In fact, some of the attendees to a recent newspaper conference – the 8th World Print and Communication Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa — even wondered if traditional papers would survive in the long run. The most visible trends, say analysts, include a combination of offerings specifically targeted to key demographics.

For example, a number of new start-ups in Europe and the U.S. are shopping-oriented and geared for women, reported Johannesburg-based Business Day. Others are geared towards younger readers, many who have "There is no doubt that print is moving towards smaller, not bigger formats, which will have implications for printers," Jeremy Deedes, vice-chairman of UK publishing company the Telegraph Group, told the paper.

Challenging the Norm

In Washington, D.C. billionaire Philip Anschutz launches a new free daily, the Washington Examiner, which some believe will ultimately challenge the city's main broadsheet, the Washington Post and may also undermine the city's conservative broadsheet, the Washington Times.

The Examiner's publisher, James McDonald, who had experience with Stembeck's Metro, believes this new Anshutz venture will score big with the capitol city dwellers. "We want to provide a well-balanced, meaningful newspaper to a market of people falling away from traditional newspapers," McDonald said in an interview with Agence-France Presse. And he sounded a now-familiar tone regarding the Examiner's debut. "It's clear to me and the entire newspaper industry that consumer behavior has changed," he said. "The way people use newspapers has changed." The Post also launched its own free daily in the summer of 2003, called "Express." The New York Times bought into one, Metro Boston, in early January, and other major U.S. papers have followed suit. Editors at the new free dailies say while they may challenge the norm, they aren't expecting their tabs to replace broadsheets right away. Regarding Metro Boston and the city's major daily, The Boston Globe, Janet Robinson, president and CEO of the Times Co., which owns the Globe, said, "I think there is an opportunity for the two to mutually coexist and even to compliment each other." And, The New York Times reported Jan. 5, though the Washington Post broadsheet has lost some of its readers, most have either gone to the paper's Web site or its new free daily tab.

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