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Free newspapers are distributed free of charge, often in central places in cities and towns, on public transport, with other newspapers, or separately door-to-door. The revenues of such newspapers are based on advertising. They are published at different levels of frequencies, such as daily, weekly or monthly.
In 1906 the Australian Manly Daily was launched. It was distributed on the ferry boats to Sydney and was later published as a free community daily by Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd.
In 1885 the General-Anzeiger für Lübeck und Umgebung (Germany) was launched. The paper was founded in 1882 by Charles Coleman (1852–1936) as a free twice-a-week advertising paper in the Northern German town of Lübeck. In 1885 the paper went daily. From the beginning the General-Anzeiger für Lübeck had a mixed model, for 60 pfennig it was home delivered for three months. Unknown, however, is when the free distribution ended. The company website states that the 'sold' circulation in 1887 was 5,000; in 1890 total circulation was 12,800.
In 1984 the Birmingham Daily News was launched in Birmingham, England. It was distributed free of charge on weekdays to 300,000 households in the West Midlands and was the first free daily in Europe. [1] [2] It was profitable until the early 1990s recession, when it was converted into a weekly title by its then owners Reed Elsevier. By 1992, a number of former paid-for local newspapers in the United Kingdom, such as the Walsall Observer , were being closed down and converted to free newspapers (sometimes called "freesheets"). [3]
In 1995, the same year the Palo Alto Daily News began, Metro started what may be the first free daily newspaper distributed through public transport in Stockholm, Sweden. Later, Metro launched free papers in many European and other countries. In the UK, the Daily Mail and General Trust group launched its own edition of Metro in London in 1999, beating Metro International to the London market. The paper now has 13 editions across the country and a combined readership of 1.7 million.
In October 2009 the Evening Standard became a free newspaper, becoming the first free quality press publication and doubling its circulation. [4]
Free newspapers in the United States trace their history back to the 1940s when Walnut Creek, California publisher Dean Lesher began what is widely believed to be the first free daily, now known as the Contra Costa Times . In the 1960s, he converted that newspaper and three others in the county to paid circulation.
In the early 1970s, in Boulder, Colorado, regents at the University of Colorado kicked the student-run Colorado Daily off campus because of editorials against the Vietnam War. Regents hoped the paper would die; instead it began to focus on the community as a free tabloid published five days a week.
In the following decades, a number of free dailies opened in Colorado, mostly started by University of Colorado graduates. Free dailies opened in Aspen (1979, 1988), Vail (1981), Breckenridge (1990), Glenwood Springs (1990); Grand Junction (1995); Steamboat Springs (1990); and Telluride (1991).
In 1995, the founders of free dailies in Aspen and Vail teamed up to start the Palo Alto Daily News in Palo Alto, California, a city about 20 miles south of San Francisco. The Palo Alto paper was profitable within nine months of its launch and usually carries more than 100 retail (non-classified) ads per day.
The "Palo Alto Daily News model" has been copied a number of times over the years, including by four San Francisco Bay Area publications — the San Francisco Examiner , the San Mateo Daily Journal , the Berkeley Daily Planet (which opened in 1999 and folded in 2001 and was reopened as a twice-a-week paper by new owners in 2004) and the Contra Costa Examiner (which opened and closed in 2004).
The publishers of the Palo Alto Daily News ( Aspen Times Daily founding editor Dave Price, and Vail Daily founder Jim Pavelich) have since launched successful free dailies in San Mateo, California (2000), Redwood City, California (2000), Burlingame, California (2000), Los Gatos, California (2002), Denver (2002), and Berkeley, California (2006). Each goes by the "Daily News" name with the city's name in front, such as Denver Daily News .
Under the Palo Alto Daily News model, papers are delivered to public places such as coffee shops, restaurants, stores, gyms, schools, corporate campuses, and news racks. Price and Pavelich have avoided putting the content of their newspapers online because that would reduce readership of their printed newspapers, and therefore reduce the effectiveness of their print advertising. While ads can be placed on Web pages, they are not as effective for clients as print advertising. They have said that if they ever find an example of a newspaper that is making a profit on its website, they would copy that approach.
In less than 10 years these papers were introduced in almost every European country and in several markets in the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and Asia. There are, as of 2008 [update] , free newspapers in at least 58 countries. Market leader Metro distributes seven million copies daily, while other companies publish 14 million copies. These 22 million copies are read by at least 45 million people daily. Worldwide, there are now[ when? ] over 44 million free newspaper editions being distributed on an average day, up from 24 million in 2005. Europe has the vast majority of daily free papers at 28.5 million, with the Americas at 6.8 million and Asia/Pacific/Africa regions at 8.6 million.[ citation needed ]
Since 2000, many free dailies have been introduced, including three in Hong Kong and three in Vancouver, B.C. Besides Metro, another successful publisher is Norway's Schibsted. In Switzerland, Spain and France it publishes 20 minutes , the name indicating the time people need to read it. Schibsted also had some disappointments. A German version had to be taken from the market after a bitter newspaper war with local publishers in Cologne, while an Italian edition never saw the streets because of legal matters (non-EU companies could not control Italian media firms, but this did not prevent the Italian market from becoming flooded with free newspapers). The Schibsted editions have a total circulation of 1.7 million.
In March 2006 former Palo Alto Daily News managing editor Jeramy Gordon launched the Santa Barbara Daily Sound in Santa Barbara, California. Less than two months later, Dave Price (journalist) and Jim Pavelich launched the San Francisco Daily , which in 2008 morphed into the Palo Alto Daily Post , moving offices from San Francisco to Palo Alto.
In almost every European market where free newspapers were introduced there have been lawsuits on every possible ground, from unfair competition to littering, from the right on the name Metro to quarrels over the right to be distributed through public transport. This kind of distribution is by no means the only way free papers are distributed: racks in busy places like shopping centers, universities, restaurants (McDonald's), and hospitals, and delivery by hand on the street, outside railway stations, or door-to-door delivery are also used.
In the United States, the owners of The Philadelphia Inquirer , Philadelphia Daily News and The New York Times sued the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority over an exclusive deal it made with Metro to distribute its papers on the agency's commuter trains. Metro won the suit but is losing the newspaper war; the free daily has struggled to win advertisers.[ citation needed ]
The Cologne newspaper war and legal battles were not the only problems free papers encountered. In Paris, hawkers who distributed free papers were attacked, and papers were destroyed and burned. The most common newspaper war however is the clash between publishers or, to be more precise, between local publishers and entrepreneurs like in Cologne. In many cities publishers turned the market that has been quiet for decades into a battlefield. Local publishers are now responsible for almost half of the total circulation of free daily newspapers. They have a monopoly in Belgium, the UK, Singapore, Melbourne, Austria, Argentina and Iceland. However, in other markets (France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Korea, Denmark, Finland, Italy, United States) local publishers have a substantial market share. In some French and Italian markets three titles are competing; in Seoul there were six titles in October 2004. There are three free daily papers in London.
Price and Pavelich have an entirely different view of the Internet than other free daily publishers. While most free daily publishers post their stories and/or PDF pages online, the creators of the Palo Alto Daily News model have refused to put their content online. They argue that posting their stories online will reduce demand for their printed newspapers, which will also reduce the effectiveness of their print ads. They note that readers have dropped their subscriptions to paid newspapers because they can get the same stories online, yet those newspapers make far less money on their websites than they do on their print editions.
The success of the new free daily newspaper has been imitated by other publishers. In some countries free weeklies or semiweeklies have been launched (Norway, France, Russia, Portugal, Poland). In Moscow the semiweekly (in October 2004 expanded to three times a week) is also called Metro. In the Netherlands there is a local free weekly published four times a week. Also it is very likely that the rapid tabloidization in Western Europe (UK, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands) has something to do with the success of the free tabloids. In Germany there are now four so-called compact cheap newspapers.
Figures indicate that many readers of free newspapers are indeed "new" readers or read both paid and free papers. Research by Belgian, UK, and US free dailies indicate that half of their readers only read free dailies. There seems to be a negative effect on single copy sales, but the overall effect does not indicate a great deal of impact on paid dailies. Indeed, several publishers of established paid products (notably the Tribune Company in New York and Chicago, the Washington Post Company in Washington, D.C., and News Corporation in London) have launched free newspapers in their markets despite the obvious risk of "cannibalization" (stealing readers from their own paid products) to reach new readers.
Whilst the proliferation of freesheet newspapers continues to escalate, [5] the impact on the environment has become a concern to some environmentalists. [6] Over 44 million editions are being produced every day worldwide; it takes 12 established trees to make one tonne of newsprint, which is enough to print 14,000 editions of an average-size tabloid. That means a daily usage of newsprint of a little over 3,142 tonnes. Which, in turn, means the felling of 37,714 trees. On average around 70% of paper used by the newspaper industry is claimed to be recycled. So after recycled paper usage, over 11,314 trees are being felled daily to feed the freesheet print presses in over 58 countries. Also, whilst the increased use of recycled paper is welcomed by many, the extensive bleaching (especially use of chlorine) and other chemical processes to make reclaimed paper blank again for reuse are not lessening the concerns of environmentalists.
With the continued success of the free newspaper model, newspaper publishers are coming under increasing pressure from local councils and public transport companies to contribute more to the cleanup costs. In London, South West Trains have partnered with Network Rail to provide nine recycling bins which have been installed at Waterloo station. The project will initially run as a three-month trial and will see newspaper recycling bins located on platforms one through to four and 15 through to 19. Approximately 75,000 issues of the Metro are handed out at South West Trains' stations every morning; this represents around 12 tonnes of paper. Once the trial is complete, the companies say that they will measure the success and consider extending the scheme on a permanent basis.[ needs update ]
London Underground have partnered with London's Metro free newspaper to place bins at Watford, West Ruislip, Stanmore, Cockfosters, Hainault and High Barnet tube stations. The bins will be in place from 6 October[ when? ] for a period of six months and will be emptied daily by London Underground cleaning contractors, MetroNet and Tube Lines.
Westminster Council recently[ when? ] announced that 120 tonnes of free newspapers were collected in six months from the 70 extra recycling bins that were sponsored by Associated Newspapers and News International. This figure falls short of the councils 400 tonnes per annum target. During the six-month period the council also collected 465 tonnes of waste paper from its own 153 on-street recycling bins. The free newspapers publishers are responsible for producing approximately 100 tonnes of free newspapers every day.
Metro International is a Swedish global media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41 percent since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is free, with revenues thus generated entirely through advertising. This newspaper is primarily intended for commuters who move daily in and out of big cities' business areas, mainly during rush hours.
Metro is the United Kingdom's highest-circulation freesheet tabloid newspaper. It is published in tabloid format by DMG Media. The newspaper is distributed from Monday to Friday mornings on trains and buses, and at railway/Underground stations, airports and hospitals across selected urban areas of England, Wales and Scotland. Copies are also handed out to pedestrians.
DMG Media is an intermediate holding company for Associated Newspapers, Northcliffe Media, Harmsworth Printing, Harmsworth Media and other subsidiaries of Daily Mail and General Trust. It is based at 9 Derry Street in Kensington, west London.
The Denver Daily News is a former free daily newspaper in Denver, Colorado. At the time of its closure on June 6, 2011, it distributed 25,000 copies Monday through Friday in stores, coffee shops, restaurants and workplaces. Copies could also be found in the Daily's distinctive blue boxes.
The Daily News, originally the Palo Alto Daily News, is a free newspaper owned by MediaNews Group and located in Menlo Park. Founded in 1995, it was formerly published seven days a week and at one point had a circulation of 67,000. The Daily News is distributed in red newspaper racks and in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools and major workplaces. As of April 7, 2009 the paper ceased to be published as The Palo Alto Daily News and was consolidated with other San Francisco Peninsula Daily News titles; it published five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday. Weekday editions were delivered to selected homes. While continuing to publish daily online, The Daily News cut its print edition back to three days a week in 2013, and one day a week in 2015.
Dave Price is an American journalist who has edited, published and founded a number of free daily newspapers including the Daily News and the Daily Post in Palo Alto, California, and the Aspen Times Daily in Aspen, Colorado.
The San Mateo Daily News was a free daily newspaper in San Mateo, California published 6 days a week with an average daily circulation of 22,000. The newspaper was founded August 9, 2000 by Dave Price (journalist) and Jim Pavelich, who also published the Palo Alto Daily News. Both papers were distributed in large red newspaper racks and inside stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools, and major workplaces. The San Mateo Daily News, along with five other Daily News editions, was sold to Knight Ridder on February 15, 2005. After McClatchy's acquisition of Knight Ridder in 2006, all six Daily News editions, including the San Mateo Daily News were bundled with the San Jose Mercury News and sold to MediaNews Group of Denver, Colorado. The surviving Daily News, papers merged on April 7, 2009.
The Redwood City Daily News was a free daily newspaper in Redwood City, California, United States, published 6 days a week with an average daily circulation of 8,000. The newspaper was founded August 9, 2000 by Dave Price and Jim Pavelich, who also published the Palo Alto Daily News. The Redwood City Daily News was adjudicated as a newspaper of general circulation by the San Mateo County Superior Court in 2001, enabling it to publish legal notices. Both the Palo Alto and Redwood City Daily News editions were distributed in large red newspaper racks and in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools and major workplaces. The Redwood City Daily News, along with five other Daily News editions, was sold to Knight Ridder on Feb. 15, 2005. After McClatchy's acquisition of Knight Ridder in early 2006, all six Daily News editions, including the Redwood City Daily News, were bundled with the San Jose Mercury News and sold to MediaNews Group of Denver, Colorado.
The Burlingame Daily News was a free daily newspaper in Burlingame, California published six days a week with an average daily circulation of 7,000. The newspaper was founded August 9, 2000 by Dave Price (journalist) and Jim Pavelich, who also published the Palo Alto Daily News.
The East Bay Daily News was a free daily newspaper in Berkeley, California published 5 days a week with an average daily circulation of 10,000. The newspaper was founded May 20, 2005 by journalist Dave Price and Jim Pavelich, who also published the Palo Alto Daily News. The East Bay Daily News was distributed in large red newspaper racks and in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools and major workplaces in Berkeley, Albany, Piedmont and Oakland. After McClatchy's acquisition of the paper's previous owner Knight Ridder in early 2006, the Palo Alto Daily News group, including the East Bay Daily News, was bundled with the San Jose Mercury News and sold to MediaNews Group of Denver, Colorado.
The Los Gatos Daily News, now called the Los Gatos News was a free newspaper in Los Gatos, California published 3 days a week. The newspaper was founded May 15, 2002 by Dave Price (journalist) and Jim Pavelich, who also published the Palo Alto Daily News. Both papers were distributed in newspaper racks and in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools and major workplaces. The Los Gatos News, along with five other editions, was sold to Knight Ridder on Feb. 15, 2005.
The Daily Post was a free newspaper based in the San Francisco, California area.
London Lite was the trading name of a British free daily newspaper, published by Associated Newspapers, and now defunct. It was available Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings from street distributors in Central London only. On 27 October 2009, Associated Newspapers announced that it had entered into negotiation with staff over the future of the paper. The last edition was published on Friday, 13 November 2009, a date chosen by staff for its swan song.
The London Paper was a free daily newspaper, published by NI Free Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International. It was available from Monday to Friday each week in Central London from 4 September 2006 until 18 September 2009.
Diana Diamond is an American journalist who has edited a number of newspapers including the Palo Alto Daily News, and was a columnist at the Palo Alto Weekly. At the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, she was editor of their magazine, Valley Life Quarterly, and a columnist and editorial writer for the Journal. After serving as associate editor and twice-weekly columnist for the Palo Alto Daily Post she later wrote a twice-weekly column for the Palo Alto Daily News on political topics of interest to the city, the state and the nation, a thrice monthly column for The Mercury News and a blog for Palo Alto Online called "An Alternative View."
The media in the San Francisco Bay Area has historically focused on San Francisco but also includes two other major media centers, Oakland and San Jose. The Federal Communications Commission, Nielsen Media Research, and other similar media organizations treat the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Area as one entire media market. The region hosts to one of the oldest radio stations in the United States still in existence, KCBS (AM) (740 kHz), founded by engineer Charles Herrold in 1909. As the home of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area is also a technologically advanced and innovative region, with many companies involved with Internet media or influential websites.
The Daily Post is a free newspaper in Palo Alto, California, founded in 2008 by the Palo Alto Daily News's founders, Dave Price and Jim Pavelich, who had sold that paper to new owners three years earlier. The Post is published Monday-Saturday and distributed in more than a dozen communities on the San Francisco Peninsula. The paper covers local news and carries reports from the Associated Press.
The i is a British national newspaper published in London by Daily Mail and General Trust and distributed across the United Kingdom. It is aimed at "readers and lapsed readers" of all ages and commuters with limited time, and was originally launched in 2010 as a sister paper to The Independent. It was later acquired by Johnston Press in 2016 after The Independent shifted to a digital-only model. The i came under the control of JPIMedia a day after Johnston Press filed for administration on 16 November 2018. The paper and its website were bought by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) on 29 November 2019, for £49.6 million. On 6 December 2019 the Competition and Markets Authority served an initial enforcement order on DMGT and DMG Media Limited, requiring the paper to be run separately pending investigation.
Dave Danforth is an American publisher and newspaper owner. In the United States, he pioneered micro-daily newspapers beginning in the late 1970s, including Colorado's Aspen Daily News.