Evening Standard to be free paper
Updated on 02 October 2009
London's Evening Standard is to become a free newspaper in a "historic" move designed to double its circulation. Will other papers follow suit?
Publishers hope to boost sales figures from 250,000 to more than 600,000 each day when it axes the 50p cover price on October 12.
Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev, who bought the paper from the publisher of the Daily Mail, said he thought other newspapers may follow the lead.
He said: "I am confident that more than doubling the London Evening Standard's circulation and maintaining its quality journalism is what London deserves.
"An essential fabric of a free and democratic society is high-quality journalism. It acts as a deterrent against corruption and is a way to highlight what is beneficial and worth celebrating.”
He added: "I want to invest in newspapers in general for this purpose and in the London Evening Standard in particular. The Standard has been producing exceptional journalism since 1827 and that is not going to change under my ownership.”
Editor Geordie Greig, in an interview with Channel 4 News at Noon, said: "We are going to double our circulation.
"Many things are free and make money - we hope for example that Channel 4 is one of them.
"We are going to remain a quality newspaper and that is what will make us attarctive to advertisers.
"There is a huge debate about what should be free, and what should be paid for, this is a pioneering model and a historic moment for London.
"As for the future of the London Lite, that is a question you would have to put to its owners, the Daily Mail and General Trust."
Andrew Mullins, managing director of the Evening Standard, said: "Sustaining a paid-for afternoon newspaper had its challenges even before the freesheets were launched in 2006.
"There are so many competing distractions to potential readers, particularly with new technologies.
"Being a quality newspaper with large scale and reach should transform our commercial fortunes."
The move follows the increased pressure from free newspapers in the city in the past few years, although one of these, thelondonpaper, was closed last month.
