Thursday 12 July 2007

London going tab?

Quebecor is apparently still weighing the advantages of turning the broadsheet London Free Press into a tabloid when its new printing plant opens in Toronto in the next month or two.

A report on the Independent Media Centre web site says that decision will be based on the amount of advertising the Free Press might lose by going tabloid.

The posting says Paul Berton, editor in chief, recently told University of Western Ontario journalism students the move may not occur if Quebecor decides the loss of advertising revenue is too costly.

The IMC posting says Berton said newspapers switching to compact versions typically lose 10 to 30% of their advertising revenue because advertisers are unwilling to pay as much for the smaller page size.

The posting says Berton told the students a compact version of the London Free Press would allow for greater integration of Sun Media content when the paper is produced at the new press in Islington.

About 25 to 30% of the paper’s content comes from the Sun Media chain and that number will increase by 5% when the LFP makes the switch, said Berton.

“Part of our challenge is to integrate some of the best things about the Sun Media chain with some of the best things about our local coverage.”

Berton had a lot more to say about the London Free Press in the posting.

One thing, for sure, is about 180 jobs will be lost in the city when the London Free Press's presses are silenced.

1 comment:

  1. LFP going tab has been an open secret in Sun Media since last fall.

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