Peter Cole of the Independent muses on the curiosity of the freesheet wars:  Critics are constantly predicting the death of print while an endless stream of free papers is developed.  Cole downplays the drama in London (between London Lite and Thelondonpaper), explaining that conclusions are drawn too easily in the media world where “hysteria dominates.”

Steve Auckland, managing director of the Associated Newspapers’ Metro papers as well as London Lite, is an authority on the freesheet.  He has helped to build an empire that takes in £10m a year.  According to Auckland, one must distribute papers to a prime advertising public.  In Metro’s case this public was comprised of young professionals on their way to work.

As in Denmark, where 365 Media is attempting to target a juicy readership, the Manchester Evening News is focusing on the workers in the city center.  Instead of selling 7,000 papers, they prefer to give away 60,000 copies to the “right” readers.

Source: Independent