UK: weekly paper Richmond & Twickenham Times adopts a "dual" free and paid distribution model

Posted by Alisa Zykova on September 22, 2008 at 11:20 AM

UK regional publisher Newsquest announces that it will adopt a mixture of free and paid distribution to its weekly paid paper the Richmond & Twickenham Times, following in the footsteps of the Manchester Evening News according to Hold The Front Page.

"Local publishers are reaching new and growing audiences across a range of platforms and a variety of distribution methods - print, digital, part-paid, part-free - as they develop strategies to meet consumer demand for local news and information at a time and place that suits them," said Lynne Anderson, Newspaper Society's Communications Director. "Focusing purely on the ups and downs of a title's paid-for print circulation no longer provides a meaningful measure of a local newspaper brand's total reach."

The free edition of the paper will be delivered to 54,000 homes in Richmond and Twickenham starting from October 10 and will replace the free weekly Richmond Guardian, which will shut down. The Times will continue to be sold for 50 pence with certain retailers in the region. The paper is expected to reach a circulation of 61,000 each week.

The "dual" business model may be a way to combat the circulation decline that a number of papers have been experiencing, suggests Hold the Front Page.

Source: Hold The Front Page