Evening Standard drops midday edition

Posted by Jennifer Lush on November 27, 2009 at 12:27 PM

The London Evening Standard will cut its midday News Extra edition in order to focus on improving the currency and quality of its evening edition, the Guardian is reporting.

The move will result in 20 job losses and comes shortly after the paper dropped its 50 pence cover price to go free. At the time, editor Geordie Greig said that the switch was necessary if the paper was to survive the harsh financial times and continue printing.

The latest news means that as of January 4, the West End Final will be the first edition of the Evening Standard to hit the streets, at 2pm.

"This decision will mean our news is even more up to date, and more copies will be available for home-going commuters," said Greig. "We are delighted to continue to be a pioneering newspaper and happy to be able to give all our readers an even better quality newspaper."

The Evening Standard said that it was previously unable to deliver the most up-to-date news due to the time constraints of the News Extra first edition, which has to go to press by 9 am in order to reach the streets by midday. The changes mean that journalists will have an extra four hours to put together their stories, with the first edition now going to print at 12.30 pm.

Greig said that the shift in working patterns would allow the remaining staff to "be human again", with journalists starting shifts at 3 am in order to make the previous 9 am deadline.

"It is the end of the dawn patrol in terms of our working pattern," he added. "It will mean a transformation of lifestyle and equally importantly a huge increase in the quality of the newspaper for more readers."

The announcement comes amidst what are a series of changes for the Evening Standard as Russian owner, Alexander Lebedev searches for ways to keep the paper profitable and avoid the fate of closure. The decision to become a freesheet is apparently proving to be a good move, with Greig boasting reduced distribution costs. There are similar hopes that the cutting the midday edition of the paper will improve the quality of content, and help to retain the Evening Standard's some 600,000 readers.

Source: Guardian