The return of the cheapie
The launch of Publico, half price (50c) paper in Spain, has resulted in a substantial wave of (free) publicity. In the International Herald Tribune of Monday 22 October another article was devoted to the new paper. Publico is half the price of most other paid papers, counts 64 pages (also less than paid papers), is leaning to the left but contains no editorials. The paper prints 250,000 copies and has a staff of 120 people. Publico expects to break-even in five years.
In Spain more than 50% of the market consists of free dailies. Interesting however is the claim by the paper that they see readers of free dailies as “potential buyers of a second paper”. If that would be the case there is a bright future for Publico. Converting readers, however, has not been shown yet.
But Publico is not the only cheap daily launched. Many concepts have been introduced, but with different results.
In Germany Die Welt launched Welt Kompakt in May 2004, 50ct then, 70ct now. Publisher Axel Springer refused so far to reveal anr circulation data for the paper. The Holtzbrinck group introduced 50ct News in 2004, converted it to a free business daily in August 2006 and ended publication within a year. The same publisher also publishes the almost free 20Cent in two markets. Direkt, by Cologne publisher Dumont Schauberg, ceased publication on December 206. The tabloid started in 2004 and sold for 50ct, circulation never was more than 10,000.
Close to the Welt Kompakt concept is nrc.next, a cheaper (but with €1,- not really cheap) tabloid morning version of quality evening paper NRC, circulation (including a substantial amount of free distribution) is 85,000; readership 311,000.
Styria Media, publisher of Vecernji list, launched the cheap paper 24Sata, in 2006 the third paper in the country.
The Daily Record (Scotland) launched a cheap lite edition Record PM in September but converted it to a free paper four months later.
In Austria he cheap (50ct again) tabloid Österreich was launched in September 2006 and although circulation and readership seem to be impressive, it relies heavy on free distribution.