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JOURNALISTICA · 4 · 2007
Free daily journalism – anything new?
BY PIET BAKKER
Denmark became the most competing newspaper market in Europe within two months after five free dailies launched between August and October 2006. The direct consequences on current affairs journalism will be quite minimal as journalism for commercial media is not new at all and the professional level is not likely to differ. Examples from other competitive markets like Iceland and Spain support this view. Journalistic output will be different, most of all because of the minimal staff at most free dailies, and the absence of weekend editions. Long term and indirect effects might be felt because the pressure on advertising market will increase, rates and revenues for incumbent newspapers will drop, thereby hurting the financial basis for most incumbent publishers. The question is put forward why incumbent publishers choose this way of competing with a entrepreneur instead of investing in editorial content of their paid papers.
Five papers launched in two weeks. This probably never happened in any country in the last 100 years. But it happened in Denmark in August 2006. Two editions of Centrum in Aalborg, Dato and timer to be distributed in all major urban areas, and MetroXpress Aften in Copenhagen. And that was not all, commuter daily Urban introduced a new design and increased circulation while Nyhedsavisen launched on October 6 of the same year. All launches concerned free papers. Within two months Denmark
JOURNALISTICA · 4 · 2007
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Table 1 Free and paid paper circulation (*1000) in Denmark 2001-2007
2001 MetroXpress 140 Copenhagen*, Århus (2002), National (2004) Urban Copenhagen, Århus (2004), National^ (2006) Dato Copenhagen, Århus 24timer Copenhagen, Århus, Aalborg, South-Jutland Nyhedsavisen Copenhagen, Odense, Århus Centrum Morgen# Aalborg Centrum Aften Aalborg JPArhus plus Århus Xtra Odense total Paid circulation 248 1.456 405 1.433 422 1.381 504...