Detroit newspapers offer one-time free editions
DETROIT (AP) -- The publishers of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News offered free copies of their newly slimmed-down editions on newsstands Monday, looking to jump-start a bold experiment in the economics of the newspaper industry in which both papers will be delivered to subscribers only three days a week.
Gannett Co. and MediaNews Group Inc., the companies that publish the newspapers in partnership, said more than 500,000 copies were distributed free for the first time in their history.
Tuesday, the Free Press and the News will begin selling for their regular retail price. But home delivery has been cut to Thursday, Friday and Sunday, the most popular editions among advertisers.
The strategy is aimed at slashing production and delivery costs while retaining enough print ad revenue to sustain newsgathering operations in the midst of a deep recession and an ongoing shift toward digital media.
"We believe in great newspapers seven days a week," Dave Hunke, chief executive of Detroit Media Partnership and publisher of the Free Press, said in a statement.
"Both the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News have been redesigned with readers' needs in mind. You will find more local news within these pages quickly and easily and content that no other source in Michigan can provide," he added.
Both papers have added new features, but will be kept to about 32 pages on the four days they don't deliver, meaning less editorial content.
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