• Reuters, Tuesday, September 5, 2006 11:33 AM

Hundreds of workers who lined up in London to hand out free newspapers on Monday were on the front line of a high-stakes media battlefield. On one side is Rupert Murdoch's News International and its thelondonpaper, while on the other is Associated Newspapers' London Lite. The two are tussling over young commuters, an 18- to-34-year-old market of urbanites who have turned away from traditional, paid-for newspapers to the Internet. Both sheets claim to be packed full of news, entertainment, sports, and listings for the tired worker who just wants something light to read on the way home. "I don't think you'll find the young home-going commuter is going to want a huge analysis of the Middle East conflict," says a spokesman for News International. "They want something that suits their lifestyle." At the same time, Britain's traditional newspapers will be watching closely to see if the free products meet with success--but one paper will watch more closely than others: the Evening Standard, also published by Associated. It has already seen its circulation drop, and could suffer from the new competition.

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