• BBC, Wednesday, September 6, 2006 12 PM

The launch of London's third free daily this week is further evidence that the public seems less inclined to pay for a news fix. First came the price wars of the 1980s, when various newspapers cut cover prices in a bid to outsell rivals. But now there are no price wars; instead, it's the battle of the freebie, as two new free newspapers in London go head-to-head for the hearts and minds of the news-reading public. The two are thelondonpaper, published by News Corp., and London Lite, owned by Associated Newspapers. The BBC wonders if this means the end of paid-for papers: "Who will stump up 50p for a Sun, Guardian or Times when they can get their news, sport and a couple of cartoons for free? And will all newspapers be free in the future?" The editor of one of the papers doesn't think so. Stefano Hatfield, who runs thelondonpaper, says the new freebies will create new newspaper readers. He says that in his experience, these kind of freesheets appeal mostly to young people, ages 18 to 35, who do not currently read a newspaper.

Read the whole story at BBC »