Advertising revenue at the Herald Express, the Torquay daily which switched from a daily to weekly publication this month, is said to be up almost 19 per cent.
The first edition of the new look 192-page weekly came out last Thursday, and according to Northcliffe Media chief executive Steve Auckland it has ‘exceeded all expectations”.
Before it made the switch the Herald Express was one of Northcliffe’s best-performing titles circulation-wise, selling an average 21,112 copies a day, down 3.7 per cent year on year.
The switch to weekly publication was said to be primarily the result of a rapid decline in advertising revenue in the region once the recession took hold.
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‘The transition of the Herald Express from daily to weekly, as part of the wide-ranging review of Northcliffe Media, has exceeded all our expectations,’said Auckland.
‘The advertising performance for this first paper was up 19 per cent from an average full week of daily figures and morale in the Torquay centre is really high.
‘The MD, Andrew Blair and editor, Andy Phelan have, with their teams, performed miracles to turn this round with only six weeks’ notice. We’re looking forward to an excellent sales figure.”
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The £1-a-copy paper is being supported by TV advertising and 30 supermarket merchandisers as part of a ten-week promotional campaign.
Last week Northcliffe announced that another of its daily titles, the Scunthorpe Telegraph, is also switching to weekly publication.
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