View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Comment
August 6, 2013

Time Out London launches reader-generated issue for first-year anniversary as free magazine

By Louise Ashwell

Time Out London magazine will mark its first anniversary as a free title with an entirely reader-generated issue.

Readers are being invited to submit reviews based on the theme "I Love London" in what the magazine is billing “The Great Time Out Takeover”.

The title’s editorial team will select a team of reader editors from the best entries. The winners will subsequently be responsible for all Time Out’s content for the issue.

This will include the magazine’s features, interviews, design, photography, the Time Out blog, and even the front cover.

Time Out dropped its cover price on 25 September 2012 after Oakley Capital acquired a 50 per cent stake in the business the previous year. Since dropping its cover price, the publication has enjoyed a surge in circulation to an average of 305,530 per week, up from an average of 52,198 in the first six months of 2012, according to ABC. It is now the most widely read free magazine in London, according to a YouGov SixthSense market report from February this year.

The magazine has also seenan increase in digital traffic. It claims that visits to its website have risen 69 per cent year on year, while its iPhone and iPad apps have been downloaded more than 1m times.

Editor-in-Chief of Time Out London, Tim Arthur, said: “2013 is a special year for Time Ou, not only does it mark the end of our first year as a free magazine, Time Out is now 45 years old.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“From starting life as a one-page pamphlet distributed by our founder Tony Elliott, we’ve grown into a global, multi-platform media brand. We wouldn’t be where we are today without our readers, so it just couldn’t be a celebration without them. There’s no better time to open up the pages of our magazine to Londoners, because we believe that together we make our city amazing.”

The user-generated issue ‘I Love London’ will be available on Tuesday 24 September. 

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network