View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Publishers
  2. Magazines
July 3, 2012

Digital youth mag launches in print

By Press Gazette

A new free print magazine for youngsters will be published in Sunderland later this month – five months after it launched as an e-magazine.

Spark Magazine is a partnership between community media project Spark Sunderland, which is run by volunteers and students from around the city, and advertising and printing is managed by Johnston Press daily the Sunderland Echo.

Spark Sunderland said 6,000 copies of the magazine will be printed six times a year and distributed around the city.

The first print issue is being launched to coincide with the Sunderland International Airshow on 20 July.

The same editorial team will work on the print title, which will also be available online.

The magazine will feature ‘augmented reality’ technology from mobile specialists Aurasma, allowing readers to download a free app called ‘Spark View’, available for iPhone and Android handsets, and hover over enabled pages to view extra video content.

Editor Christopher Smith said: ‘It’s fantastic to be able to extend the Spark brand into print. It’s a great opportunity to produce a real youth-targeted publication that builds on our online success with the magazine to date.

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

‘The augmented reality technology puts a great spin on things too – its always nice to get a little extra something for nothing and we think our readers will really engage with this clever new tool.

‘There’s so much happening in Sunderland right now and we’re thrilled to be able to cover it from a young perspective.”

Mike Wardley, media sales manager at Johnston’s Northeast Press, said:

‘This is a very exciting opportunity for us and we are thrilled to work with everybody involved with Spark, and to have the opportunity to create a fantastic new product that is solely going to be aimed at the students and young people of Sunderland.”

Spark originally launched as a website in 2010 and was followed by the launch of the e-magazine in February this year.

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