Free daily business newspaper City AM will return to print in September, nearly six months after suspending distribution due to the Covid-19 crisis.
City AM’s print edition has been on hold since 20 March – it later also suspended its digital edition and magazine – and was forced to cut salaries and furlough staff to cope with the impact of Covid-19.
The suspension was always intended to be temporary and the paper will be back on London streets from Monday 7 September, just days after marking its 15th anniversary, it has been announced today.
City AM Magazine is expected to return in the autumn.
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As a free newspaper, City AM’s commuter and ad-reliant business model was among those hardest hit by the downturn in advertising caused by the virus and lockdown measures brought in to slow its spread.
The UK has now begun to ease restrictions so long as the rate of infection remains below one, although a second spike could jeopardise this.
City AM’s mitigating actions, including its decision to put its print operation on hold and concentrate on its daily news website during lockdown, have meant it has not made any redundancies.
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Furloughed staff are expected to return to work over the summer.
A decision is being made on whether staff will return to the paper’s offices in Fenchurch Street with the paper – although the title can now be produced remotely – and distribution will be under constant review.
City AM editor Christian May said: “Putting together the first edition after this enforced break will be a wonderful occasion and I know that everyone involved in the newspaper is itching to get back to work.
“London has suffered during this crisis and its business community has faced immense difficulty, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the capital will come roaring back to life and we can’t wait to be a part of that.”
Chief executive Jens Torpe added: “We said we’d be back, and we will be back – serving the capital’s business community with the same style, energy and enthusiasm with which we launched City AM 15 years ago.”
He added the first edition after the break would be a “bumper” one.
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