A newspaper war has broken out on the streets of Cambridge after Iliffe News & Media joined Archant in launching a new weekly title in the city.
Cambridge Newspapers, the division of Iliffe that publishes the daily Cambridge News and free weekly Cambridge News & Crier, yesterday launched Cambridge Now.
The free weekly tabloid hit the streets the same day as Archant marked its arrival on a patch previously dominated by Iliffe with the launch of its new part-free, part paid-for Cambridge First newspaper.
Iliffe today described its new paper as a ‘Metro-style’ 64-page weekly that would be distributed in the city centre every Thursday.
Graham Ayres, Cambridge Newspapers managing director, said: “It’s a lighter, shorter read for those who like a weekly at-a-glance digest of news from Cambridge – coupled with jobs, property and a guide to what’s happening in the city.”
Ayres said the new paper had been designed to “sit alongside” the Cambridge News and the home-delivered weekly News & Crier newspaper.
“We believe we are meeting the needs of all the people who live, work, visit and study in our great city and if people want to know about Cambridge now, tomorrow and every day then we really do offer unrivalled coverage for both readers and advertisers,” he added.
Iliffe said 30 members of staff launched its new paper yesterday at the city’s major transport centres.
Archant launched its new title by claiming it to be a “new generation newspaper” that would reach a new audience through paid-for sales; free pick-up and targeted hand-delivery at key locations in the city.
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