Competition from the internet and other media has been given as one of the reasons for the Coventry Evening Telegraph axing its Saturday evening football results edition.
The Pink has been published for 58 years by the CET and currently has an ABC circulation of 3,437.
It was one of about 20 special sports editions published by regional newspapers around the country – often on distinctive green or pink paper.
CET sports editor Rob Madill said: “With the Sky Blues going out of the Premiership, sales were declining. In common with a lot of pink papers, the expansion of the internet and Teletext has given people other sources for their sports results.” Staffing of the CET sports department has not been affected by the move.
To compensate for the loss of The Pink, the CET has launched a new 16page weekly supplement called Game On, which provides football match previews, news and opinion, as well as coverage of other sports.
The first edition, on 7 August, featured an interview with Coventry City manager Peter Reid to coincide with the start of the football season.
Madill said: “The sporting landscape in Coventry and Warwickshire is changing and we are changing with it. Coventry City are currently building a new stadium and Coventry Rugby Club are about to move to a new ground, so these are exciting times. Game On aims to reflect that excitement.”
In addition, the CET is bringing Saturday’s final print deadline forward by two hours, to 9am, in a bid to let more people get hold of the paper in the morning.
The Trinity Mirror-owned CET has an ABC figure of 62,279.
TOP SATURDAY SPORTS SPECIALS
Birmingham Evening Mail, Sport Argus (circulation 17,299)
Sheffield Star, Green ‘Un (circulation 15,007)
Portsmouth News, Sports Mail (circulation 11,199)
Belfast Telegraph, Ireland, Saturday Night (circulation 9,808)
Newcastle Chronicle, The Pink (circulation 7,132)
By Dominic Ponsford
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