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June 29, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 7:58pm

Spring 2007 launch set for first Welsh daily

By Press Gazette

Next spring has been confirmed as the launch date for the first daily newspaper in Welsh, with St David's Day likely.

Y Byd (The World) hopes for an eventual circulation of 15,000, with perhaps one-third sold by subscription through newsagents.

The mid-to-up-market tabloid is expected to be aimed at readers of The Guardian and The Independent; it is understood that thoughts of a Sun-style operation were dropped because many fluent working-class Welsh-speakers lack confidence in writing.

Coverage of the National Assembly will be important — particularly as only one of the six Welsh dailies currently has a full-time staff journalist in the press gallery in Cardiff.

Ned Thomas, chairman of Dyddiol Cyf (Daily Ltd), with a magazines and academic background, has already advertised for the half-dozen basic posts for the operation, including editor and news and features editors.

Thomas said that still under negotiation were location of headquarters (mid-Wales) and the sponsorship deals for individual pages and sections within the 32-page Monday-to-Friday newspaper.

The set-up cost he reckoned at around £1m, from a mix of sponsorship, business start up grants, shareholders and banks; investments from individuals already exceed £300,000.

Thomas refuses to name printers, although he admits it might be politically difficult to print outside Wales.

He admits advertising seems "very volatile"; public sector jobs will be an important source.

It is also planned that Y Byd will have a website.

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