Free version proposed
A proposed free version of the Evening Standard , made available at lunchtime, is being described by senior insiders as an extra edition of the paper.
The slimmed-down version of the London paper would be printed between editions one and two of the four-edition paper.
It is understood that it is likely to run to 48 pages, as compared with around 76 for the main paper, and that Mail on Sunday executive editor, Martin Clarke, is working on this project.
The Standard ‘s plans are understood not to be “set in stone” and could depend on the outcome of market testing, with dummy versions of the new edition expected to start this week.
No launch date has yet been set for the new version of the paper.
The Evening Standard sold 381,186 copies in October, compared with 421,465 in the same month last year.
Evening Standard executives declined to make any comment.
By Dominic Ponsford
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