Launch Alpha One Magazine |
|
| Wednesday, 22 August 2007 | |
 Former editor of FHM, Mike Soutar is launching men's weekly called 'Alpha One' in Autumn of this year. The weekly won't hit the stores, instead the magazine will be given away for free to commuters every Thursday. After setting up Britain 's first weekly men publication Nuts at IPC two years ago,
 to launch a weekly free magazine for men is the next step. The free title will be of a higher quality and calibre then its forerunners.
Over the past few years more and more publishing houses are interested in the distribution of free publications. To compete with Metro published by Daily Mail & General Trust, News International launched thelondonpaper and Associated Newspapers' introduced the daily free newspaper London Lite. Not long after that Sport and Soutar were launched, both aiming on ABC1 men. Alpha One is also targeting on the 18-35 year old ABC1 male readers offering them a weekly news update, cars and gadget columns, and sports features. A half million copies will be spread over London , Leeds , Glasgow , Edinburgh , Birmingham and Manchester . The distribution network is something that needs to be looked after carefully in order the right readers will read the copies. To secure this Soutar used 'geo-dynamic analysis' to locate the highest ABC1 demographic areas. Whereas some question the viability of a free title, Soutar's brainchild might give input to the male magazine market and increase sales. According to previous distribution numbers, paid-for men's publications are having a difficult time at the moment in regards to readership and advertisement. According to Soutar, the quality give-away weekly Alpha One is different from the non-free publications. Alpha will have a more broadsheet feel to it with a focus on the top end of the magazine market. Filmmaker Matthew Vaughan, French Connection founder Stephen marks and publisher DC Thomson are supporting his point of view and are funding the Alpha One with £7.5m. With high quality content, Alpha One could be the answer to advertisers, whom try to reach ABC1 men, is looking for. If it will move more men to buy magazines from newsagents is yet to be seen. |
