The days of freesheets may be over

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WHEN Rupert Murdoch sneezes, the global media catches a cold, or so it seems.

And when the media mogul wielded the axe on thelondonpaper, it sent the world’s free newspapers into a dizzying tailspin.

Amid the torrent of theories and counter-theories over the freesheet tabloid’s demise, the burning question has been: “Will it signal the beginning of the end of free newspapers worldwide?”

Well, it’s not so much the closure of what is seen as that “bold, brash upstart freesheet” as the swiftness in which the execution was carried out.

Then again, it only served to reinforce Kent on Sunday newspaper’s sudden turnaround from free to 90 pence (RM5.30) as an indication of a more widespread malaise.

Turf war: A vendor handing out copies of thelondonpaper at London’s Marble Arch recently.

Whatever the reason, the message is loud and clear. Enough is enough even for the world’s most powerful newspaper empire.

Murdoch’s reluctance to continue throwing good money after bad can only point towards one direction – the days of free papers may be over.

After all, many free newspapers worldwide have stopped going to press, no thanks to plunging advertising revenue exacerbated by the global recession.

With nearly £13mil (RM76mil) pre-tax losses down the drain, the writing’s on the wall for thelondonpaper.

As Britain’s premier media watcher Roy Greenslade puts it: “On Murdoch’s part, it has been a disgraceful business from pointless start to humbling finish.”

Slash and burn

It had been a crowded field anyway. Three free newspapers in the capital – thelondonpaper, London Lite and London Metro – aren’t going to work in the long run.

Say what you like but it’s difficult to get off a train or a bus without having the freesheets shoved into your hands by an army of purple-jacketed vendors.

While London Metro enjoys a monopoly on the Underground tube train network during the morning rush hour, the two afternoon free tabloids compete for office workers heading home from work.

With the two bitter rivals slugging it out for nearly three years, it’s only a matter of time before one gets knocked out eventually.

Simply put, it’s a classic “slash and burn” turf war using freesheets. Both had almost identical celebrity-obsessed content and are pouring money into a media market with rapidly-shrinking advertising revenue.

And the recession seems to provide the perfect excuse to pull the plug on thelondonpaper. It’s sad to see it close but it’s not entirely surprising.

Indeed, the feud between thelondonpaper, owned by Murdoch’s News International, and London Lite, published by Associated Newspapers, dates back to nearly three years ago.

Both had, from the start, got off on the wrong foot. The day London Lite “scooped” thelondonpaper with its launch five days before the latter hit the streets on Sept 4, 2006 was a foretaste of the bitter war ahead.

But their spat sank to a new low in 2007; Associated Newspapers circulated secret video footage allegedly showing vendors dumping thelondonpaper in rubbish and recycling bins.

Of course, Murdoch’s media juggernaut did not take it lying down. It hit back almost immediately, claiming it also had pictures of the London Lite being dumped.

The dumping scandal then raised crucial questions over the Audit Bureau of Circulations’ (ABC) figures, which can be little more than print-run statistics.

Bottomless pit

Now that the freesheet war is finally over, the initial relief of seeing off its erthswhile rival has been overtaken by apprehension over its own fate.

Theoretically, London Lite can enjoy a free run; it should pick up more advertisers as its sole competitor is likely to hit the streets for the last time on Sept 18.

In good times, that’s a resounding yes. But not in a depressed market unless publishers prefer to continue keeping their heads in the sand.

So, despite the tell-tale signs, will London Lite soldier on even if it’s a seemingly bottomless pit or stop fiddling and take a firmer stand on its future?

For after the triumphant rhetoric and smoke have cleared, it may become apparent that the maths do not quite favour a free media these days.

Either way, the street and train cleaners could be having the last laugh now that nearly 500,000 freesheets that flood the city every day are about to disappear.

For the record, the Westminster City Council reportedly collected 120 tonnes of paper – equivalent to 1,920 trees – from the freesheet recycling bins in the first six months of last year.

And although thelondonpaper claims to be printed on 100% recycled paper, it still takes a lot more effort to recycle, print and distribute the freesheets every day.

All said and done, the bottom line is, will the future be free? It certainly won’t be, if Murdoch succeeds in leading the way for other key media owners.