‘24 - The North’s National’ will be available from 20th June 2016, and will be distributed across an area spanning Preston to Lockerbie, and Hexham in the east and Workington in the west. Priced at 40p, ‘24’ will target disenfranchised readers of national newspapers looking for a less expensive alternative to London-centric titles, say the publishers.
The publication aims to present a politically-neutral digest of national stories, alongside features and regionally-focussed columns for people with busy working lives. Its launch in June will allow ‘24’ to present a regional slant on some of the year’s most topical events, like the European referendum, UEFA Championships and the Rio Olympics.
The launch of ‘24’ marks the first time an independent, regional publisher has published a title which is national in its scope. PA, the national news agency for UK and Ireland – which has teams across the North of England and Scotland – will provide around 95% of the newspaper’s content, including news, lifestyle, features, celebrity gossip and puzzles. Sport will major on northern teams from Manchester and Liverpool to Newcastle and Glasgow. 24 will also feature daily contributions from local columnists.
National advertising for ‘24’ will be managed by Mediaforce.
CN Group will capitalise on the established distribution of its existing titles, as well as their digital portals. ‘24’ will be distributed across an area with a population of 1.15 million adults, and is designed to appeal to a wide-ranging demographic. A new ‘24’ national news section will also roll out across the publisher’s regional news websites which have combined average monthly page views of five million, say the publishers.
Miller Hogg, Chief Executive of CN Group Ltd, said: “‘24’ will fill a large gap in the regional market by providing a northern take on the national headlines. We see our purpose as serving the communities in which we operate, so it follows that CN Group should produce a national newspaper tailored to our patch. We know our customers well and have the capacity to print, publish and distribute a new paper for the local market.
“Our collaboration with PA will ensure our readers receive only the highest-quality journalism which delivers the facts devoid of spin, to help readers formulate their own views on the UK’s biggest headlines.”
Tony Watson, Managing Director of the Press Association, said: “We will work closely with the editorial team at ‘24’ to provide a package of the news and content of most interest to its readers. We have an exciting summer ahead, packed full of major political and sporting events, and we aim to provide a variety of content and services to sharpen the appeal of this vibrant new publication.”
‘24’ will be edited by Mike Haworth, who has wide experience across both regional and national publishing. Mike has previously held senior editorial positions at the Daily Express & Sunday Express and the Daily Star & Sunday Star.
CN Group’s editorial director David Helliwell said: “After so much doom and gloom for the industry this is an exciting new development. We believe we have the right package of content and design, spiced with a distinctly northern flavour, to provide a viable alternative in the national newspaper market.”
The 40-page tabloid will be published Monday to Friday, and distributed through Menzies wholesale.
