The Guardian Media Group this week launches Manchester MetroNews, a
free daily morning paper which will be given away to commuters in the
Greater Manchester area.
The 30-page title, edited by Paul Horrocks, is the latest in a series of
free newspapers targeting the commuter market, such as Associated
Newspapers’ Metro in London. The Manchester title will be given to
readers on buses, trains and trams in the morning.
The paper will be produced by the same editorial team which writes for
the Manchester Evening News, which is also owned by the Guardian Media
Group and is edited by Horrocks. The editorial team has been expanded
over the past few months to cope with the extra work.
’The people of Manchester have become used to going home with the
Manchester Evening News,’ said Horrocks. ’Now we are giving them the
same commitment to local news, sport and information in the morning.’
The daily MetroNews will have a tabloid format and will focus on news
and events in the Greater Manchester area, as well as leading national
and international stories.
Ian Ashcroft, managing director of the Manchester Evening News, said
that MetroNews would have a distinct style and identity.
It is the first time Manchester has had a dedicated morning newspaper
since the Manchester Guardian moved to London in 1959.
A flurry of plans for free morning papers in cities with big commuter
populations has been provoked by the arrival in the UK of Swedish
company Modern Times Group, which is planning a Newcastle newspaper to
be launched in the spring.
