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A bright future for your Evening Standard
02.10.09
From Monday 12 October your London Evening Standard will become the first quality newspaper in the world to go free.
It will mean that more Londoners than ever before will be able to read its unrivalled coverage of our city. The number of copies printed will more than double to 600,000.
The Evening Standard will remain the same newspaper with the same award-winning journalism.
All your favourite writers and columnists will be in your Evening Standard as normal. All the daily sections - Trends, Beauty and Fashion, London Life, Film and Music - will stay on the same days. ES Magazine will continue to publish on Fridays and Homes & Property on Wednesdays.
More than twice as many copies will be available of our West End Final edition with the latest news, politics and sports coverage from our experienced team of specialists. Our city editor Chris Blackhurst's acclaimed business team, including Anthony Hilton, will provide the latest reports and analysis. The Evening Standard's much-respected columnists including Simon Jenkins and Anne McElvoy will be writing on their regular pages.
Our influential reviews and arts coverage including Brian Sewell on art, Andrew O'Hagan on film, Henry Hitchings on theatre and Fay Maschler on restaurants will continue to reflect the cultural life of London.
"The Standard has an exciting and secure future with this new, pioneering strategy of more than doubling our distribution. We will remain the only London newspaper committed to a tradition of high quality journalism with the finest writers and undiminished commitment to the best reporting of news, business and sport.
"I also want the paper to continue being a cheerleader for London, the greatest city in the world. We will celebrate where we can but also criticise and expose those who are not doing what is best for London and Londoners."
Evgeny Lebedev, Executive Director of the London Evening Standard, said. "I have always wanted the Standard to be far-reaching, bringing news to as many people as possible in the capital with the highest quality reporting and influential comment pieces. This new model with at least 600,000 copies being brought to London every day will make a great newspaper accessible to more Londoners than ever before.
"I especially want to ensure that my family underwrites the continuation of its broad and brilliant coverage of the arts, where London dominates the world with theatre, live performances and the visual arts. It is key to my family's thinking to have a great newspaper, celebratory of London but also fearless in its desire to report the news, business and sport brought to as many people as possible. We are committed to maintaining the quality of the Standard as the premier paper in London but with more than twice its current reach."
Reader views (13)
Great news but I dont live in London!!!???
- Gill Roberts, Chippenham, UK
I still have a bit of credit on my Eros Card - what will happen to it? Will I get it back?
- Maya, London
im always interested in any offers and give aways do keep me in mind thank u
- Nannette Obi, south east / southwark
i have just read your press release, i have loved reading the Evening Standard for many years. However, as i am currently not employed, and would not be able to get up to the stations in time to get a copy,school run , voluntatry work in school etc ( i presume the paper would be either handed out, or left in a stand) , where else could i get my copy please? many thanks, and keep up the excellent work.
- Michele Ebanks, mitcham surrey
It's a brave move. The industry is changing rapidly. Wish you all the best.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
a move that is to be regretted,read the paper throughout the 60s and when able to get it when not living in
London up to online version then read every night online,concerned that the free version will be a comic not a respected newspaper
- Brian, barry south wales
I hope that this will not mean a deterioration of the paper. We did notice a decline from the old Evening Standard to the new London Evening Standard. Whenever we visit London, the Evening Standard is the only paper we purchase on a daily basis, with an occasional Guardian and Times. My wife and I spend many a quiet hour in a decent pub reading it from cover to cover.
- Mike Bunn, Usa, Fredericksburg, VA USA
Does this mean we will be able to get a copy now? This far out of London has meant we no longer have the option of a copy unless we take lunch at 3.30 - fine for the centre of town, but not really done around here.
- Opus,, Harrow, Middx
Will this impact on how far out the Standard is distributed. For example, I live in West Drayton and work in Hook, Hampshire - both currently have shops that sell the Standard. Will this change when it goes free?
The Standard is no use to me if it is only handed out in Zone 1 like London Lite is.
- Chris Green, West Drayton, Middlesex
Does this mean that London will now become the rubbish capital of the world? To all the people who discard their FREE papers on the tubes and trains get a life. Would you like it if people left rubbish in your lounge, on the sofa, on the floor etc. Make it 1p the everyone will take home their paper.
- Tony, London
Please please don't dumb down it for the masses.
- Tom, bloomsbury
What will happen to the current newspaper vendors?
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
to compete with london LITE the Standard will need become less high brow than before, and will need a lot more trivial guff to appeal to those who prefer to consume light news stories - 600k is hype i reckon, they will be lucky.
- Mike Wood, london
