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Helsinki Edition About Us |
Free news for all Fast news for free. Easy, accessible and readable for everyone. So far, the tale of the Swedish newspaper Metro is an extravagant success story. It's not a new concept. In the early nineties, distribution of the free news tabloid Info-Matin began in the Paris Metrò. In early 1995, just as Info-Matin went bankrupt, the Swedish equivalent Metro was founded in Stockholm. The established Swedish newspapers sneered at the newcomer, branding it "a shallow advertising leaflet". But the harsh economic climate turned out to be Metro's best friend. Run with a minimum number of staff members, and relying on news bureaus for most of its material, Metro provided a neat summary of news for everyone. The circulation figures for the Stockholm-based newspapers Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) began to decline rapidly, forcing the papers to lower subscription costs. SvD in particular faced severe financial difficulties. There have been heavy cuts in staff and the paper recently changed owners. Metro, meanwhile, stands strong. Nowadays it belongs to the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group (MTG). In 1997, with a daily circulation of 260.000 copies, Metro began its international expansion. That summer, Metro Prague started, similar to Metro Stockholm in all but language. The new paper was an instant success, becoming the leading paper in Prague, and the fourth largest in the whole Czech Republic. Since then Metro has started two new editions, in Gothenburg and, on September 7 this year, also in Budapest.. - Although it's too early to speak of the outcome, things look good so far, says Sakari Pitkänen, editor-in-chief of Metro Stockholm. There are persistent rumours of further expansion, but MTG is very secretive about this. Today several other European cities have Metro-like papers, most of these started after 1995. So where lies the key to success in Metro's concept? - It's a paper that combines quality and accessibility with a competitive price setting, says Sakari Pitkänen. Metro's target group mainly consists of people who seldom buy newspapers - teenagers and immigrants for instance. The fact that many people have felt they cannot afford the big, extravagant regular newspapers has also boosted its popularity. Mattias Källman |
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