Birmingham News to Launch Sunday Select

The Birmingham News has announced that it will launch a Sunday Select (non-subscriber opt-in program) effective November 7, 2010.  The product will be called Yes! Your Essential Shopper, and will initially target 15,400 additional households that are located in 14 prime zip codes.

For more information contact the Birmingham News.

Ventura County Star Launches Opt-In Program

The Ventura County Star, an E.W. Scripps publication, announced that it will launch Scoop! Sunday Savings on October 10, 2010.  This is an opt in non-subscriber product that will be carrier delivered to 12,000 households in the Ventura County area on Sundays.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune Launches Sunday Opt-In Program

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has announced that they are launching a Sunday opt-in program for non-subscribers called the StribExpress, per an announcement in Editor & Publisher.  This is a variation of the Sunday Select program initiated by other publications across the country.

The StribExpress will launch this Sunday, September 12th, 2010, with an distribution of 20,000.  Per Star-Tribune Chief Revenue Officer Jeff Griffing:

“This is an innovative way to have a direct relationship with non-subscribers.  There is a segment of the market that does not want a complete newspaper but does want the advertising and coupons. And there are a number of advertisers who are very interested in expanding their reach in selected areas. We put all that together with StribExpress, and everybody wins.”

The Star-Tribune already has a total market saturation product called the Twin Cities Values (TCV), that is delivered to non-subscribers of the paid paper.  Those individuals who have signed up for the StribExpress will be treated as subscribers, and not receive the TCV.

 

In our opinion the ability to remove the duplication from the TCV, and ensuring that the StribExpress is requested by the recipient, does greatly increase the value of this new program offering; you are reaching consumers who specifically want the inserts/coupons.  It would seem to also indicate that if you are buying the TCV right now, you may need to start incorporating the StribExpress into your plan, as you may lose those individuals.  Perhaps the Star-Tribune has a plan in place to cover that.

North County Times Launches Sunday Select

The North County Times has recently announced a plan to launch a Sunday Select program.  These programs are designed to be an 'opt-in' TMC product in conjunction with the Sunday paid distribution.  The launch date is Sunday October 3rd.

In a news release issued today, CIPS was happy to announce they will be deliverying the North County Times Sunday Select.

LOS ANGELES, California – September 1, 2010 – CIPS Marketing has signed with the North County Times to distribute its newly launched weekly “Sunday Select” advertising program.

Mark Henschen, Circulation Director at the North County Times, said “The North County Times eagerly sought out CIPS to take on our ‘Sunday Select’ delivery ... this is in no small part due to the solid performance of CIPS with the delivery of our Friday ‘NCT WEEKLY’ product. CIPS is high quality with low costs ... a winner in these difficult economic times!”

Pete Friedrich, Operations Vice President at CIPS, said “We are honored to be selected by the North County Times for this important launch. Be it a traditional TMC distribution or a more targeted subscriber-based program like ‘Sunday Select’, CIPS simply builds the best operations in the industry. That’s just the fact”.

Drawing on more than 25 years of quality TMC distribution, CIPS is the most reliable and cost-effective distribution partner in the newspaper industry, now distributing to nearly 6 million packages per week - unprecedented in the industry. CIPS has developed the most comprehensive Quality Control systems and has designed the needed delivery and verification tools to comply with all delivery specifications, including the strictest Do Not Deliver and Paper Pile-Up standards in the industry. CIPS employs the most qualified operational leadership and expertise, and enjoys the industry’s only perfect track record of successful TMC conversions.

Capital Gazette Newspapers Merge

The Annapolis West County Gazette and Crofton News-Crier, two weekly publications in the Capital Gazette Communications group, merged to form the Annapolis Crofton-West County Gazette on July 1st, 2010.  The new publication distributes on Thursday.

The Annapolis Capital Gazette also launched a Sunday Select program on July 25th.