Glass
25th February 2012, 02:20 PM
Murdoch buoyant as new Sunday paper sells all ads
ADVERTISING space has sold out and buoyant sales figures are forecast for the first edition of Rupert Murdoch's return to the British Sunday tabloid market.
About seven months after a scandalous closure of News International's News Of The World masthead amid phone hacking allegations, The Sun on Sunday will hit stands tomorrow.
The 80-year-old media mogul will be in Britain to oversee the first edition's release and has been on the campaign trail drumming up support for his latest product.
''More good Sun news … We're completely sold out for advertising,'' Mr Murdoch tweeted.
News International also announced the new paper will sell for 50 pence (74¢), undercutting all other major Sunday British titles.
No doubt aiming to take up where the top-selling News of the World left off, one newspaper industry expert predicts the launch could result in debut sales of 2.5 million, before settling to an average weekly figure of about 1.8 million copies.
Former News of the World editor Jules Stenson said such a figure was well shy of the now-defunct newspaper's 2.7 million weekly sales average, but comparable with rivals the Sunday Mirror and Mail on Sunday.
As the British government-commissioned inquiry into media ethics continues, speculation in Britain is rife about the contents of the new paper.
There are some doubts the British public, still mindful of the phone hacking affair, will embrace the same company's replacement product.
''I don't think it'll be hugely successful, because we tend to send copies of The Sun back. The hacking [scandal] has affected the sales,'' a London newsagent told Britain's Press Gazette.
full story @ the Age (http://www.theage.com.au/world/murdoch-buoyant-as-new-sunday-paper-sells-all-ads-20120224-1ttxr.html)
I thought media company owners had to have a licence. One for each operation. So I can't understand why the fitness to continue to hold these licences has not come into question. Surely the buck stops somewhere and that has to call into question the fitness of the licence holder.
ADVERTISING space has sold out and buoyant sales figures are forecast for the first edition of Rupert Murdoch's return to the British Sunday tabloid market.
About seven months after a scandalous closure of News International's News Of The World masthead amid phone hacking allegations, The Sun on Sunday will hit stands tomorrow.
The 80-year-old media mogul will be in Britain to oversee the first edition's release and has been on the campaign trail drumming up support for his latest product.
''More good Sun news … We're completely sold out for advertising,'' Mr Murdoch tweeted.
News International also announced the new paper will sell for 50 pence (74¢), undercutting all other major Sunday British titles.
No doubt aiming to take up where the top-selling News of the World left off, one newspaper industry expert predicts the launch could result in debut sales of 2.5 million, before settling to an average weekly figure of about 1.8 million copies.
Former News of the World editor Jules Stenson said such a figure was well shy of the now-defunct newspaper's 2.7 million weekly sales average, but comparable with rivals the Sunday Mirror and Mail on Sunday.
As the British government-commissioned inquiry into media ethics continues, speculation in Britain is rife about the contents of the new paper.
There are some doubts the British public, still mindful of the phone hacking affair, will embrace the same company's replacement product.
''I don't think it'll be hugely successful, because we tend to send copies of The Sun back. The hacking [scandal] has affected the sales,'' a London newsagent told Britain's Press Gazette.
full story @ the Age (http://www.theage.com.au/world/murdoch-buoyant-as-new-sunday-paper-sells-all-ads-20120224-1ttxr.html)
I thought media company owners had to have a licence. One for each operation. So I can't understand why the fitness to continue to hold these licences has not come into question. Surely the buck stops somewhere and that has to call into question the fitness of the licence holder.