Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Toronto Star testing online-online afternoon edition in PDF-download format
Star to launch electronic afternoon edition
Aug. 30, 2006. 01:00 AM
Trying to reach readers who covet up-to-the-minute news, the Toronto Star is launching an eight-page afternoon edition that can be downloaded from a computer and printed.
Called Star P.M., the free newspaper in pdf format will be available on weekdays starting next Tuesday. The effort is the first of its kind in North America. Other daily newspapers that have recently launched downloadable editions include The Guardian and the Financial Times.
"We must be prepared to explore new ideas and take risks when we see strategic opportunities to do so," Star publisher Michael Goldbloom said in a statement. "We are really proud of the work of our newsroom and we want to get their work to people in the time and the way they want it." Goldbloom said that later this year, the Star would start an html version of Star P.M. that would allow consumers to select more customized news and advertising content.
Star P.M. will include breaking news, a crossword and a Sudoku puzzle, and other information, such as traffic conditions, weather and TV highlights.
Several advertisers, including Air Canada, the CBC, General Motors, Mirvish Productions and ReMax, have committed to buy advertising for the new edition for at least 17 weeks, Goldbloom said. "The industry is really looking at this as an experiment," said Hugh Dow,
a Toronto ad industry executive.
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