London Lite
Encyclopedia
London Lite was the trading name of a British
free daily newspaper
, published by Associated Newspapers
(part of Daily Mail and General Trust
), and now defunct. It was available Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings from street distributors in Central London
only. On 27 October 2009, Associated Newspapers announced that it had entered into negotiation with staff over the future of the paper . The last edition was published on Friday, 13 November 2009 — a date chosen by staff for its swansong.
, called Standard Lite, to help boost circulation freely. This had 48 pages, compared with about 80 in the main paper, which also had a supplement on most days.
It was announced in August 2006 that the free paper would now be called London Lite, in a move that was widely seen as a spoiler to protect against the launch of News International
's thelondonpaper
on 4 September.
With the sale of the Evening Standard, but not London Lite, to Alexander Lebedev
on 21 January 2009, the association between the Standard and the Lite was broken. London Lite, like its free sister morning newspaper, Metro
, remained owned by Associated Newspapers, the same media group that owns the Daily Mail
.
Celebrity
gossip was given more coverage than international news and the Lite also reported in detail the incidents of violent crime in the capital.
On 8 July 2009, the online version of London Lite merged with that of Metro
, another London daily free newspaper owned by Associated Newspapers, but published in the morning.
Like the other free London dailies, the London Lite was generally discarded by its readers as soon as they finished reading it. The use of resources to print something with such a short lifespan was criticised on environmental grounds. Westminster City Council
estimated that free newspapers made up a quarter of all rubbish in the West End
, much of which went un-recycled, although some stations positioned recycling bins at entrances and exits for this purpose.
The closing of The London Paper ironically brought about the demise of London Lite. The Evening Standard saw a gap in the market and decided to make its publication free less than one month later, on 12 October 2009. Less than three weeks later, London Lite announced it would close down.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
free daily newspaper
Free daily newspaper
Free daily newspapers are distributed free of charge, either in central places in cities and towns, or with other newspapers. The revenues of such newspapers are based on advertising.-In the U.S.:...
, published by Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers is a large national newspaper publisher in the UK, which is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust. The group was established in 1905 and is currently based at Northcliffe House in Kensington...
(part of Daily Mail and General Trust
Daily Mail and General Trust
Daily Mail and General Trust plc is a British media conglomerate, one of the largest in Europe. In the UK, it has interests in national and regional newspapers, television and radio. The company has extensive activities based outside the UK, through Northcliffe Media, DMG Radio Australia, DMG World...
), and now defunct. It was available Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings from street distributors in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
only. On 27 October 2009, Associated Newspapers announced that it had entered into negotiation with staff over the future of the paper . The last edition was published on Friday, 13 November 2009 — a date chosen by staff for its swansong.
History
On 14 December 2004 Associated Newspapers launched a freesheet edition of the Evening StandardEvening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
, called Standard Lite, to help boost circulation freely. This had 48 pages, compared with about 80 in the main paper, which also had a supplement on most days.
It was announced in August 2006 that the free paper would now be called London Lite, in a move that was widely seen as a spoiler to protect against the launch of News International
News International
News International Ltd is the United Kingdom newspaper publishing division of News Corporation. Until June 2002, it was called News International plc....
's thelondonpaper
Thelondonpaper
The London Paper was a free daily newspaper, published by NI Free Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International...
on 4 September.
With the sale of the Evening Standard, but not London Lite, to Alexander Lebedev
Alexander Lebedev
Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev is a Russian businessman, referred to as one of the Russian oligarchs.In May 2008, he was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the richest Russians and as the 358th richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of $3.1 billion...
on 21 January 2009, the association between the Standard and the Lite was broken. London Lite, like its free sister morning newspaper, Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
, remained owned by Associated Newspapers, the same media group that owns the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.
Content
London Lite, edited by Ted Young, was designed to be especially attractive to younger female readers, and featured a wide range of lifestyle articles but less news and business news than the Standard. It was initially available only between 11.30am and 2.30pm from Evening Standard vendors and in the central area, but was later handed out by its own street distributors.Celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
gossip was given more coverage than international news and the Lite also reported in detail the incidents of violent crime in the capital.
On 8 July 2009, the online version of London Lite merged with that of Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
, another London daily free newspaper owned by Associated Newspapers, but published in the morning.
Alleged environmental impact
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
estimated that free newspapers made up a quarter of all rubbish in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, much of which went un-recycled, although some stations positioned recycling bins at entrances and exits for this purpose.
Competition
In June 2009, London Lite distributed an average of 400,741 copies each weekday, behind the 497,244 copies distributed by rival The London Paper Despite its higher circulation figures, however, The London Paper closed two months earlier than London Lite did, on 18 September 2009.The closing of The London Paper ironically brought about the demise of London Lite. The Evening Standard saw a gap in the market and decided to make its publication free less than one month later, on 12 October 2009. Less than three weeks later, London Lite announced it would close down.
External links
- Official Website
- London's free newspapers revealed This Is Local London