National Newspaper For The North To Be Launched By CN Group
A new national newspaper called 24 giving a northern slant on the big national and international news stories will be launched on 20 June by the CN Group.
Priced at 40p, 24 will be distributed across an area spanning Preston to Lockerbie and Hexham in the east to Workington in the west.
The launch date of Monday, June 20 will allow 24 to present a regional slant on some of the year’s most topical events such as the European referendum, UEFA Championships and the Rio Olympics.
Press Association will provide around 95 per cent of the newspaper’s content, including news, lifestyle, features, celebrity gossip and puzzles.
Sport will major on northern teams from Manchester and Liverpool to Newcastle and Glasgow and 24 will also feature daily contributions from local columnists.
National advertising will be managed by Mediaforce.
CN Group said it will capitalise on the established distribution of its existing titles, as well as their digital portals.
24 will be distributed across an area with a population of 1.15m adults, and is designed to appeal to a wide-ranging demographic.
A new 24 national news section will also roll out across the publisher’s regional news websites, which have combined average monthly page views of five million.
Miller Hogg, chief executive of CN Group, said: “24 will fill a large gap in the regional market by providing a northern take on the national headlines.
“We see our purpose as serving the communities in which we operate, so it follows that CN Group should produce a national newspaper tailored to our patch.
“We know our customers well and have the capacity to print, publish and distribute a new paper for the local market.
“Our collaboration with PA will ensure our readers receive only the highest-quality journalism, which delivers the facts devoid of spin, to help readers formulate their own views on the UK’s biggest headlines.”
Tony Watson, managing director of PA, said: “We will work closely with the editorial team at 24 to provide a package of the news and content of most interest to its readers.
“We have an exciting summer ahead, packed full of major political and sporting events, and we aim to provide a variety of content and services to sharpen the appeal of this vibrant new publication.”
24 will be edited by Mike Haworth, who has wide experience across regional and national publishing.
He has previously held senior editorial positions at the Daily Express and Sunday Express and the Daily Star and Sunday Star.
CN Group’s editorial director David Helliwell said: “After so much doom and gloom for the industry this is an exciting new development.
“We believe we have the right package of content and design, spiced with a distinctly northern flavour, to provide a viable alternative in the national newspaper market.”
The 40-page tabloid will be published Monday to Friday and distributed through Menzies wholesale.