He adds, “The thought process behind our strategy was to supply a newspaper to every home in the metro area, a newspaper that is lifestyle orientated, carries local, national and international news and sport and is a worthy read. We want to be seen as a free newspaper that covers topics that people want to read about, namely, body and soul, fashion, food, @home, etc. and not simply as a carrier.”

Other key staff include publishing/managing director Haresh Ouderajh, editor Kenny Naidoo , and advertising director Sheilagh van Veijeren. Retha van Zweel from Ads24, Media24's national sales and marketing division for daily, weekly and community newspapers, as well as the free lifestyle magazine MyWeek, will be heading up national advertising on behalf of the Express stable.

Community title

The offering consists of Eastern Express, a community title aimed at the Indian 6 – 10 LSM, with a 97 000 copy reach distributed weekly on a Wednesday to homes and to bulk drop sites at major shopping centres; plus eight neighbourhood newspapers with a total circulation of 170 000 copies weekly.

The neighbourhood titles already launched are:

• Forest Express – with circulation of 20 000 copies on Thursday being distributed to the outlying Forest areas to the West of Durban.
  East Coast Express – with a midweek distribution of 30 000 North of Durban in the Umhlanga, La Lucia and Glenashley districts.
  
• Queens Express – 25 000 copies are distributed each Tuesday in the Queensburgh area.

Advertisers can look forward to two more titles launching in September 2007 and distributed free to the doorstep of 30 000 homes each in the Pinetown and Westville areas –the Pinetown Express and Westville Express.

Following closely on their heels will be the Bluff Express and South Express, each with its 35 000 copies circulation, and the Berea Express with 30 000 copies will launch in October and give advertisers penetration along the costal suburbs of Durban from Morningside to Brighton Beach every Wednesday.

Eastern Express was launched in response to the changes that have taken place in the Indian community, to reflect the modern Indian. It is intended to appeal to the sophisticated reader, with a dedicated Eastern focus and a distinct lack of sensationalism. It will have a strong emphasis on lifestyle, food, fashion and décor, with sections that cover Bollywood, sport, cars, travel, health, business, property and more.

Lifestyle-oriented content

The content of the neighbourhood Express newspapers will also be lifestyle-orientated within sections to make it modern and reader-friendly. It will include local, national and international news, a Body & Soul section, plus dedicated sections on Style, @ Home, Food, Around Town, Drive, Classified, Local & International Sport, and Sunday Morning.

Future content initiatives for the neighbourhood titles include sections on Property, Motoring, Travel, and Teenager and children's interests – which promises to be an interactive portion of the newspaper.

“The eThekwini municipality has recognised the Durban area as spot with massive buying power and mixed income levels that make it ideal for economic opportunities and growth,” concludes Tiaan Ras, head of media intelligence at Media24, who looks forward to the advertising opportunities that the new title will provide for businesses looking to reach the lucrative Durban metro market.

[25 Sep 2007 18:01]

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