It’s always great to announce the birth of a newspaper.
It’s even better when reporting the news in 2016 and announcing that the newspaper is born as a bundle of ink and paper.
I had a chat with Matt Kelly, the long time British newspaper executive whom I have met at different conferences over the years. He is now chief content officer of Archant, a British newspaper group.
When Matt witnessed the reaction of millennials to the Brexit vote, he knew that he was witnessing an audience that would love a newspaper that was as passionate and inspired by the issues as they are.
Enter The New European. Within two weeks of the Brexit vote, in July, The New European emerged as a weekly newspaper, a lean back read that is certain to get its readers to lean forward and take action.
Sometimes events propel people to action, and The New European proves it. The New European sells for 2 pounds (about $3.60) per copy.
The design is bright and vibrant. The headlines are bold and big. Visual surprises abound on page one, but it is the content that seduces, especially those millennials who like headlines such as, many of which do not hide the newspaper’s point of view on a subject:
“States of Hate” (all about the “toxic” Brexit vote)
“Europe: Our Right to Moan”
“The Godmother: How May Controls her Puppets on a String”
“American Scream” (over photo of Donald Trump).
Sometimes the front page visual is an editorial cartoon. And, in the age of the templated front page, there are NOT two pages here that look the same.
Some questions for Matt Kelly
Mario: What’s The New European’s digital presence?
Matt:
There’s very little digital; we deliberately wanted it to be print-centric as we considered there was enough digital politics out here. and we wanted people to pay.
Mario: You are the company’s chief of content. How did you conceptualize the content mix for The New European?
Matt:
It's a blend of serious debate about Brexit and also culture and arts – from David Bowie to Bauhaus. all the best of Europe!
Mario: Tell me about the design…
Matt:
We designed it! We also have a very talented team at Archant who surprise me every week with their brilliance!
Print rethinks
A discussion of print rethinks and recent redesigns:
http://blog.wan-ifra.org/2016/09/20/will-print-become-a-weekend-art
More about the subject in TheMarioBlog Wednesday.