Crain’s Manchester Business has produced a 24-page prototype issue to give readers and advertisers an idea of the style and content of the new publication.

The business newspaper for Greater Manchester will produce its first issue on December 17, 2007, and begin weekly publication early in 2008.

A total of 20,000 copies, in full colour on glossy paper, will be distributed via a mixture of newsstand sales and controlled circulation to business people in the Greater Manchester area.

Believed to be the first city business weekly of its kind in Western Europe, the new title is modelled on the business weekly publications which have been successfully established in every US city of any size.

Crain Communications sees Greater Manchester, with its thriving and varied business scene and dynamic city centre, as an ideal place to launch in the UK.

Publisher Arthur Porter and editor Steve Brauner have been overwhelmed by the response from the area’s business community.

Steve said: “”There is real excitement. People can’t wait to see what kind of publication we are going to produce.

“We believe we will fill a gap in the market by bringing people information they can’t get elsewhere. Working on the prototype issue has shown that there is a lot of scope to do this.”

Simon Binns, previously editor of InterGaming magazine and 3 Mobile’s Gamble Daily portal, has joined as senior business reporter specialising in commercial property and regeneration. Angela Tattersall, previously research fellow at the University of Salford Business School, has joined as research director and will be responsible for compiling business lists and other exclusive data on the Greater Manchester business scene. Shawn Selby, currently on the staff of Crain’s Detroit Business, will join as Business Lives editor during November.

On advertising sales, Kathryn Toledano has joined as display advertising consultant and John Faulker as recruitment advertising consultant.

A number of other key appointments will be made in the coming weeks.

The Crain’s Manchester Business reporting team will post news updates on the crainsmanchesterbusiness website and readers will be able to sign up for e-mail alerts.