A newspaper circulation battle is set to erupt in Gloucestershire between Tindle Newspapers and rival publisher Local World.
The then Northcliffe Media sold its Forest of Dean paid-for weekly The Forester to Tindle for an undisclosed sum in September 2010.
However last month Northciffe’s successor company Local World launched a new weekly edition of its Gloucester-based daily The Citzen into the Forester’s patch entitled the Forest Citizen.
Now Tindle is set to retaliate by launching a new free weekly in the Citizen’s Gloucester heartland this week.
The new paper, entitled the Gloucester Review, will have a print run of 10,000 and will be distributed in Gloucester city centre on Fridays.
The project is being masterminded by Viv Hargreaves, the Forester editor who moved from Northcliffe Media to Tindle Newspapers when the paper was sold.
Brian Doel, managing director of Tindle Newspapers, told HTFP the move was partly in response to Local World’s actions in launching its new Forest of Dean product.
“It’s a response to the company that sold The Forester launching what is ostensibly a new weekly paper into the same patch,” he told HTFP.
News of the launch of the Forest Citizen was carried in an announcement last month on forestofdeanpeople, LW’s hyperlocal website covering the Forest of Dean.
It said: “As of 30 January the Forest of Dean and Newent will have a dedicated edition of the Citizen called Forest Citizen.
“The Citizen on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday will still carry Forest and Newent news but Wednesday will be a bumper day.
“The Citizen has a lot of loyal readers in Gloucestershire and we are always looking at ways to give something back to our customers.”
The launch of the Gloucester Review is the latest in a series of launches by Sir Ray Tindle’s Tindle Newspapers, with more planned on the back of a £2.11m operating profit in 2012.
Local World has declined to comment further on the issue.
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Go, Viv!
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Will this mean more journalists will be recruited? I think not…
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Is this really the best story of the day? If so, let the circulation battle between the Lilliputians commence!
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Tindle will have an already stretched news team at one of his existing local offices putting together this newspaper for no extra money and with no extra resources.
He did it to us as well.
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Hey, I can’t wait all those lovely newspapers brimming with local news after scoop ravenous reporters have combed every inch of the patch for stories and exclusives and to think I’m right in the thick of it. Hurrah !! I’ll get my coat …
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did I miss something, no mention of Churchill by Tindle
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Circulation battle?
Don’t make me laugh, they don’t happen anymore…. well not like the old days anyway!
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