London business freesheet to launch as City AM

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 30-Aug-05, 11:00

LONDON - The London business freesheet launching against the Financial Times will be ready in September and will be distributed by hand in key financial districts from 6am.

The 24-page paper is to be called City AM, a change of name from its working title of London Business Daily.

It will have an initial print run of 60,000 copies, and is aiming for a circulation of 100,000 copies within the first three months. It will be handed out in the City of London and Canary Wharf.

City AM's strapline is: "The world of business -- and the players behind it."

It is pitched as offering business news and analysis alongside leisure, lifestyle and sports editorial, as well as personality journalism about the people who run and work in London's business world, from chairmen to chauffeurs.

Editor David Parsley has assembled a team of journalists, who will work out of City AM's London Bridge offices.

The former Sunday Express business editor said: "We will bring a touch of the culture of showbiz and celebrity to covering the people who make London's financial districts tick."

Columnists include: Richard Northedge providing City comment; Raymond Snoddy on media; Sam Torrence on golf; and Vicki Butler-Henderson on motoring.

The company behind it, also known as City AM, has attracted £10m worth of funding and is soon to announce its board. The managing director is Lawson Muncaster, formerly Metro International's vice-president of global sales, and the man who conceived the launch.

A key investor is Blue Bull, a private investment vehicle run by Boudewijn Poelmann, who will be chairman of the company.

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