Springer aims for readers with free Berlin weekly
FRANKFURT, Sept 12 (Reuters) - German newspaper publisher Axel Springer (SPRGn.DE) hopes to attract more readers in the German capital with a free weekend edition of one of its Berlin dailies but said it was not entering the freesheet market.
"This is not a free daily and not an ad journal either," a spokesman said on Friday, responding to a report by the Financial Times Deutschland paper which said Axel Springer planned to publish its own free newspaper.
"It is a 16-page edition containing the best stories of the week from our daily Berliner Morgenpost," he said, adding the paper will be distributed by mail starting on Sept 20.
The goal was to attract new readers as readership continues to slip in Europe, where traditional dailies face stiff competition from free newspapers and digital media.
The spokesman said the Berlin-based publisher was not venturing into the market for free newspapers but would be capable of doing so if its flagship Bild tabloid was attacked.
"As we have said in the past we have a plan ready for our own free daily newspaper, which could be put into action if we are forced to do so," the spokesman said.
Free newspapers throughout Europe have rapidly taken hold in the market and stolen advertising revenues from incumbents over the past few years.
But lately a slowdown in advertising has hit freesheets too.
The world's largest publisher of freesheets, Swedish-owned Metro International (MTROsdba.ST), in July reported a bigger-than-expected 83 percent drop in second-quarter operating profit, hit by weak sales and advertising.
It said at the time it saw gloomy advertising conditions ahead in Europe.
(Reporting by Nicola Leske; editing by Rory Channing)
