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Last week we reported on the apparent launch of a new freesheet set to hit London's streets, but not is all it appears to be. The Weekly's initial chief editor, Roisin Robertson, has apparently left the company. A Press Manager at leading media buying agency Starcom Mediavest, Scott Moorhead, told The Guardian that the new paper had made no efforts to contact him about advertising sales. While admitting that the new title's commercial people might be trying to sell advertising direct to advertisers - the big agencies not always being overly supportive of new titles - he still thought the total silence was odd. At least two of the journalists on the 50 strong staff list published on the new paper's website say they were approached by the new venture but have not confirmed their involvement, and have not heard from the paper's editors for a while. Meanwhile another anonymous media buyer reportedly said: "I think (The Weekly) is the most amateurish, doomed-to-failure thing I have heard of in years. They have not really been in touch with (media) agencies. The business plan targeting Friday and Saturday is two different groups, one commuters, one not, so it is not clear how that is going to work. They should have started approaching agencies two months ago. Some of their people have come through switchboard, trying to reach directors on client accounts, which is not the way it is done. I will be surprised if it is on the street on Friday. We are dismissing them".
"Everything is going well"
However, a commercial rep for the paper, Paul Morris, insists everything is going well. He told the Guardian: "People who doubt (the London Weekly) is real, will surely doubt no more when it launches next week on 5 Feb. There were doubts when we announced the launch of the website last year and everyone wondered whether the website would launch. We proved them wrong with www.thelondonweekly.co.uk going live on schedule on the 20 Dec 2009". Of course, for a project that was reported to have considerable financial backing, that website has been critisised. All eyes will be on Friday to see where this one is headed in terms of the printed product. While a newspaper in format, the new title is expected to have an entertainment and lifestyle bias. Additional reporting by CMU Network
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