Christchurch-owned Mainland Media has announced it will
increase circulation of its free Thursday publication,
Mainland Press, to 75,000 copies from January and add
a sixth community newspaper.
Mainland Media is a privately owned company and its managing
director and co-owner, Pier Smulders, said the increased
circulation meant Mainland Press would become the
largest circulating free newspaper in Christchurch.
"The recently announced news regarding APN's divestment of
The Star demonstrates how important it is that
Christchurch retains a locally owned newspaper," Mr Smulders
said in a statement yesterday.
He said Downtown would be distributed as a supplement to the
Mainland Press to readers living within and around the
the four avenues area.
The announcement follows a full integration of the company's
newsroom with CTV, with reporters now working across
television and print mediums, he said.
By combining the two newsrooms, into one team of 10 editorial
staff, they could focus exclusively on local news and stories
with more in-depth coverage and lead the way in local
content.
• Also under the Mainland Media umbrella are three lifestyle
magazines, including two nationally distributed titles,
Older & Bolder and Weekend Gardener, and
three motoring and trading titles.
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