Millivres Prowler Rescues Pink Paper From The Pulp
Gay and lesbian publisher Millivres Prowler Group has rescued the Pink Paper, Britain’s only free paper for the gay community, from being pulped following its closure by former owners PP&B.
Millivres currently publishes Diva and the Gay Times, but will now add the Pink Paper to its portfolio of titles, printing a new edition for distribution on 5 November this year.
In addition, Millivres bosses have pledged to overhaul the title with “major, long term investment”, re-launching in time for early 2005 and promising a number of “radical” improvements. The title will continue to be edited by Tris Reid-Smith.
Commenting on the decision to rescue the title, Simon Topham, managing director of Millivres, said: “We intend to invest time and resources into making the Pink Paper a great publication again. MPG is committed to high standards of independent gay and lesbian journalism and the Pink Paper will open an important new business for us, in the free distribution market.”
He added: “The Pink will distribute 40,000 copies free in 500 venues around the country, every fortnight and, whilst we initially intend to maintain continuity by keeping the current format, we are looking forward to planning major improvements in the near future.”
The latest verified free distribution figures for the title show a total of 39,861 in June 2000, adding weight to the claims of Reid-Smith that the newspaper is a popular addition to the gay scene.
The editor stated: “Everyone was shocked and disappointed by The Pink Paper‘s closure. It is as popular as ever – all the copies we printed were picked up and people often complained there weren’t enough available. Now the MPG team’s enthusiasm, professionalism and greater resources will make it a bigger financial success.”
The Pink Paper officially closed on 1 October, with PP&B choosing to concentrate more fully on its more profitable weekly gay entertainment and listings title, Boyz.
However, even with increased investment from Millivres, the new-look Pink Paper will face competition from free monthly title Bent, preparing for a relaunch in November with increased content from new writers and former Observer assistant editor, Ben Summerskill. Bent currently claims an average circulation of 43,410 copies, distributing itself to more than 400 gay clubs.
Millivres Prowler Group: 020 7424 7400 www.millivres.co.uk/mpg/
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