Evening Standard Gets Standalone Website

Associated Newspapers has launched a standalone website for the Evening Standard.

The new site is separate to the entertainment website thisislondon.co.uk, also run by Associated Newspapers.

It will include all of the major London stories for the day, as well as columns, blogs written by specialists, and a forum section.

Readers will be able to take part in a daily online poll to vote on key subjects in the news.

Veronica Wadley, editor of the Evening Standard, said: “We are proud to have successfully campaigned through the paper on behalf of Londoners and have received overwhelming support from readers.

“Now we will be able to raise the profile of our campaigns further through our new web pages and allow readers to join debates and give their views instantly on the internet.”

Yesterday saw the launch of the paper’s cashless payment card that its readers can use to swipe at sales points to pick up their copy (see Evening Standard Gets Cashless Payment Card).

The card is on trial at Waterloo station for a week before being rolled out across the capital.

Since the launch of the two afternoon freesheets thelondonpaper and the London Lite, the Evening Standard has seen a decline in its circulation.

In August, the title recorded a month on month circulation increase of almost 2,400 copies, although it was down by more than 11% year on year, to leave it with a total of 277,555 copies (see thelondonpaper Sees Circulation Decline In August).

Associated Newspapers: www.associatednewspapers.com