Desmond Eyes New Name For Planned London Free-Sheet
Express Newspapers owner Richard Desmond has reportedly registered the name London i as the title for his planned free-sheet newspaper which will compete with the Evening Standard and the Metro in the capital.
The news ends months of fevered speculation as to what Desmond would call the title, which was first mooted at the beginning of last year pending official clearance from the Office of Fair Trading.
The media mogul had originally planned to call the free-sheet The Evening Mail, but was prevented from doing so after a High Court Judge ruled that readers could mistake it for an evening version of the Daily Mail or the Mail on Sunday (see Desmond Reaffirms Plans To Launch London Free-Sheet).
Last month Desmond reaffirmed his commitment to launching the title, which has all the major commercial players in place and is ready to go. However, he is awaiting the outcome of an OFT investigation into an exclusive distribution deal between DMGT and London Underground (see Desmond Reaffirms Plans To Launch London Free-Sheet).
Desmond claims that DMGT’s long-running contract with London Underground to distribute Metro at its stations is anti-competitive. A ruling is expected at the end of the summer and Desmond has conceded there is little chance of his paper being launched unless the deal if found to be illegal.
The planned free-sheet was provisionally titled PM and appeared on dummies seen by journalists last year. However, early momentum surrounding the launch faded and broadcaster, Nick Ferrari, who was hired to edit the paper, quit after several months.
Last month the series of delays and set-backs, prompted Desmond to announce: “All we’re asking for is a level playing field in this competitive environment. I look forward to a decision from the OFT regarding distribution issues. I’m looking forward to getting this paper into the hands of Londoners.”
Those already on-board at the title include senior advertising executive, Karen Newton, who joins from Associated Newspapers; Mike Orlov, the former ad director of the Evening Standard; and Christian Toksvig, who joined Express Newspapers as development manager.
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