New Philadelphia Newspaper Distributed Free to SEPTA Commuters

Posted on January 21, 2000

On January 24th, 2000 the first issue of Metro, a daily newspaper designed to be read in less than 24 minutes, will be distributed at no charge throughout the Delaware Valley, primarily through Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) transit locations. With the free delivery to commuters, the initial circulation is expected to be 150,000.

Metro is part of the global Modern Times Group (MTG) of electronic and print media companies based in Stockholm, Sweden. The process that resulted in this launch began more than a year ago, when SEPTA was looking for a way to increase its ability to communicate with its riders and the public at large. Under a 10-year contract signed in July 1999, SEPTA provides content for one page in each edition of Metro, but has no control over the editorial content of the rest of the paper.

Metro's staff of local journalists and editors will be led by Managing Director/Publisher Jack Roberts, a veteran of the Philadelphia Business Journal and the Philadelphia Daily News. According to Roberts, ``With Metro's easy-to-read story presentation and design, and our innovative distribution scheme, we're thinking `outside the box.' This is what every newspaper wants to be: a clear, concise and reader-friendly product designed for today's reader and would-be reader.''