Media&Marketing: The freesheet newspaper war between the Metro and Herald AM continues to rage outside DART, Luas and mainline stations in Dublin.
It is difficult to state confidently who the casualties of this battle will be, but increasing attention is focusing on the impact on the main tabloids circulating in the Republic.
Figures released in the UK by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) recently gave observers a small glimpse of what this impact might be.
The ABC each month publishes figures for British newspapers circulating in the Republic and the figures for October, the month when the freesheet battle commenced, make for interesting reading.
The Irish Sun's sales held up in the Republic, up from 113,015 for October 2004 to 117,109 in October 2005. This was an increase of 3.6 per cent.
The Irish Mirror, which recently lost several senior staff to the Irish Sun, also managed to avoid any freesheet damage. Its sales were up to 76,777 for October 2005 from 74,163 in the same period in 2004. This was a jump of 3.5 per cent.
However the Irish Daily Star, published by Express Newspapers and Independent News & Media, found the going a little tougher. Its sales in the Republic dropped from 101,128 for October 2004 to 98,943, a fall of 2.1 per cent. This is hardly a meltdown, but one wonders if the Irish Daily Star is shaping up to be the main victim of the two new Dublin freesheets?
Paul Cooke, managing director of the paper, rejected the idea the freesheets had damaged the Irish Daily Star in particular. He said when the October figures were compared directly with September, the Irish Mirror's sales dropped by 7 per cent, with the Irish Sun down almost three per cent.
"Any damage is across the board, approximately 150,000 free papers have come into the market so we are holding up well," he said.
He also said that sales in Northern Ireland should be included to the Republic's sales to give an overall sales figure. The editor of the Irish Daily Star is Ger Colleran.
The newspaper's management team recently decided to increase the price of the paper to €1.30.
Advertisers have this week been discussing all these trends, although nobody is prepared to deliver a definitive verdict yet.
Saor Communications in its weekly bulletin said: "The Irish Daily Star's figure is down by 2,185. It is still too early to tell if this drop is due to the launch of the Dublin freesheets and a clearer picture will begin to develop over the coming months."
International experience suggests that about half of all freesheet readers are new to the habit of newspaper reading, but where do the other half come from? The dip in the Irish Daily Star's sales could of course be explained by the gains made by its rivals, the Irish Sun and the Irish Mirror, but it is also possible the freesheets have taken a toll.
Meanwhile, further evidence of the fragmenting media landscape came this week with news that the Observer plans to publish its special monthly magazine for women.
Most British newspapers have been under huge circulation pressure for the past five years and the Observer's decision show the industry's willingness to try new products to get back some of those lost readers.
Boost for Belfast
Could Belfast Airport be set to benefit from the chronic congestion at Dublin Airport? Well, a clever new advertising campaign from Belfast might just bring this about.
With new terminal facilities several years away in the south, Belfast is hoping Dublin's difficulty represents its opportunity. Belfast is advertising widely in the Border counties looking for passengers to use its facilities rather than Dublin. Such a campaign is to be expected in the current climate, but the blunt tone is surprising.
Uel Hoey, business development director, says at Belfast International Airport that "there are no long delays, no hassle and no energy sapping queues or endless security checks that have characterised Dublin Airport in recent months".
The advertising campaign also picks up on the frustration many passengers experience just trying to get to Dublin Airport, particularly via the M50 during the rush hour.
"Not only will you get to the airport faster, but when you arrive you will find everything is designed for your convenience," says the literature accompanying the airport's campaign.
While Dublin passengers are unlikely to see Belfast as a viable alternative just yet, there is no doubt it could be an alternative departure point for people in Cavan, Donegal, Drogheda and Dundalk.
In the past, Belfast served a narrower range of destinations than Dublin and this somewhat held back its growth. While routes to the UK and Europe were relatively plentiful, there was very little access to the US market.
But in recent months, Continental has added a direct New York-Belfast service and this could drive passenger growth from the Border counties, if not from further afield.
Stations go digital
Five local Dublin radio stations are to make themselves available on digital television following a deal with NTL
For the first time listeners to FM104, 98FM, Spin 103.8, Newstalk 106 and Dublin's Country Mix will be able to access their stations via a NTL digital box and TV set.
An NTL spokeswoman said the decision was part of NTL's drive to introduce more local content to its digital platform. Mark Mohan, sales and marketing director of NTL, said the deal would create a new opportunity for each of the five stations.
NTL Ireland has over 121,000 digital subscribers out of a total customer base of 358,700. The company was recently taken over by UGC, the owner of another cable company Chorus. The digital TV market is now essentially split between two major players - UGC and BSkyB, which is a satellite provider.
