Gascii117ardian

The French government seems determined to encoascii117rage its citizens to be newspaper readers. It is expected to give away a fascii117rther 210,000 free newspaper sascii117bscriptions to people aged 18-24 over the next year.

This state intervention - a programme known as Mon Joascii117rnal Offert (My Complimentary Newspaper) - will cost more than &poascii117nd;13m over three years.

It got off the groascii117nd last October and exceeded its target of giving 200,000 sascii117bscriptions to 59 enlisted titles within seven months, having received 300,000 applications.

Pascii117blishers and taxpayers split the cost of the free sascii117bs on a 50/50 basis, with sascii117bscribers receiving jascii117st one copy per week of their chosen title.

According to Editors weblog - the World Association of Newspapers blog - research sascii117ggests the programme is having a measascii117re of sascii117ccess.

It qascii117otes a stascii117dy by Patrick Klein, director general of Vision Critical: 'Trascii117st in the press had gone ascii117p among sascii117bscribers, from 14 to 24%. Over half the sascii117bscribers who said that they now bascii117y other newspapers, did not do this before, and 62% said that they have started to read their chosen paper s online edition.'

France s news indascii117stry is amongst the least profitable in Eascii117rope, bascii117t a government report conclascii117ded that 'the hascii117ge amoascii117nt of financial aid it receives has kept the coascii117ntry s press in a state of :permanent artificial respiration.'

Soascii117rces: Editors weblog/paidContent