Daily Star to move upmarket
The Daily Star is planning to revamp its image in an attempt to move upmarket.
The Daily Star is planning to revamp its image in an attempt to move upmarket.
The newspaper, which has a key readership of young males, is understood to be trying to dilute its smutty image in favour of more glamour, in the style of FHM magazine.
Insiders say this is being summed up with the buzzwords “fun, sexy and useful”.
According to media sources, the Star has suffered from the general decline in newspaper readership of young people, some of whom are switching to magazines.
The pull-out sections of the Daily Star are expected to be incorporated in the main body of the newspaper.
The Express, also owned by United News and Media, has recently switched its pull-out sport section back into the body of the paper.
Sources say there will also be a greater use of fact boxes to supplement leading news stories. A bolder masthead, with the words Daily Star appearing in white within a red box, is under consideration.
The latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures give the Daily Star an average daily net circulation figure of 576,955 for the month of April 1998.
For the period November 1997 to April 1998 the newspaper achieved an average net circulation of 584,697 compared with 660,033 for the same period last year – representing an 11 per cent year-on-year decline.
Andy Jonesco, deputy managing director of Express Newspapers, comments: “Any main media organ-isation is always looking at its products.”
Laura James director of New PHD, says: “The Daily Star clearly needs to do something to stem the circulation decline, and as The Sun and The Mirror strive for a more intelligent approach, there’s potentially a gap.
“But the sector is in decline so it’s going to be a hard job.”
