Sun on Sunday set for launch following NOTW closure
The closure of the News of the World after 168 years is fuelling speculation that a new Sunday red top is to be launched by News International.
News International has yet to comment on speculation that the Sun newspaper may extend its circulation to Sundays, following the News of the World’s closure, although the media organisation has said that female focused supplement Fabulous will continue to run as part of the Sun.
“Sun on Sunday” was trademarked earlier this week, alongside the domain names thesunonsunday.com and thesunonsunday.co.uk, registered by web design company Mediaspring. Both registrations are reported to be linked to News International.
News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks said last month that the company was to introduce “efficiencies to editorial systems and processes and, where appropriate, we will find ways of introducing seven day working”, which alludes to staff at the Sun stretching their remit to work on Sundays.
The Sunday Sun is already an existing local title, based in Newcastle, owned by News International rival Trinity Mirror, but the “Sun on Sunday” is not a name currently used by a newspaper in the UK.
About 200 News of the World staff face redundancy, from its editor Colin Myler, to advertising, marketing, administration and other editorial staff. News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks is not yet thought to be losing her job, despite being the editor of the News of the World at the time of some of the alleged hacking.
News International has not yet confirmed how it will reimburse the subscribers to its website – which is currently behind a paywall – and its iPad app.
The News of the World has been accused of hacking into the phones of child murder victims, soldiers who died on duty, MPs and politicians.
Ford was the first advertiser to announce it was to pull advertising from Sunday’s News of the World, following fresh allegations that News of the World journalists hacked into the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Dozens of News of the World advertisers followed and said they would suspend advertising with the paper until police investigations into the hacking allegations had been completed.
The News of the World will print its last edition this Sunday, without any advertising. News International says all sale proceeds will go to charity.
