Tag Archives: Metro

Metro: World media gear up for the wedding

The Metro this morning reported that “an international army” of 8,000 broadcast journalists and technicians, covering the Royal Wedding on Friday, will be operating from a temporary multimedia village in Green Park.

According to the Metro major networks have spent around £50,000 to set up temporary studios offering Buckingham Palace as a backdrop. Interest “has been strongest” in the US, the Metro report adds.

CNN alone is dispatching at least 400 staffers, including 50 journalists and producers to cover the spectacle and plans several news special this week. Even the Weather Channel has caught royal wedding fever with its Wake Up With Al programme based in London.

CNN announced last month that it would also be sending one of its iReporters to London to cover the wedding.

April Fools’ Day part deux: More hoaxes from the headlines

Now that the US has woken up and we’ve seen a few more April Fools’ pranks from both sides of the Atlantic, here’s a second round-up to round off the day. See the first at this link.

First in this list is news that the Huffington Post has put up a paywall – to New York Times journalists.

Fancy a homemade ‘iPad clutch’? No need for sticky back plastic but it does involve common household items. Mashable has written this ‘how to’ guide.

With DIY infused in my DNA, I am programmed to create things that make my life more beautiful and fun. Inspired by all of the bold striped patterns and color blocking styles seen on the runway this season, I thought it fitting to make my own iPad clutch out of common materials.

And staying with the Apple theme there’s a PlayMobil Apple Store, according to this article on I4U News

Closer to home, organisers of the Bath Comedy Festival placed a mock Russian submarine in a river, This is Bath reported.

And the Metro had a second April Fool in addition to the edible newspapers reported earlier, a report of smelly tickets to be issued for the 2012 Olypmics.

Fast Car magazine has invented a pheromone car paint which attracts members of the opposite sex.

Real Business launched a new political party. The E party was inspired by the success of the Tea Party in the US, according to this article.

Worcester News warned of a swarm bees descending on its library in this article.

Security measures are being taken at Worcester’s new library and history centre to protect it from the swarms of bees attracted to the building during the recent warm spring sunshine.

Appropriately called the Hive, the complex off the Butts is proving irresistible to the furry flyers because of its gold roof tiles laid in a honeycomb pattern.

And City Wire Money has this report than bankers have a ‘greedy gene’.

Thanks to everyone who sent their April Fools’ hoaxes to @journalismnews. A special thanks to @hugh_d @AlyMaynard @CongnitianAgency @caroldtravels @Natasha1985 @Real_Business @Sherb13

Metro: Fan saves BBC websites from deletion for £2.50

More than 170 BBC sites due to be deleted have been anonymously archived and made available to download via bitTorrent.

The anonymous campaigner reported that the process cost him just $3.99 (£2.50).

While the torrent was created anonymously, some sources have suggested that the person behind it is Ben Metcalfe, also known as dotBen, who posted a link to the archive on Twitter with the message: “So here it is… if you want to download the torrent backup of all the sites the BBC are closing.”

Full story on Metro.co.uk at this link.

Mail Online helps DMGT to significant increase in digital revenue

Underlying digital revenues from newspaper websites owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) increased by 54 per cent in the year ending October, due to the “growing success of its primary website, Mail Online” according to the group’s preliminary results published today.

According to the published reports, circulation revenues at the group’s Associated Newspapers titles, which includes the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and Metro, fell by an underlying two per cent while underlying advertising revenues were up seven per cent, said to have been driven by a “strong performance” from Metro.

Both the Daily Mail and Metro recorded their highest ever operating profit, the report adds.

DMGT’s regional arm Northcliffe recorded several declines, with underlying revenues down £16 million (six per cent), reported revenues have dropped by 8 per cent and advertising revenues were also down by 7 per cent.

Northcliffe: facing another tough year; UK advertising revenue in the first seven weeks down 7 per cent on last year, continuing year‐on‐year trend experienced in September (like‐for‐like decline of 8 per cent). Outlook for first quarter not expected to improve on this trend; will also be affected by higher newsprint costs; focus remains on reducing costs and new revenue opportunities.

Note: Underlying revenues are those adjusted for acquisitions and disposals made in the current and prior year.

paidContent: Metro launches new app business

The UK commuter daily Metro launched its own app business yesterday, according to paidContent, called Metro Apps.

The business, a joint venture between Metro and Associated & Northcliffe Mobile and TV, will be run as a publishing division targeting 18-45-year-old urban professionals, paidContent reports.

…the DMGT freesheet Metro today launched its own app business, and will put out the first fruit of this labor tomorrow, a special edition of “Super Yum Yum: Puzzle Adventures” for the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) app store, on sale for 59 pence ($0.94), with more titles to come.

MediaGuardian: Metro expands distribution

Commuter paper Metro is to print an extra 50,000 daily copies and expand the distribution of its London edition, the Media Guardian reported today.

Distribution of the city paper will go as far as Southampton, Peterborough and Ipswich the report adds, in an attempt to reach commuters before they arrive in London.

Metro’s London edition will increase its daily circulation to 800,000 copies and be made available at 82 extra railway stations in commuter belt towns including Southampton, Peterborough, Northampton, Hastings, Cambridge, Ipswich and Bedford.

msn free online games
Full story at this link…

If ants could fly…

The Metro yesterday ran a story warning commuters of flying ants harrassing Londoners in their millions.

But it seems their picture desk were not ‘feeling’ the importance of the story, resulting in what has been put forward as potentially “the laziest caption ever” by brianstorms on Reddit.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the Metro for something like: “News stories are just like this one, but with more words and a story and headline…” LadyX.ch

Hatip: @pourmecoffee

Metro launches iPad app

National commuter favourite The Metro has launched an iPad app, offering readers bitesize news, sports and showbiz.

The newspaper already has an iPhone app available, launched earlier this year.

[advert]The Metro joins other national newspapers, including the Financial Times and Express Newspapers, who have launched iPad apps this year.

In a release, Metro says it was created “with a newspaper in mind, offering digital news in a paper-like experience”.

“It gives readers the chance to swipe between individual headlines and full stories with a single finger, whilst moving between the different sections, including News, Showbiz, Sport, Weird, Music, Film, TV and Tech, using a dual finger swipe,” they say.

The Metro worked with digital design agency Fjord and mobile agency Bluestar, to create the app.

Metro UK and Metro Herald launch iPhone apps

Both titles last week launched free-to-download applications for the iPhone featuring scrolling editions, which means users are presented with a digital replica of the print edition that can be browsed page-by-page or searched through by keyword.

The apps have been developed by PageSuite, which produces digital, online editions of newspapers including the Metro.

Readers can also use the apps to download articles or editions to read them offline.

Location-based restaurant reviews

An innovative partnership has formed in Canada: between free daily paper, Metro and Foursquare, a location-based social network.

Foursquare users share location information with their friends, in a gaming format. In this new partnership, Metro will add location-specific editorial content to the Foursquare service.

Metro uses the example of restaurants to explain how it will work:

People who choose to follow Metro on Foursquare will then receive alerts when they’re close to one of those locations. For example, someone close to a restaurant that Metro has reviewed would receive a “tip” about that restaurant and the have ability to link through to the full Metro review on metronews.ca.

Full post at this link…