By Charlie Charalambous
A NEW Greek-language daily will hit the already-crowded news stands tomorrow, hoping to make an impact with a younger generation tired of party politics.
The tabloid-format Politis (‘Citizen’) will be packing a minimum of 48 pages divided into three different sections – politics, sport and lifestyle – and determined to add a splash of colour to the print media.
The newspaper’s owner, Yiannos Papadopoulos, told the Cyprus Mail that he was aiming high and believed Politis could be the second-biggest circulation newspaper on the island in no time at all.
“We hope to create a new market and be the second most popular newspaper,” said Papadopoulos.
He said the paper was looking to reach a circulation of 10,000, which would put it behind top-selling daily Phileleftheros (which sells well over 40, 000 copies a day) but in front of Alithia and Simerini.
But Papadopoulos is aware that there is a long way to go before the paper establishes itself or even gains a foothold in a market accustomed to seeing new ventures fold as soon they arrive.
So what does Politis have up its sleeve to buck the trend and not go the way of Agon, Eleftherotypia and Vima?
“I think the newspapers that folded were of a previous generation and attached to the parties. Political groups have realised it’s more effective to communicate through non-partisan media,” said Papadopoulos.
The fledgling newspaper publisher said Politis would stand up for issues which interested its readers, not pander to party lines.
“People want a balanced view of news and issues, which is why party papers have declined,” Papadopoulos said yesterday.
“People want to know about day-to-day issues and we will stand for issues that our readers are concerned about.”
And winning the hearts and minds of young Cypriot readers does not come cheap.
“We’ve sunk around £1 million into this venture and we don’t expect to get a good return for three or four years,” said Papadopoulos, breaking into a laugh.
Politis will not only try to avoid political bias, but also to put fresh emphasis on international news and cultural issues, which are somewhat neglected by the Greek Cypriot press.
Only time will tell if the publisher has wisely invested in producing the bulkiest newspaper on the market. Its 30-odd journalists are keeping their fingers crossed as well.
