F.Y.I.

Weekly Review rolls out second edition

Antony Catalano’s challenge to his former employer Fairfax has ratchetted up a notch with the launch of another Melbourne publication targetting lucrative real estate advertising.  

The announcement:

Metro Media Publishing today announced that it had expanded its reach and distribution with the launch of a second publication.

Just two months after launching it first prestigious title The Weekly Review, Melbourne’s largest home-delivered lifestyle and real-estate publisher, Metro Media, has successfully taken it’s business model into Melbourne’s affluent north-eastern suburbs.

The Weekly Review – Heidelberg and Diamond Valley edition will extend coverage through the affluent green belt suburbs, including Ivanhoe, Eaglemont, Eltham, Montmorency and Lower Plenty.

This means The Weekly Review will now be distributed to 220,000 homes and it will have an even greater reach through its digital editions available through www.theweeklyreview.com.au

Metro Media Publisher and founder Antony Catalano said the new magazine represented a great vote of confidence in The Weekly Review’s business model.

“The Weekly Review is not a suburban newspaper. It is unashamedly an upmarket free home-delivered glossy magazine designed to give readers a genuine reason to seek it out each week while giving advertisers a premium environment to showcase their products and services,” he said.

Metro Media Publishing has again secured a unique partnership arrangement with the leading estate agents who have abandoned three local newspaper competitors to embrace a single publication featuring the largest showcase of property ever produced in the area.

The real estate firms that have chosen to partner with Metro Media include:

Barry Plant, Buckingham and Company, Darren Jones, David McFarlane, Fletchers, Hocking Stuart, Jellis Craig, Miles Real Estate and Morrison Kleeman.

“The overwhelming support of virtually all the key estate agents in the area has resulted in the first issue launching at 100 pages – bigger than any of its competitors have been able to achieve despite operating in the area for many years,” Catalano said.

“This is a great result for consumers because, for the first time, the vast bulk of the properties for sale in the area are contained in one publication. The collective support of the real estate industry means we have been able to produce a bigger, better quality and most importantly more affordable medium than anything previously offered in the area.

“Editorial content will be consistent across both publications giving national and retail advertisers access to a prestige environment home-delivered to the largest and most affluent audience in Victoria. While some local newspaper groups add the circulations of separate titles to produce large audience numbers only The Weekly Review provides one consistent editorial environment.

“At 220,000 home-delivered copies, The Weekly Review’s direct delivery to mail boxes in the key AB demographic outstrips the home-delivery subscription of any edition of any daily newspaper in Victoria by more than 100,000 copies. By any standard that is a massive audience reach and the difference between The Weekly Review and traditional media is that we can tell you exactly who gets it,’’ Catalano said

“Our circulation is targeted directly at the premium AB audience and the 220,000 circulation number is not subject to gains or falls as are paid newspapers or magazines. Nor is circulation artificially inflated by tens of thousands of copies that go into education facilities, which are declared as net paid sales rather than education sales,” he said.

“The Weekly Review’s first publication has struck a chord with our audience because of its compelling, lively and engaging content and its stunning design.’’

“We are very proud of the editorial team we have assembled and it is clearly paying dividends with readers. We have assembled some of the best names in Australian journalism and their work is reaching a huge number of readers at no cost to them. The feedback from the public is that they love what we are giving them.”

“In just two months since we launched our editor, Eileen Berry, has done an outstanding job of establishing The Weekly Review as a quality publication and a clear leader in the free home-delivery glossy magazine market.

“Eileen has a keen sense of the issues, the people and the events that resonate with the audience.’’

Metro Media is also pleased to announce that it has appointed Jason Williams as general manager of The Weekly Review – Heidelberg and Diamond Valley edition.

Jason has extensive experience in this market as was until recently regional sales director for Fairfax Community Network. He has previously worked as the national sales director for carsales.com.au and had extensive experience on the The Melbourne Weekly.

“‘Jason has strong and diverse skill sets and very good client knowledge. We are delighted that Jason has joined the team,’’ Catalano said.

“Jason’s broad skills strengthen our team which also includes former radio executive Trent Casson who was appointed as group sales and marketing director of Metro Media earlier this year.”

Source: press release

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