News on Sunday

News on Sunday

Type	Weeklynewspaper
Format	Tabloid
Owner(s)	Employees;Owen Oyston
Editor	Keith Sutton
Founded	1987
Political alignment	left-wing
Ceased publication	1987
Headquarters	Whitworth Street,Manchester
Circulation	200,000(at end)
Website	none

TheNews on Sundaywas aleft-wingBritishtabloidnewspaper.It was launched in April 1987. Publication ceased seven months later, in November 1987.

Origins

The founders of the paper were former members of theleft-winggroupBig Flameand other radicals. They decided that a left-wing mass-circulation tabloid Sunday newspaper was possible and endeavoured to start one. The idea of the paper was originally thought up by Benjamin Lowe. The leaders were Ben Lowe, Alan Hayling,who became Chief Exec and Chris Bott who wrote the business and fundraising plan. They brought John Pilger on board as acting editor but Pilger left before the newspaper was launched. The decision to base its headquarters inManchesterwas criticised as it was away from the centre of national political activity.

The paper gave a controlling interest to a collective ofworkersand its share issue raised £6.5 million fromtrade unionsandLabourlocal authoritypensionfunds. The funding team was led by Chris Bott, alonng with Nick Horsley the chair of Northern Foods and a representative from Guinness Mahan, the merchant bank. The money was raised largely from Trade Unions and local authorities plus £1000 pound investments from wealthy radicals. Left wing celebrities were persuaded to be supporters, including cartoonists such as Ralph Steadman, musicians who performed at the fundraising concert such as Sade and Terance Trent Darb plus comedians, actors, theatre directors and people in the media. Keeith Sutton was appointededitor.

Launch and bankruptcy

Theadvertisementcampaign for the paper was carried out byBBH (Bartle, Bogle & Hegarty),who came up with theslogan"No tits but a lot of balls", in an attempt to distance the paper from those with images oftopless women,and emphasise an overt political agenda not usually associated with tabloids.The slogan offended thefeministsworking on the paper and was subsequently dropped, though an element of the idea survived for the TV advert. The slogan used was "The paper that bites back".

The newspaper's attitude tonews values,and the inexperience of its staff, was illustrated on the front page of its first edition on 26 April. The lead story was about a boy in Brazil who had to sell one of his kidneys to pay for medical care. Although most agreedthat this was a worthwhile issue, the story was considered inappropriate as the lead story for a British Sunday paper.

The paper was not as successful as had been hoped. In order to break even, the paper had to sell 800,000 copies.The first issue sold 500,000 and by its eighth issue circulation had gone down to 200,000. The failure of the paper is attributed to inexperienced staff,"bad management, poor marketing, a commitment topolitical correctnessand ideological purity at the expense of news values ".

However the paper was kept afloat during thegeneral electioncampaign thanks to the extension of an additional subordinated loan from theTGWU,so that its folding would not embarrass the Labour Party. It went bankrupt immediately after the election had been held and was purchased byOwen Oystonbut finally closed down five months later, in November 1987.

Two ex-employees,Peter ChippindaleandChris Horrie,wrote a "withering" account of its demise calledDisaster!.

Editorial line

The newspaper wassocialistin tone andinternationalistin outlook. It supported the principle ofself determinationfor allnationsand regarded Britishsocietyas 'based on the unequal ownership ofwealth,prosperityandpower'. It also believed that the root cause ofthe TroublesinNorthern Irelandwas the 'British presence in that country'. It supported trade unions when they went on strike and was against the 'imposition of suffering on animals'.