Free Sunday Paper to Launch in Atlanta

By: Jennifer Saba Newspapers aimed at youth -- and those in a youthful state of mind -- are popping up in all kinds of markets. In Atlanta, a group of executives are pushing the concept even further by launching a free Sunday paper.

On Sept. 26, the aptly named The Sunday Paper is slated to land on doorsteps and coffee houses in only the most affluent neighborhoods where those aged 25 to 44 live and work. Initially the company will distribute 50,000 copies, 20% of which will be home-delivered. They want to hit 150,000 by the end of 2005. If all goes well, they will take the concept to a national level, launching in other cities.

Co-founder and Publisher J. Patrick Best said he modeled the tabloid on several different publications including alternative weeklies, the New York Post, and The New York Times Sunday magazine.

If those muses sound varied that's because the paper is trying to distinguish itself not only by taking on Sundays, but also as an "unbiased" alternative. "We believe there truly is a liberal bias in newspapers, especially in this market," Best said. "Our take on that is that we want to give readers options."

Those options will run the spectrum as The Sunday Paper has stuck syndicate deals right and left with such columnists as Ann Coulter and Jesse Jackson.

With an editorial staff of three (four, if you count Best) the paper will also rely on Reuters and a bevy of freelancers to fill up the roughly 72-page publication which will have typical sections such as news, business, sports, travel, and comics.

Best, who left the Atlanta alternative Creative Loafing where he served as advertising director, said he's been working on the concept of a free Sunday paper for about five years. Things didn't take off until six months ago after he and his co-founders raised about $1 million in funding. Former Creative Loafing alumni Advertising Director Howard Landsman, Sales Manager Jeff Kremer, and Director of Marketing Danny Apple also serve as founders.

Creative Loafing President Ben Eason, said that Best came to him with "the intriguing idea" a year ago but ended up passing because it was an expensive proposition.