Suburban Daily Paper Goes Alternative With Free Weekly

By: A daily newspaper in suburban Philadelphia is launching a new, free weekly newspaper aimed at readers between 25- and 34-years old.

Impulse, published by the Gannett-owned Courier-Post of Cherry Hill, was to debut Thursday as a way to try to make newspapers more relevant to younger readers, who have increasingly been turning away from daily papers.

The 48-page newspaper will be available at coffee shops, convenience stores, bars and stores and will not be available for home delivery. Initially, 30,000 copies will be distributed each week.

While Philadelphia has two big alternative weekly papers, the Cherry Hill-based newspaper will be unique in southern New Jersey.

The staff says the language will be looser (get ready for "gonna") and the content will include coverage of entertainment and lifestyle news in New Jersey's Philadelphia suburbs, the Jersey Shore and Philadelphia.

There will be reviews of video games, concerts and cosmetics, features on apartments, dating tips and other irreverent material of the sort that's not found in the daily paper.

"We know that our readers get the news they need from daily reports on the Internet, so our purpose is to give them things to do, show them places to go and give them practical tools to enhance their lifestyles," editor Margarita Venegas, a former Courier-Post assistant metro editor told the daily for Wednesday's newspapers.