Relaunching of a historic French daily
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ennahar
PARIS - A new formula of « France Soir », a historic title of the French press, was released Wednesday thanks to the massive investment by the son of a Russian oligarch.
- Created in late 1944 at the liberation of France from Nazi occupation, the newspaper had its heyday in the years 1950-60 under the direction of the major media owner Pierre Lazareff with a circulation of one million copies, up to 9 editions per day and hundreds of employees.
After a long decline, it is a dying newspaper that the young Russian Alexander Pugachev naturalized French, 25, son of one of the richest men in Russia and close to the Kremlin, took over last year. He has invested tens of millions of euros, adopting an unprecedented recovery plan in the French press to restore the luster the popular daily.
With an advertising budget of 20 million euros, he is betting nearly tenfold a circulation of about 22,000 copies only today.
"Our balance point is between 150,000 and 200,000 copies," said Alexander Pugachev, son of Sergei Pugachev, who holds the luxury grocers shop Hédiard.
Besides money and a seat on the prestigious Avenue des Champs Elysees, the new France Soir has more than 90 journalists and led by professionals from succesful titles.
More colorful and airy, the new model retains the strengths of the title as racing information, sports and people. The tabloid is kept unchanged and the volume of 40 pages.
"The photo is also a priority and we will focus on exclusive, even if it is expensive," said Mr. Pugachev, who is confident in this unprecedented recovery operation. "I am neither a volunteer nor a patron," he says.
Some 500,000 copies will be on newsstands Wednesday. A launch campaign is scheduled over several weeks with a call price of 50 cents, i.e. half the price of a competitor as the Parisian, and then be increased to perhaps 70 cents. -
Ennaharonline/ M. O.
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