The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

The Sun

Plans for launch of a Sun on Sunday appear to be on the back burner

By Hamish Mackay

February 1, 2012 | 2 min read

Plans by News International for a Sunday edition of The Sun to replace the now- defunct News of the World have been put on ice, according to reliable media industry sources.

It is being suggested that News International have taken the decision following the dramatic arrest at the weekend of four current and former senior journalists on The Sun in connection with illegal payments to police officers.

The Financial Times said in a news story: ”...insiders said that managers of News International had decided that the adverse publicity surrounding the arrests and the suspension of the four journalists while police inquiries were going on would hamper any possible launch of a new title, which earlier reports said would be called the Sun on Sunday.”

Media insiders have said that the plans for a new Sunday tabloid were known as “Project X” – with a launch date of April 29.

The Press Gazette reports: “One source told the FT: ‘It has gone way on to the back burner since Saturday’, while former News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck was quoted as saying: ‘The launch of that newspaper is not even being discussed now’.”

The Scotsman reported at the weekend: “Rumours of a small team of designers and editors working on new dummy template Sunday publications first emerged about a month after the closure of the News of the World.

“The Sun’s editorial staff appeared to increase by about 60, with many former management staff in duplicate roles but with different job titles.”

The Sun

More from The Sun

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +