Q:
It seems that the New York market is better suited for newsstand-distribution (single copy sales), than LA and Chicago. Why did you want to forfeit copy sales income in New York?
A: “New York has a history of successful free papers like the Village Voice and, most recently, AM-NY, that target a specific segment of the market. Our target is the un-acculturated Hispanic reader and going free will allow us to more aggressively grow audience and increase the reach of our advertisers. Hoy decided to move to controlled circulation in NY after successfully converting its Chicago and Los Angeles editions. Both editions have enjoyed double digit readership growth.This conversion will allow Hoy New York to address the needs of advertisers to reach a significant number of responsive readers by targeting those zip codes with the highest penetration of Hispanic households. It will also allow us to increase our circulation in fast growing Hispanic areas of Northern New Jersey.”
Q: What ad-categories will gain the most by your decision to go for free in New York?
A: “We are targeting all ad-categories retail and classified whether they are local, regional or national. Major preprint advertisers will benefit from Hoy's weekend edition published on Saturdays which will replace the current Sunday edition.”
Q: “Will your New York edition be zoned?”
A: “Not at this time.”
Q: Will there be any changes in the content of the NY edition?
A: “We are constantly improving the editorial content of Hoy. We just recently added a Family section on Mondays and will be adding Education and Healthcare very soon.”
Q: What experiences from the Los Angeles and Chicago markets will you now be able to use in the New York market.
A: “Each market is different and we are putting together a distribution plan of boxes, retail outlets, and street promoters unique to this market. In Chicago and Los Angeles, where readership gains were double digit, we learned that Hispanics will pick up a free daily paper. We also learned that if you pick your geography correctly, advertising response will increase accordingly. In NY the Hoy brand is well known so our conversion should be very smooth. We are supporting the changes with a comprehensive marketing campaign that includes radio, TV and outdoor.And finally, those boxes -- in our case blue boxes -- are also an efficient distribution and marketing tool.”
Q: Did you gain any new advertisers as a result of the change paid/free in New York?
A: “Advertising response to our announcement has been very positive. They believe, as we do, that when you put more papers in the right neighborhoods it will get more customers through the doors.Hoy is constantly evolving based on our research with readers and the needs of our advertisers and we lead the print market in terms of innovation.”