VITAMEDIAS
Can Red Eye Get Gen Y to the Newsstand? The Chicago Tribune's new 25-cent daily is the newspaper industry's boldest bet yet to lure young readers away from the Net
Young people tend to thumb their noses at daily newspapers -- booooring. Only 39% of Generation Y adults read one, compared with 58% of baby boomers. Gen Y readers tend to be Netizens, spending hours trawling for news and entertainment on the Web. And when they do reach for a newspaper, it's more likely to be an alternative weekly, industry studies show.
After fretting for years, traditional newspapers are now looking to do something about that. They're launching spin-offs, special sections, and Web sites. They're drawing upon their young staffers to set an agenda that tilts toward music, sports, and sex.
Now comes the Chicago Tribune with one of the boldest bets yet. In the next few weeks, it plans to launch a tabloid called Red Eye.