Does Your Bank Buy You the Morning Paper?
OK, back to the Daily News. It wasn't just Brooklyn Heights, clearly; there are reports coming in of free Newses being given away all over the city, many by people more attractive than your usual hawkers and many by people wearing some sort of Washington Mutual garb. What gives?
Not that we've actually talked to anybody, but here's what seems to be the case. The Audit Bureau of Circulations, the group that counts sales for newspapers and magazines, allows a paper to count freebies as part of a newspaper's total circ so long as someone is paying for those giveaways. These sales are called "third-party sponsored," and they're part of the "other paid" category that also includes things like hotel copies — the Marriott paid something for that USA Today at your door — and Newspapers In Education. It's considered a little sketchy, but, for now, it's completely legit. The sponsor for all of today's freebies? Washington Mutual, obviously.
Our circ expert notes that on the last ABC report, for the six months ending Sept. 30, 2005, third-party sales made up 5 percent of News circ and only 1.6 percent of the Post's. But with the News's top business guy defecting crosstown a few months ago, maybe things will be changing. Another tipster suggests you might want to keep your eyes open for Fresh Direct-sponsored Posts tomorrow.
So where were the Newses today? Everwhere, it seems. More sightings after the jump.
Yeah, they were at Astor Place too, though the newsies weren't as attractive. Said they were giving them away courtesy of Washington Mutual. Personally, I stuck with my Post.
They were giving away The Daily News this morning in front of Penn Station too.
They were giving the daily news away at Columbus Circle as well.
I was just accosted by a attractive young man trying to thrust a free copy of the Daily News in my face as I walked down Astor Place about an hour ago. I should point out though that he was wearing a yellow rain jacket with a washington mutual logo and that the story on the front was clearly an advertorial about the bank.
Up on the UWS 72nd st. subway stop there were 4 tall, attractive men in Washington Mutual vests handing out the paper. The front and back pages are big ads for the bank.
A blonde guy (neither good- nor bad-looking) was handing out free DN's outside the PATH station at 6th Ave and 9th Street this morning. In the past month, I've also twice seen DN's being given away outside the Astor Place stop on the 6.
Yes, there was one cute gal handing out free copies of the Daily News this morning outside the SI Ferry at Whitehall — much to the chagrin of the usual scary-looking AM NY hawkers, whom my fellow commuters and I walked right past with our free DN. Heh.
I passed two giveaways this morning, one at the 110th & Broadway stop, the other at 50th & Broadway. Both featured street urchins decked out in Washington Mutual gear yelling "Free Daily News from Wamu!," so I assumed it was a promotion for the bank, not the Daily News. But I didn't ask.
Spotted two definitely-not-cute Daily News Freebies, one in Brooklyn Heights at the entrance to the 4/5 at Borough Hall and one near the Fulton Street stop in downtown Manhattan. They were wearing yellow vests that bore the name of some corporate sponsor, although I could not make out who it was.
They also give away the Daily News every Sunday at the Associated Supermarket in Park Slope
