Strategic Alliances announced between the Independent and The Denver Post, The Eagle 103.9 FM and The Buzz, 1300 AM; Plus Al Franken to Visit Colorado Springs
Contact: Sherri VanEnglen or John Weiss
719/577-4545
The Colorado Springs Independent, the Pikes Peak region’s largest locally-owned newspaper, today announced a series a strategic alliances designed to bring more diverse voices as well as more media competition into Colorado’s second largest market.
The Independent has teamed up with the Denver Newspaper Agency to get its weekly paper home-delivered by 6 a.m. on every Thursday morning. And home delivery of the Sunday Denver Post is included in the Independent’s subscription price of $26 per year, or just 50 cents per week.
“The Independent provides Colorado Springs award-winning news, opinion, arts, entertainment, movie times and the best community calendar around,” said Independent Publisher and co-founder John Weiss. “With the Sunday Denver Post, you’ll get comprehensive national and international news reporting, enjoy the best sports coverage of the Broncos, Avalanche and Rockies as well as valuable money-saving coupons, local cable TV listings and Parade Magazine. People can now get two superior newspapers delivered right to their door for about one-quarter the price the daily charges. For many people, the Independent and The Sunday Denver Post will be all the newspapers they need.”
“We currently use the U.S. Postal Service for delivery,” added Sherri VanEnglen, The Independent’s assistant publisher for operations. “Not only is it expensive, but our paper arrives late. With the help of the Denver Post’s newspaper delivery arm, subscribers now will be the very first people to get the Independent on Thursday morning.” The Independent is the first alternative weekly to have teamed up with a statewide daily to offer such a distribution option.
The Independent also announced that it has helped persuade Citadel Broadcasting to air Al Franken’s “O’Franken Factor,” Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on 1300 AM, the KBZC “the Buzz,” directly opposite Russ Limbaugh, who airs on another Citadel station, KVOR, 740 AM, during the same time slot.
The Independent announced that Franken will broadcast some shows live from Colorado Springs. “Franken is now in such progressive urban markets, such as Boston, New York, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon,” added Weiss. “If he can make it in conservative Colorado Springs, then his show can make it anywhere.”
The Independent also announced the hiring of Rich Tosches, the award-winning popular former Gazette columnist. The local daily canceled Tosches’ column late last year. Tosches will also serve as on-air talent every Thursday morning on the popular Eagle morning show on 103.9 FM.
Finally, The Independent has taken over local ad sales for the combined Sunday Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News TV Week magazine, which is home-delivered to 40,000 subscribers throughout Southern Colorado.
“Colorado Springs and Pueblo have different cable companies than Denver, so we reprint the Sunday TV Week Guide for these markets,” said Vern Mallinen, director of circulation marketing for the Denver Newspaper Agency. “It made sense for a local Southern Colorado newspaper to sell local ads into this local TV Guide.”
“The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News TV Week provides the only vehicle for advertisers to reach the 40,000 local households that subscribe to these two statewide papers, “The Independent’s Weiss added, “We are thrilled to offer both readers and advertisers another option. Plus, with local TV listings and local ads, it is another reason that the Independent on Thursday and the Denver Post on Sunday is all the news you need.”
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The Independent, founded in 1993, is a 36,000-circulation, award-winning free alternative newsweekly. The paper just purchased and converted a 15,000-square-foot, 90-year-old church into its new offices on 235 S. Nevada Ave. in Downtown Colorado Springs. Check out our Web site: www.csindy.com.
