City Gate in Port-of-Spain was flooded with copies of the new Metro Magazine yesterday. The free publication of Guardian Media Ltd was launched in the transportation hub with an overwhelming response. It targets a new group of readers that would not normally read a daily newspaper.
"We are seeking to attract a young hip reader through quality stories that are entertaining and informative," said Laura Dowrich-Phillips, editor of Metro. "It's much more than just entertainment," she said.
The content of the magazine will vary but will mainly focus on what is young and popular at the time.
"Because Carnival is near, the stories in this first issue focused on Carnival," Dowrich-Phillips said.
The premiere issue distributed yesterday featured news, interviews with soca artists, sex, food, technology and coverage of recent fetes. "Metro will continue to focus on topics that traditional newspapers don't report, but young people still want to read about," she said. Machel Montano, who's return to Carnival this year was highly anticipated, appears on the cover of this issue.
The design of the magazine also changed from what people generally think of a entertainment newspaper. Brendon Kas, head designer of Metro, said: "The idea behind the design of the magazine was to capture the attention of the urban market...it eventually evolved to reflect youthful T&T style and chic." Andrea Chan Wai Hong-Coutain, managing director of Eventuality Ltd, who aided in marketing the magazine, said this type of product was needed in T&T. "It fills a gap in the market and it could not have been launched at a better time, Carnival," Hong-Coutain said. More than 50,000 copies were distributed to commuters yesterday. Metro would be distributed fortnightly in major transit areas-City Gate, San Fernando, Chaguanas, Arima, and along in the East-West Corridor.Copies will also be distributed to trendy bars, hangouts and in retail establishments, not just for people using public transport.