PERTH Matters is the latest offering to roll off the presses at the Community Newspaper Group.
Looking surprisingly similar to the now-defunct News Limited publication, Perth Weekly, the new free quarterly magazine will focus on lifestyle, food and fashion.
The first edition hit Perth letterboxes a week ago and the next edition is tentatively pencilled in for the weekend beginning November 30.
It will be distributed widely, going into suburbs including Alfred Cove, Booragoon, Subiaco, Trigg, Victoria Park and Woodlands.
Community Newspapers Group editor-in-chief Iain Cameron said the new publication was another example of the group trying different things.
This year Community Newspapers has completely remade its struggling News Chronicle to create the Western Suburbs Weekly and revamped the Guardian Express.
“In this environment any publisher that doesn’t try new things will fall behind,” Mr Cameron said.
“We saw a niche and went for it. Our research told us there was a need for a free give-away magazine of this sort.
“So far it seems to have been well received. I’ve heard reports of entries flooding in for one of the competitions we’re running in the first issue.
“The [financial results from the] first edition went straight into the black.”
Mr Cameron admitted there were strong similarities to the old Perth Weekly.
“We didn’t see any point in reinventing the wheel,” he said.
