ASP does not want to start a price war with its new daily

Following 18 months of preparations, Axel Springer Polska will tomorrow launch its new daily entitled Fakt. Gazeta Codzienna. The publisher has publically stated that it does not plan to commence a price war on the market for daily newspapers, and neither does the paper aim at taking over readers of Gazeta Wyborcza or Super Express. "There is a gap between the two papers and we want to fill it," said Wiesław Podkański, the President of Axel Springer Polska (ASP) at a press conference yesterday, emphasizing that the publisher wants to develop the growth of the readership market. Until the end of 2004 ASP will spend over zł. 65 million promoting the new title. A return on investment is expected within five to seven years. Publisher of Gazeta Wyborcza, Agora, already plans to combat the new competitor by increasing the print run of its free daily Metro, which is to double in Warsaw. (Parkiet, p. 6; Puls Biznesu, p. 6) A.K.