Asian Sunday newspaper has restructured its operations in response to the changing market and the challenges of the Covid pandemic.
The well-known Asian Sunday title itself goes fully digital – rebranded as Asian Sunday Online. The revamp sees the launch of a new-look Asian Sunday TV YouTube channel screening news, interviews and “magazine show” lifestyle features.
The relaunch has created three new jobs, including two more journalists and one more sales executive.
The publication will maintain a print presence, with the weekly Asian Standard title, previously undergoing trials nationally, now regionalised, with editions for Bradford, Kirklees, and the North East.
Editor Fatima Patel said: “We feel a strong digital presence is important and have been building up this side of the business for some time in response to the rapidly-changing marketplace. But this has become even more crucial now, as we are unable to meet and socialise in the way we used to.
“When Covid hit everyone so hard in March, we sat down to remedy how we could continue getting out the news to our loyal and growing readership, while sustaining the livelihoods of our team and the business, during such testing times.
“Like so many inspirational businesses around us we began to realise that there were ways of finding positives amid the challenges. So, it now feels to be the right time to turn Asian Sunday into a digital platform for our readers, where they’ll be able to view exciting online debate, video news stories, features, cooking shows and more. Every Sunday our viewers can now catch up with important news stories on our Asian Sunday TV YouTube channel or on our website and social media platforms.
“However, we appreciate that a traditional newspaper still means a great deal to many people and felt it would be wrong to abandon our loyal avid print readers. So, we decided to continue publishing our free weekly title, Asian Standard, which will replace the regional print titles of Asian Sunday.”
Copies of the print newspaper are available free every Monday, from Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Al-Halal Supermarket, Saveco, Pakeezah, Bradford Interchange and various other supermarkets in the regional areas served. It can also be delivered on subscription to readers’ homes.
Asian Sunday TV has kicked off its chat show “Let’s Talk” with first guest Sofia Buncy, instrumental in the ground-breaking Muslim Women in Prison project, which has changed lives for so many. Also on the menu is a new cookery club, called Simmering Sundays, where readers can join in cookery sessions, get tips, and learn to budget.
Asian Sunday newspaper was first established in 2011 in Bradford as the UK’s first free Sunday newspaper.
Initially aimed specifically at the South Asian community, it grew over the last nine years to become an integral part of Bradford’s other diverse communities, rated among the most trusted and loyally-read publications.
The newspaper then launched a regional title in Kirklees and a further new title in the North East, and there are plans to expand into a further seven cities by 2025.
