Although Conrad Black’s much heralded new daily, the National Post, hits the streets Oct. 27, its presence has been looming in the marketplace for several months now.

While no one’s predicting how well the new paper will be received by the public, there appears to be consensus in the media business that its introduction will be a good thing for advertisers.

Doug Checkeris, managing partner at The Media Company, says he’s recommending the Post to clients without ever having seen an issue because he’s sure there will be significant reader interest when it launches.

Ron Clark, vice-president of advertising, sales and marketing for the Post, confirms the concept behind the paper has been well-received by leading agencies and key advertisers – a fact that’s been borne out by the number of requests for space.

‘It’s very encouraging. They seem ready to embrace another newspaper,’ says Clark, adding the Post will become an even stronger contender when it joins Audit Bureau of Circulations and NADbank, enabling advertisers to compare its circulation and readership with that of its competitors.

David Harrison, president and ceo of Toronto-based media company Harrison Young Pesonen & Newell, says the chaos and competition that will result from the launch of the paper will be good for his business too, as clients will rely on the experts to recommend a plan and negotiate the best pricing.

‘It’s always exciting to have a big competitor come into the market,’ Harrison says, adding the sheer threat of a new competitor provoked positive design and content changes at the Post’s two biggest rivals, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star.

The Globe’s four-month rollout of its editorial redesign has resulted in increased circulation and readership numbers for the paper, according to NADbank figures released Oct. 5 and an independent survey conducted for the Globe by Canadian Facts.

Checkeris says he’s not surprised at the Globe’s numbers and expects improvements as a result of the Star’s editorial changes as well.

Of the Globe’s redesign, he says: ‘It’s not going to profoundly change their readership profile, but what it says to us is that they are investing in maintaining that readership, which makes sense.’

For more on the new National Post, see ‘Demand outstrips supply at Post’ on page 29 of our special report on Newspapers.