A bit of Lite reading (London Lite)

Member Name: bondgirlk8

Product:	London Lite
Date:	29/10/08 (525 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to read; FREE, non-run ink; Something for everyone

Disadvantages: Not hugely detailed; Street vendor obstacles; Abandoned papers on tube/floor/stations etc.

I picked up tonight's copy of the Lite, quite by chance, from a seat in Holborn underground station. It was looking sad and abandoned, so I picked it up. I've not read the Lite for about a week, this mainly being due to my discovery of dooyoo. Since that fateful day my tube journeys have been mostly taken up by writing. For some unknown reason I've found that on the tube, I can write. Nowhere else, just on the tube. Why such horrific conditions should work for me, I have no idea.

Anyway, my sorry little Lite was waiting. I picked it up. Had a little scan. It was warm and familiar. I squeezed myself onto the already heaving tube and attempted to do that impossible thing that people do: reading and retaining dignity whilst you have your face in some nasty stranger armpit. In such conditions remaining standing is in itself enough of a challenge. Remarkably, at Tottenham Court Road - the first stop - I got a seat, which I plonked myself ungracefully into. Raising my Lite back to eyelevel it hit me. "Yes!" I thought, "I shall review YOU".

Of all the free London newpapers (the big three being the Lite, the Metro and the creatively named London Paper) the Lite has one massive advantage. As proudly announced by the Lite itself it is "Printed in ink that won't come off on your hands". So far, I've found this to be an accurate statement. I'm perhaps not sweaty to the extent of 'having a problem', but I'm definitely as sweaty as the next person and even through the summer I've not yet discovered the level of sweatage required to make the Lite bleed.

The Lite is published by Associated Newspapers Ltd (the people responsible for the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard) and was introduced during August 2006. That was the summer I moved to London and it was a swealterer, this subjecting the Lite to the sweat-test very early in it's life.

It is published every week day and is available all over Central London. Street vendors outside underground stations and in all busy pedestrian areas hand out the paper from around noon until they run out. This usually occurs around 7pm. Between the vendors for the London Lite and the London Paper, the streets of London have become just that little bit more hectic, making any attempt to get anywhere just that bit more stressful and obstacle ridden.

So, other than successfully keeping me clean (or as clean as it is possible to be in my dishevelled, potentially lunch-wearing, post-work state) what else is there that makes the Lite worth reviewing? Well, quite a bit.

PRICE: The Lite is FREE. I love a bargain, and if I can get something for nothing even better! Of course, it isn't the only free paper but that just leads me back to the whole ink conversation again and I've bored you with that one enough already.

SIZE: The pages are a nice small 'tabloidy' size which suggests the publishers have put some thought into where the paper is likely to be read and developed a paper of appropriate size to allow for reading in cramped spaces and limited annoyance of fellow passengers. Of course, there is always that person in your carriage who insists on taking up maximum space by not folding the paper at all and reading it in such a way that he can see both pages side by side. If you have one of these near you, the Lite can be a bit annoying. But Lite or no-Lite, this particular breed of passenger will always find a way of seemingly obliviously taking up too much room and causing you great annoyance.

IMPACT ON THE CITY: The Lite and all other free papers have had two big disadvantages on the City of London. The first, as I mentioned before, is the vendors. London really didn't need any more annoying people placed prominently in the busiest and most inconvenient of places. It makes getting anywhere frustrating, and getting anywhere fast impossible.

The second issue is litter. Any tube carriage or station at the end of the day is a scene of utter carnage. They are all over the floors, the escalators, the seats, etc. etc. Stepping into a tube fairly late at night when rush-hour is a fading memory, the feeling you get is one that says 'ooh, something BAD happened here'.

So, unless you too live in London and frequently scan the Lite pages (either your own or over the shoulder of others), you might be wondering what lies within the magically non-inky paper. Let me tell you....

NEWS: Fountain of all knowledge it might not be, and detailed it most certainly is not. But, it is informative, and there is just enough information for me to get an idea as to what is going on in the world and probably blag a bit of conversation with people more interested in current affairs than myself.

The news articles are very short, but this is probably the most I can cope with after a long day at work and whilst packed so tightly into a carriage that attempting to read at all is actually quite difficult. It is scannable, and therefore just about possible to 'read' when any personal space at all is quite a luxury.

GOSSIP AND CELEBRITY 'NEWS': The shenanigans of 'celebrities' is quite a heavy feature of the Lite, and this is presented in the gossipy style of trash like 'Now' magazine. This isn't really my thing, in so much as I'd never spend actual money on magazines devoted to such gossip. However, it's nice and mindless, and from time to time it does appeal to my nosey nature. As with the news, it is presented in a way which requires absolutely no brain power to digest. Again, this is perfect for the audience of evening commuters.

MESSAGEBOARD: This is a page written by the readers of the Lite, comprising of letters written on given subjects. Today's dealt primarily with the Olympic parade and whether or not this should have been held over the weekend. The letters were the usual mix of passionately 'for' and desperately 'against'.

Also in this section is the nicely titled 'Get it off your Text'. This is an inspired feature which often makes for entertaining reading. The concept is that you send in a text about whatever it is that is bugging you - as the Lite puts it 'Your Mobile Moans'. You get the most out of this section if you read it every day, as often grumpy texters will be texting in response to other grumpy texters from the prior day. Today, most were of that nature, and as I'd not read the Lite for about a week, it wasn't as much fun as normal, a little confusing even.

TRAVEL: Generally, the travel pages are made up of the short coverage of a destination titled 'Celebrity Hot Spot', in which the recent holiday destination of choice of some random celebrity is briefly reviewed. There will also be a longer article reviewing another destination in much more detail. At almost two full pages, this is quite a long article in 'Lite' terms. The usefulness of this will vary depending on the writer and the appeal that the destination covered holds for you. A short paragraph will also be given to 4 or 5 other locations under a small column called 'Taking Off'. If you have a bit of cash and are looking for places to visit, this can provide valid ideas. But only in so much as it is like someone saying to you, "Ooooh, have you thought of Zurich?" You'd have to do a lot more research yourself.

HEALTH, FASHION AND LIFESTYLE: Newpaper magazine supplement type articles dealing with such areas of life often appear in the Lite. As with newspaper supplements, or in-flight magazines, they are generic enough to appeal to the masses whilst lacking the focus that would be required to appeal to readers with specific interests in such areas.

ENTERTAINMENT: The Lite contains a 12 page guide detailing what can be done that evening in London, whether going out or staying in. This is a mix of articles and reviews along with a guide to the evening's television. The guide includes details on theatre, opera, music gigs, dance events, art exhibitions, cinema...basically, anything that could be broadly classed as 'entertainment'. I find the guide provided by the Lite to be very comprehensive and one of the more useful of the London guides provided in the free papers.

PUZZLES: I'm a big fan of Sudoku, and I love to be able to play this when I am stuck on the train. The Lite does not disappoint. It includes three Sudoku puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty (one of which you can win a prize for if you submit the winning numbers to them to go in a draw), as well as a Circular Sudoku (formally known as Spidoku for any fans out there). I've not seen this puzzle anywhere before and will often pick up the Lite just for this. There are a few other regular puzzles e.g. Test your T.V. knowledge (I'm glad to say I can't play this, being someone who rarely bothers with T.V.), and a cross word. There is also a cartoon strip and horoscope.

BUSINESS: The business section is not very long, perhaps giving an insight into the intended audience of the Lite. As with news in general, it is presented in bite-sized chunks giving you the minimum of information.

SPORT: I know absolutely nothing about sport, so I can't really comment as to if it is any good or not. It is approximately six pages long and covers the main big events that have occurred in the sporting world. I imagine if I read these pages, it would give me just enough to vaguely follow, and possibly just about contribute to, a sports conversation. However, my lack of interest in the subject makes this mere speculation.

Overall, the Lite is a nice, free, clean and enjoyable read. Calling it a 'newspaper' is a tad on the ambitious side, and it's never going to win any awards for world class journalism, but, it makes no pretences and doesn't try to be anything other than what it is.

© BondgirlK8 October 2008

Summary: News, gossip, magazine and city guide all rolled into one ink-free paper, all for 0 pence.