The new edition will be available Saturday mornings and up to 100,000 copies will be delivered free, newspaper officials said. Five-year-old RedEye, one of a growing batch of U.S. dailies targeting young urban professionals with short, edgy stories on entertainment, sports, fashion and celebrity gossip, has expanded and improved its financial situation since dropping its cover charge in October 2005. It stepped up daily distribution to about 150,000 from 100,000 last September, nine months after the demise of the rival Chicago Sun-Times' Red Streak. Revenues grew by more than 50 percent in 2006 and the paper registered its first full-year profit, according to Brad Moore, RedEye's general manager.

"Demand amongst readers and advertisers has just been incredible," said Moore, who declined to provide specific figures. "When you take a look at the demand, this was a logical step to expand." He said the new edition will be home delivery only because readers are home on Saturday mornings, and advertisers such as restaurants, supermarkets and home goods stores can target specific markets with zoned preprint ads.

Free alternative dailies have emerged in recent years in New York, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C., among other cities, attracting a mix of local and national advertisers. Some target young adults and commuters; all seek to corral consumers who aren't loyal newspaper readers.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070314/il_red_eye_weekends.html; March 14, 2007