Will The Business do better than The European?

Andrew Neil has been putting himself about, as one would expect with a new magazine to boost. There's an interview in today's Independent and this Telegraph one. He makes a similar point in both: The Business couldn't find a sufficient audience to turn a profit as a Sunday newspaper but revamping it as a mid-week magazine, selling for £2.25, will see it secure 47,000 "buyers" initially and ensure profits by 2008. It's a seductive argument and, of course, I wish it well. (I've forked out for my year's subscription, after all). But I can't help recalling that he said much the same when transforming The European from a newspaper to a quasi-magazine. Result? Closure in 1999. (Via Daily Telegraph)