Herald Tribune rebrand to New York Times starts Oct 15

The International Herald Tribune will be formally renamed the International New York Times on Oct 15, ushering in a new era for the 125-year-old newspaper.

The New York Times Co, which owns the Paris-based daily, indicated in February the rebranding would take place. But the date was announced Tuesday by publisher Stephen Dunbar-Johnson.

Dunbar Johnson said in a letter to readers that the daily "will be marking the occasion with special content in the newspaper and online."

"On October 14, we will publish a 24-page special report looking back at important news stories from our illustrious 125-year history, featuring reprinted archive pages and a multimedia timeline," he said.

"In a second must-read report on the first day of the International New York Times, high-profile writers will address questions regarding forces shaping the world in years to come."

"We look forward to serving you with the best in world journalism for many years to come," he concluded in the letter.

With the rebranding, the New York Times apps and website will include the International New York Times edition, and the IHT apps will be phased out. Subscribers to the international edition will get free access to The New York Times apps and NYTimes.com, including the international edition.

The daily began in 1887 when entrepreneur James Gordon Bennett Jr founded the New York Herald's European edition. It became the International Herald Tribune in 1967.

Prior to 1967 the IHT was known as the Paris edition of the New York Herald Tribune.

The newspaper was immortalized in Jean-Luc Godard's film "Breathless" by Jean Seberg hawking copies on the Champs-Elysees.

It was co-owned by the New York Times and the Washington Post from 1967 until 2003, when the Times became its sole owner and restyled it as "the global edition of the New York Times."

Sold in more than 160 countries and territories, it has a daily circulation of more than 226,000, according to the New York Times Co.

© (C) 2013 AFP