The Mail, which has been published since 1870, appears in tabloid format from Monday to Saturday; it is widely regarded as a populist paper with a neutral political stance; the readership tends to be evenly distributed across gender, age and socio-economic groups.

The Mail includes a Sports Argus on Monday and Saturday; a shopping section on Monday; a family section on Tuesday; a travel section on Wednesday; jobs, food & drink supplements on Thursday; and a "What's On Guide" and Motors section on Friday.

Until recently, the newspaper was based at the Post and Mail Building on Colmore Circus in the Business Quarter. However, this sixties office block has now been demolished and the Mail has re-located to Fort Dunlop in the Tyburn area of Erdington.

The Birmingham Mail is owned by the Trinity Mirror Group which publishes 240 other regional and national newspapers, including the Birmingham Post and the Mercury. The Group is headquartered at Canary Wharf in London Docklands.

The Post contains a mixture of local, national and international news and analysis, particularly in such areas as business, health, education and leisure. It is targeted at an affluent upwardly-mobile audience; half the readership are in A-B social economic groups and include local businessmen and key policy-makers.

The editorial team moved from the Post and Mail Building at Colmore Circus in the Business Quarter of central Birmingham to the newly-refurbished Fort Dunlop in the Tyburn area of Erdington in 2008.

The Birmingham Post is now owned by the Trinity Mirror Group which publishes 240 other regional and national titles, including the Birmingham Mail, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Record. The group is headquartered at Canary Wharf in London Docklands.

The Mercury, which was launched in 1918, is published in tabloid format and is generally regarded as centre-right and populist. Its circulation is around 61,000.

The editorial team relocated from the Post and Mail Building in the Business Quarter of central Birmingham to Fort Dunlop in the Tyburn area of Erdington in 2008; the Mercury shares the same newsroom as the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Evening Mail.

All three papers are owned by Trinity Mirror Group which is headquartered at Canary Wharf in London Docklands.

The Financial Times is a morning daily business broadsheet with a UK circulation of around 75,000 and an international circulation of around 430,000.

The Observer was launched in 1985 and mainly reports on local issues. The content includes articles and sections dedicated to entertainment, business and sport; there are also property and leisure supplements.

Since Sutton Coldfield is a comparatively prosperous area, the Observer is able to generate substantial advertising revenue; it is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, one of Europe's largest media groups.

The Observer directly competes with the Sutton Coldfield News, another free weekly owned by the rival Trinity Mirror Group.

The paper, which was launched in 1865, has a circulation of over 60,000 and a readership of around 90,000. More than 60% of its readers are in the ABC 1 socio-economic group.

The content mainly consists of local news and information; it also includes feature articles and sections dedicated to news, sport, jobs, home, dating and travel. Since Sutton Coldfield is a comparatively prosperous area, the News is able to generate substantial advertising revenue.

The Sutton Coldfield News forms part of the Trinity Mirror Group which also owns the Birmingham Post, the Birmingham Evening Mail and the Sunday Mercury. All four titles are based at Fort Dunlop in the Tyburn area of Erdington.

The News competes with the Sutton Coldfield Observer, another free weekly owned by the rival Daily Mail and General Trust Group.

The paper commands a readership of around 41,000; additional copies are distributed on display stands and handed out in public areas. The content consists of local news and information with sections dedicated to the arts, science, education and motoring.

The Observer can generate substantial advertising revenue since it is distributed in comparatively prosperous areas with a strong sense of community and a high proportion of resident professionals, particularly medics and academics.

The content consists of features, puzzles and articles, mainly related to the local community. By targeting a comparatively affluent and broadly middle-class readership, the Harlequin is able to generate advertising income.

The Harlequin was voted Best New Business 2008 by Corkscrew Events and Business Link West Midlands.

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