The Launch of Project Eyeball

After 10 months of cloak and dagger planning, Singapore's first integrated print and cyberspace news publication is raring to stamp its style and attitude on the streets and the World Wide Web.

It will not titillate with rape. It will not bore with motherhood statements. It will not slow you down with what you already know.

It will question. It will push you to think. It will give you a voice, even if it's not popular or politically correct. Most of all, it'll stick to what matters to you - the Internet-savvy young professional crowd.

Project Eyeball is no side dish, it's the main course - delivering news with impact, sports that intoxicates, technology to help you deal with this wired world, and entertainment that makes YOU the life of the party.

Its edge - reporters won't pen their prose from any ivory tower. They will crawl through the trenches at ground zero and surf the back alleys of the Net to deliver news you need to know.

Armed with high-resolution digital cameras, Macintosh G4s and the latest web-management software, Project Eyeball will deliver news not just in text and pictures, but also video and audio.

The morning paper will be delivered to homes island wide and sold at coffee clubs, selected cafes and news stands in the bustling central business district.

To be published from Monday through Saturday, the paper will cost much less than a small, single shot latte, Sunday will be an exclusive online edition.

Bookmarked at eyeball.asia1.com.sg, the online edition promises to be more than an open channel to give your tow cents' worth on the news, bitch about the referee, watch a video clip or vote on the best laksa in town.

It will have a zesty life of its own, and aims to create a unique virtual community that will react to and keep pace with the interests and opinions of this new breed of wired readers.

Granted a publishing licence in February, Project Eyeball's online version will be unveiled in July and the print version hits the streets in August.

Project Eyeball is currently staffed with more than 100 young dynamic journalists, including a handful of talented hirings from Australia, Canada, India, Hongkong, Malaysia, the Philipines and the United States.

Leading the newsroom is editor Bertha Henson, the formal deputy news editor of The Straits Times. She brings 14 years of experience at ST's political desk and Life! and The New Paper.

She is assisted by deputy editor (design/ night operations) Carl Skadian and online editor Gan Cheong Soon, both formerly with The Straits Times and deputy editor (news) Rahul Pathak, originally from The New Paper.

The thoroughbred "dotcom-like" start-up will be housed at News Centre at Genting Lane till the Singapore Press Holdings group shifts to its new corporate headquarters at Toa Payoh.

Project Eyeball will be the 11th news publications in the SPH stable. The last newspaper launched by SPH was The New Paper, 12 years ago. SPH currently publishes 10 newspapers in four languages as well as six magazines.

"Project Eyeball will be available at coffee clubs such as Starbucks, Coffee Express, and outlets such as Haagen-Dazs, Delifrance and McDonald's. We are most excited about this alliance as these brand names not only provide an excellent fit in terms of positioning but also an ideal distribution network"

-Tham Khai Wor, SPH executive vice-president of Marketing

"To house Singaporeans who lament the lack of choice in newspapers, I say come speak to us. Help us shape the newspaper you want. You probably won't get another chance to be involved in something like this."

-Bertha Henson, Project Eyeball editor