Charlie Hebdo expects strong sales after terrorist attack

Global Business

Charlie Hebdo’s first regular issue since its special edition commemorating the massacre of key staff is expected to sell strongly. The Paris Office’s terrorist attack turned the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo into a global brand, and that’s leading to some tough decisions over how to deal with its rocketing circulation and increased assets.

CCTV’s correspondent Owen Fairclough filed this report.

Charlie Hebdo expects strong sales after terrorist attack

Charlie Hebdo's first regular issue since its special edition commemorating the massacre of key staff is expected to sell strongly. The Paris Office's terrorist attack turned the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo into a global brand, and that's leading to some tough decisions over how to deal with its rocketing circulation and increased assets. CCTV's correspondent Owen Fairclough filed this report.

On the verge of bankruptcy before the attacks, Charlie Hebdo’s survival doesn’t appear to be a problem for now.

The print run sales of 2.5 million copies before is much less than the 7 million of the special edition last month after the newspaper’s offices were attacked by terrorists.

A magazine that was struggling financially selling just 60,000 copies a week now finds itself with vast new resources.

Its subscribers have gone from 10,000 to nearly a quarter of a million, generating around $18 million.

Adding revenues from the special edition, Charlie Hebdo is thought to have around $34 million in new capital, though that includes several million in donations for victim’s families.

There are key investments to be made like finding new staff and a permanent home away from the temporary space they how occupy at the daily Liberation newspaper.

“The fact that we’re thinking about recruiting new people, that comes after first finding inspiration and energy again. I think that’s happening as time goes by. We have that energy in this edition, it’s about a joie de vivre,” Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Renald Luzier said.

There are also difficult managerial questions to address.

Having lost an editor who owned 40 percent of the company, some among the remaining staff are reportedly demanding the new found wealth is managed through a cooperative.

For now, Charlie Hebdo seems to have resumed some measure of normal service by continuing to use its unique form of satire to prove the pen is the mightiest weapon.