The following takes place between page 1 and page 24.

24 Hours, the second of Vancouver's commuter dailies, made its debut today, going head to head with the Canwest/Torstar freebie Metro. 24 Hours is a joint venture of Quebecor/Sun Media and the Pattison Group.

Since the early 70's Sun Media has wrote the book on tabloid journalism in Canada, concocting a high-octane blend of populism, polemic, and sensationalism, with a generous dash of T&A on page 3. It's not a coincidence that 24 hours looks as much like it fits in the 12 items or less aisle as it does on the 99 B-Line.

What might really set 24 Hours apart from the other paid and unpaid subscription dailies in Vancouver is that despite being a major bagman for corporate B.C., Pattison actually has a few populist sensibilities and is willing to hire talent regardless of its ideological markings. Bill Tielman, a former NDP insider who uses the Liberals for a punching bag in his "Political Connections" column in the Georgia Strait, is a 24 Hours columnist. Also, the biggest former NDP insider of them all, Glen Clark, is President of the Pattison Group's brand new "News Division".

Yes, you read that - Glen Clark is now a media mogul. And Rafe Mair is now a journalist.