What to expect from the super soaraway Sun on Sunday

THE FIRST edition of The Sun on Sunday hits newsstands this weekend - and while media watchers have been feverishly speculating over what to expect, the new paper is already the target of boycott campaigns by activists.

In his roundup of rumours, Guardian blogger Roy Greenslade notes that the hype machine is working overtime.

"The paper is, quite naturally, promoting its new issue with gusto," he writes. "Meanwhile, the rest of the media are doing the job for free - radio and TV programmes, BBC and commercial, have been talking about it. News and feature segments are planned for Sunday."

He approves of Roy Keane and Toby Young as columnists but says Nancy Dell'Olio is "a more suspect selection". The Guardian has also reported that Labour peer Lord Glasman pulled out of a deal to write for the paper after coming under pressure from party leader Ed Miliband.

Staying with the strained relations between News International and Labour, Greenslade says there is talk of stories targeting Labour MP Tom Watson, who has been at the forefront of the anti-Murdoch brigade during the phone hacking crisis. But to go after him would be a massive risk.

In terms of editorial content, the biggest statement could come north of the border. According to The Independent the Scottish edition of the paper will arrive carrying the announcement that The Sun has come out in favour of independence for Scotland.

The Sun already backs the SNP but has not so far been in favour of independence. As the Indie explains: "Giving the backing of the best-selling Scottish daily paper to Scottish independence would be a classic Murdoch manoeuvre, reminding the main Westminster parties of his power and taking revenge for the way they humiliated him in Parliament over the phone-hacking scandal."

On the commercial side Murdoch has announced that the launch cover price of the Sunday edition will be just 50p - half the price of its rivals. The Saturday Sun will also be sold for 50p to drum up momentum.

The Guardian reports that the move has precipitated a "tabloid price war" as the Sunday Mirror, People and Daily Star Sunday have all followed suit.

The Sun will not be fretting over lost income from sales on launch weekend, however. Murdoch took to Twitter on Thursday to announce that the paper had sold all its ad space.

But it is not all good news and, according to media website The Drum, all may not be well in the future. "A campaign by [online campaigning community] Avaaz members to persuade UK mobile phone companies such as O2, T Mobile and Vodafone not to advertise in the new Sunday edition of The Sun is gaining speed," it reports.

Greenslade says Tesco is also rumoured to be steering clear of the new title.

Unsurprisingly there is already a campaign to boycott the paper on Merseyside and protests are expected at the Carling Cup final at Wembley, where Liverpool take on Cardiff. Liverpool fans have never forgiven The Sun for its Hillsborough coverage, and Cardiff supporters are said to be upset over the way the paper covered the death of a Wales fan outside Wembley last year. ·