Newspaper sharpens look, style, focus
My newspaper column
On Wednesday, we will introduce you to a new News & Record featuring smarter, more compelling content and a sharper, cleaner look.
Our goal is to produce a paper that is easier to read and filled with more news that will make a difference in your life and help you make a difference in the world.
At first blush, you may not notice much difference. The type size on stories will not change, although some lists and tabular matter should be easier to read. We continue to have a four-section paper every day except Sunday, when we offer more.
Yet there are many significant differences. Before I tell you about some of them, it's important to tell you that we based these improvements on you. We have studied national research on readership and conducted our own, hearing what readers want from their newspaper and how they want it.
As a result, here are some of the things you'll see Wednesday:
* You want both local and national news on the front page. We will continue to focus on local news -- that's where we can make a difference -- but we've reserved a place on the front page for a look at two or three national and world stories. We call it the "Quick Read," and it will give you a taste of what is happening at home and elsewhere.
* You want more depth on national and world affairs. Each day a longer story will focus on an issue in the news, providing context, perspective and understanding. We're bringing back The New York Times stories and columnists. Allen Johnson's column on H2 today will tell you more about that.
* You want to be in the know. On Page A2, we'll feature stories that people are talking about, celebrity news and interesting Web sites. On Friday, you'll get a weekend events calendar. On Saturday, a look at what's coming up in the week ahead. On Sunday, we'll summarize the news of the past week to help you keep up. The Sunday Life section will also feature a guide to the best arts, entertainment and leisure events of the upcoming week.
* You want visuals: more and larger photos. You got them. Every day. And on Sundays we'll publish a half page or more of the best photos of the week.
* You want more news to use. Much of it is in the Life section. On Monday, we'll have a new column on child rearing. On Friday in Live!, we have personal tech tips, a feature on the best bargains. On Saturday, we introduce a new home design column.
* You want more stock information. We're providing it online with a new tool that allows you to create a customized portfolio. In the paper, we're going to offer an abbreviated listing of stocks. More details on the new online stock tracker and our stock listings will come Monday in an article on B1.
* You want it easier on the eyes. We've modernized our headline styles. We've improved the look of the information boxes. We've created more consistent spacing and packaging.
* You didn't say you wanted better names, but we want them. So Wednesday's food section is now Savor, Friday's Life section is now Live! And the nameplates on the section fronts have a different look. And of course, we'll continue the features that we've introduced in the past few months: the Clipper on Monday; the Student Union and the 'Boro on Thursday; and Hometown Hubs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We know you're busy, and many of the improvements are based on making the paper more relevant. The events calendars, the A2 features, the Quick Read feature on the front page and the online customized stock tool are all geared to help you find what you need quickly.
When you read the newspaper, you want to feel smarter, to have something to talk about, to know how to live your life better. A newspaper should cover the news of the day and play watchdog monitoring power. As we have for sometime, we will continue to emphasize journalism that makes a difference to you and to the community.
The new paper you'll get Wednesday should fulfill those expectations. We hope you like it.
Comments (3)
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Those chages sound superficial. Your world view will not be altered.
Posted on April 17, 2006 12:44 PM
Well, I hope not, Fred. I have everyone wearing tinfoil caps so the aliens don't interfere with their thoughts. :)
Posted on April 17, 2006 1:41 PM
Subtle changes can still make a difference. A step in any direction means you're at least trying to make people happy. Kudos.
Posted on August 1, 2006 7:33 PM