By: Barry Smith

Barry Smith — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 16:49:29 +0000

Thanks for taking an interest in the Appeal’s new look. I was interested in your analysis of the “shrinking newspaper” and thought I might be able to provide some insight into why we do things the way we do.
First, I couldn’t resist a challenge, so I did go check a newspaper from 1900. Actually, it was a Carson City Daily Appeal from 1908 because it was easiest to reach. I didn’t count all the words, but I did count one column and extrapolate. I came up with about 3,000. (By the way, there was an 8-inch ad on the front page, slightly larger than what appears on the Appeal now.)
The word count on the front page you posted above is 2,799 words, so indeed there are fewer words on the front page. Of course, the front page isn’t everything. The Appeal in those days was four pages total � and one of those was nothing but ads. The edition referenced above was 30 pages. The Appeal generally ranges from 20 to 48 pages.
The most dramatic comparison would be to newspapers in their heyday of the ’50s and ’60s, when they were huge compared to today’s editions. The reason? Advertising. Before the boom in chain stories, all ads went into the newspaper and there was considerably more space for news. Over the last couple of decades, much of that advertising has shifted to preprinted flyers inserted into the newspaper. We don’t do much more than deliver them.
The Appeal’s front page does indeed resemble a Web page, with lots of promos to point people deeper into the paper. We need to attract younger readers, who have developed different habits. The design is intended to provide quicker reads � not less information, but information presented in more accessible ways.
Finally, newspapers have in many respects developed into guides for people to find more information for themselves on the Web. There will always be limits to how many words we can provide on a printed page, but we now have the opportunity to provide much more on the Internet.

By: A reader

A reader — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:23:13 +0000

I was hoping that the Appeal would downsize the photos on its food page with the new design. It gives me indigestion to see “larger than life” food photos.

By: Kalrac

Kalrac — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 02:11:43 +0000

Just wait until Sunday when they start springloading the ads so they’ll pop-up at you when you try to read the paper.

By: Mama Schrantz

Mama Schrantz — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 02:01:29 +0000

It kind of looks like a web page with all the different frames.

Comments on: Shrinking Papers

By: Barry Smith

By: A reader

By: Kalrac

By: Mama Schrantz