Readers sound off on new design

We have heard you.

We have now made it through our first work week in our new, leaner design. We asked readers for their opinions, and, as usual, they were not bashful.

First and foremost, I realize I am never going to be able to convince some readers that we did not change the size of the type in our stories, but that’s the case. It is the exact same size as before, only on a smaller page.

We are aware that there is a problem on our TV page. We have been shooting that page down to fit, and in doing so it is distorting the type. We are going to have our syndicate that produces that page change the design to fit our new format. Bear with us.

The page that contains the baseball agate is now a joint production among the many JRC daily newspapers. Instead of producing a page at 18 daily newspapers, we are now creating two pages – one for broadsheets and one for tabloids. We also will be tweaking that format in the days to come.

And now a confession. I will admit that I feared this move, in part because I thought the page was very small and would be shocking to our readers. But the truth is that I like it. And so do a lot of readers.

No, not everyone. I have fielded plenty of calls from people who hate the new design. And of course some engaging readers have let us know in Sound Off exactly what they think of it.

But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many people have indicated they like the new format.

We have not eliminated any content. We have added pages. But the new size involves a huge savings that is critical to the economic health of the newspaper.

It’s the same Daily Times, only in a much more convenient format.

To those who like the new format, I thank you. And to the rest: Please stay with us. I think the design will grow on you. Besides, you’re not going to get the local content we deliver every day anywhere else.

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