Sydney Morning Herald adding tabloid sections
Aug 27
The Sydney Morning Herald is about to make a renewed pitch towards the city’s 2.5 million commuters by introducing tabloid-size sections.
B&T Today reports that, from 21 September, the paper’s main news section will remain a broadsheet but business and sports sections will be reworked into tabloid-size sections.
Lloyd Whish-Wilson, CEO of Sydney Publishing for Fairfax, said the change is about making the paper more accessible for commuters:
“We talked to readers and they wanted the broadsheet but also the convenience. We gave them five options and this was the one that stood out. It’s a nice package – readers can leave the broadsheet at home if they want, but take the business and sport with them on the bus or ferry.”
Whish-Wilson said that despite the tabloid-size, the Herald does not want to just emulate the Daily Telegraph but wants to add to the quality of its business and sports coverage to appeal more to AB readers.
A spokesperson for sister newspaper The Age said they were considering their options for reformatting in light of the Sydney Morning Herald decision, but no decision has been made.
Two years ago, both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age announced that they would be adopting a reduced page format. Whish-Wilson said the proposal was dogged by technical delays and protests from advertisers:
“We had a flirtation with a narrow width paper, but we didn’t go with that for technical reasons with our presses. Also, it wasn’t a commuter solution for us. That doesn’t rule out having a narrower sheet in the future, but it isn’t right for us at the moment.”
MediaSpy discussion: Sydney Morning Herald
TelevisionAU August 27th 2009