Newsdesigner.com | Slimming Down the Gray Lady*

Slimming Down the Gray Lady*

2:04 PM, October 14, 2005

I missed this, but in The New York Times' Wednesday story about The Wall Street Journal shrinking its page size was this interesting tidbit:

A spokeswoman for The New York Times said the paper was considering going to a smaller width, but had not made a decision. The Times currently measures about 14 inches wide.

The New York Post says the Times believes it could save $60,000 a day by shrinking the page size by an inch. (via editorsweblog.org)

Update: Jack Shafer picks up one of my lazy-journalist pet peeves (not adjusting for inflation) and notes that newsprint prices, often cited by newspapers shrinking pages or making other cutbacks, aren't anywhere near a "record."

Comments

Heads up: After you hit "post" things may be slow and you may get an error. Most likely, your comment did post. Apologies. I'm looking for a fix.

Look, I tried asking this in the lower box.. but does anyone know where the Hartford Courant went?

Posted by: RP at October 14, 2005 8:23 PM

Sorry. I guess your question got lost in the festival of comments in that last post. Answer: I dunno. Their page isn't getting to the Newseum for some reason. Could be technical, could be human. Anyone Courant-ers out there know?

Posted by: Mark at October 14, 2005 9:34 PM

There's a link to the PDF on the Courant's Web site:

http://www.courant.com/news/printedition/a1/Courant_A_1.pdf

Posted by: Ehren at October 14, 2005 11:27 PM

It's technical. We're checking on it on this end... could be Monday before it's up on Newseum.

Posted by: Suzette Moyer at October 15, 2005 4:20 PM

Maybe it hasn't hit record highs...but $60k per day? Wow. Imagine if they were all noble about it and they reapplied that to the editorial side?

Posted by: MV at October 18, 2005 10:03 AM

The Gray Lady is suffering. Her circ. numbers are going down, and her journalism is constantly under fire. The only national newspaper I can see surviving is the USA Today. And I would hate for that day to come.

I think the Times should sell a compact edition -- USA Today size, like the new Journal -- along side with its regular one for 6 months for only, say, 50-75 cents. See which one sells more and then decide from there on. Papers now need articles that start at Page 1 and end there

Posted by: Complex3 at October 18, 2005 11:42 AM

Would they call one of them "Smarter Times?" (Gratuitous NY Sun joke).

Posted by: MV at October 20, 2005 8:58 AM

Though I appreciate Complex3's concern for the Times, I'm baffled by the negative comment on the Times' circulation. Though Times circulation peaked in 2002 after the Sept. 11 attacks, it's been rising slowly again for the past couple of years (http://www.nytco.com/investors-nyt-circulation.html).

This spring, the Times gained weekday circulation faster than any other paper in the top 10 (http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=7984). Daily circulation is 1.14 million, behind USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Sunday circulation is 1.68 million, the nation's largest.

Posted by: Dave at October 21, 2005 11:55 PM

If the Times could save $60,000 a day by shrinking the paper an inch, how much would it save if it shrunk the paper to nothing?

By giving in to desires for increased profiles, the Times is diffusing part of its unique cache (it stands out from all those 50-inchers). In turn, it feeds the eventual eradication of newspapers altogether. Why read a slimmed down (and less newsy) newspaper when you can get it online for free?

Posted by: Mike Sisak at June 28, 2006 9:13 AM

resents perseveres snivel Cauchy crass support - Tons of interesdting stuff!!!

Posted by: at August 29, 2008 11:19 PM

leopard.gagged.other.grater interrupt afterward ... Thanks!!!

Posted by: at September 26, 2008 5:21 PM

cheap,enjoin sinkers drummer:Stockton oscilloscopes philosophizes Sudanese,

Posted by: at October 22, 2008 2:19 PM

Post a comment