Berliner Sized Observer To Launch Early January

Guardian Newspapers has confirmed a launch date for the Berliner-format Observer next year, with the redesigned title hitting newsstands on 8 January.

The switch will bring the paper into line with weekday stablemate The Guardian, which adopted the compact format in mid-September.

The redesign will reduce the size of each supplement within the newspaper, and deliver a full colour news section. The titles Business & Media and Cash sections will merge under the new design, forming a business and personal finance section, while existing sections such as Escape, Review and Sport will remain.

Commenting on the redesign, Roger Alton, editor of the paper, said: “Sundays have changed dramatically over recent years and the Berliner Observer will be the most modern, punchy, engaging Sunday paper.”

Carolyn McCall, chief executive of Guardian Newspapers, added: “The Berliner format has already proved a huge success with the Guardian‘s readers and advertisers, uniquely combining ease of reading with editorial integrity, and we have every confidence it will prove a long-term winner for The Observer as well.”

The latest ABC results show the Guardian’s new Berliner format performing well, with the paper notching up a sales increase of 6.3% year on year in November. The previous two months also saw the title performing well, with a sales rise of 6.6% in October, and 7.4% during September, the paper’s first month to feature its new format.

The Guardian’s rises compare favourably with compact rivals in the same period, with only the Times seeing a greater circulation increase, of 7.2 year on year in October. Meanwhile, the latest NRS results show the paper continuing to add readers, with the latest figures covering the six months to October showing a total of 1.3 million, up 19.7% year on year (see NRS National Newspaper Round-Up: October 2005).

The Guardian: 020 7478 5240 www.guardian.co.uk