Guardian Hits Newsstands In Berliner Format
Today sees the first publication of a Berliner-style newspaper in Britain, with the Guardian downsizing to the new format from this morning.
The title, which retains its cover price of 60p, has also undergone an editorial revamp and is now printed in full colour. The relaunch is backed by a marketing campaign comprising national TV advertising, outdoor posters, and online ads.
Online activity to promote the new paper includes “takeovers” on websites such as Channel 4, which will also feature an interactive demo of the newspaper’s new sizing and content.
The Berliner format is smaller than a traditional broadsheet, but larger than compact titles such as the Times or Independent. The decision to switch was first confirmed in June 2004, with the newspaper investing £80 million in the relaunch and spending 18 months redesigning and building new printing presses (see Guardian Takes Titles Compact With £50 Million Investment).
The end result has been an early launch for the newspaper’s new format, with publication several months ahead of schedule. The newspaper has also announced that its Sunday sister title, the Observer, will adopt the same mid-size format to become the first Sunday paper to reduce its size (see Guardian To Downsize Early, Observer To Follow).
The radical overhaul, which includes an updated masthead, expanded sports sections and the creation of a fully-fledged news magazine in the shape of G2, was welcomed in a front page column by editor Alan Rusbridger this morning. Describing the new format to readers, Rusbridger said: “Welcome to the Berliner Guardian. No, we won’t go on calling it that for long, and yes, it’s an inelegant name. We tried many alternatives… but in a short time we hope we can revert to being simply the Guardian.”
Explaining the move to Guardian Unlimited this morning, Rusbridger continued: “The main change – the format – is in response to unambiguous research which shows that readers increasingly find broadsheet newspapers difficult to handle in many everyday situations, including commuting to work.
“But our research showed equally clearly that there were many things readers didn’t want changed – including our comprehensive commitment to news and the intelligence and seriousness of our coverage and comment.”
The new title launches following last week’s ABC national newspaper results, which showed the Guardian ending its last full month as a broadsheet title with the largest year on year decline in any market.
The paper suffered a 9.7% dip in circulation year on year during August, pushing its total to 341,698. In period on period analysis the decline is less severe, however, although a 4.6% dip still translated to a loss of 16,647 copies in real terms (see Guardian Sees Broadsheet End In Decline).
While the Guardian‘s performance was not out of place in the quality sector, with the Financial Times and Independent both suffering declines of 4.0% and 1.9% year on year, the new design is clearly intended to attract readers who have previously been deterred by the paper’s broadsheet format.
The next ABC results, covering September and released on 14 October, should give an early indication of the new format’s performance, although a more complete picture will not be seen until 11 November, when ABC figures covering October are released, giving a full month of analysis over the relaunched title.
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