Guardian To Down-Size In Autumn

The Guardian is reported to be switching to a smaller format as early as this autumn, with media buyers being shown dummy editions of an A3 size copy of the paper, according to a report.

The recent decline of the newspapers circulation is thought to be worrying executives, with the recent NRS data for national paper circulation revealing a 4.6% drop in The Guardian’s readership figures over the past year (see NRS National Newspaper Round-Up: December 2004).

According to a report in the Independent on Sunday, new compact format would typically contain three main stories on the front page along with a picture.

The original plan was to downsize in 2006, but Publicis Group’s Starcom has said that the Guardian Media Group (GMG) wants to bring it forward to autumn this year. However, there may be problems in making the switch so soon.

GMG is investing £50 million in the move and unlike The Independent and The Times, which introduced their downsize gradually, is thought to take place over night.

Rumours over the change of format for the Guardian started last year, with industry speculation that the paper was experimenting with a number of mock-ups, with the Berliner style format adopted by France by Le Monde the most popular (see Guardian Considers Midsize Edition To Boost Sales).

Last month, Independent News & Media launched a compact edition of The Belfast Telegraph, fuelling industry speculation that the publication will eventually abandon its broadsheet format (see Belfast Telegraph Downsizes To Compact).

Elsewhere, the Guardian Media Group launched of a Lite version of the Manchester Evening News, which started free distribution on the city centre from March 21 (see Belfast Telegraph Downsizes To Compact).

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

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