Leaked e-mail states Press and Journal may go tabloid

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Apr 18, 2004 | by Arthur MacMillan

THE Press and Journal intends to offer its readers a compact edition of the newspaper within months with the likelihood that it will pilot the plan on Saturdays.

Although the Aberdeen-based broadsheet has in recent months been rumoured to be considering a change in format, it went one step further last week by telling journalists that senior members of the management team have already produced a tabloid "dummy" of the newspaper. Further test editions will be produced in the next fortnight to identify issues and problems associated with the project.

Press and Journal editor Derek Tucker refused to comment on the details of the paper's monthly editorial meeting where he informed staff of the proposals, adding that it was his policy not to discuss the newspaper's commercial strategy with other media organisations.

However, an e-mail of minutes from the meeting, a copy of which has been obtained by the Sunday Herald, told staff: "We are looking at the possibility of going compact we are now looking at the whole issue - whether we should continue as a broadsheet, switch to a compact, switch one day of the week or print both and give people a choice. We will, in the next couple of weeks, have a small team on a Friday to print a tabloid edition to give us an idea of the implications of a side-by-side operation."

Tucker, however, in his note to staff expressed concern at offering both a broadsheet and a compact P&J on the same day. "My preferred option at this stage would be to experiment with going tabloid on Saturdays," he said.

He then revealed that an experiment by senior P&J staff who produced a tabloid edition of one Friday paper's stories had showed that extra staff would be needed. "It took 11 people six hours to do, so 66 man hours which would be nine additional people," the e-mail continued. "In real life I'd have different people so I think it would need six or seven people. We'll know a lot more by the end of the month [April]."

Although the P&J is a broadsheet, it already produces property, motoring and leisure supplements in tabloid form throughout the week. It is owned by Aberdeen Journals, who publish the tabloid Evening Express, also in Aberdeen. However it is likely that significant changes would be needed in the newspaper group's printing presses if the P&J was to offer a compact edition.

The P&J currently offers seven editions across the north of Scotland with up to four pages being dedicated to local news in each edition area. The paper's high number of news stories carried on each page could prove difficult to replicate in full within a tabloid.

The P&J's deputy editor Richard Neville was heavily involved in the design of business a.m., the failed Edinburgh-based business newspaper whose size was midway between a tabloid and a broadsheet. However Neville also refused to comment on the possibility of the paper offering a compact edition. Kevin Beatty, group managing director of Northcliffe Newspaper Group, the P&J's parent company, is expected to travel to Aberdeen to meet with Tucker on May 10. "The [compact] issue will be top of the agenda," the e-mail said.

The Scotsman has seen a significant rise in its Saturday sale since ditching its broadsheet format for a smaller, tabloid-style version. Sales increased by 15,000 when it launched on March 6. Although this dropped back in the second week, trade estimates suggest Saturday sales have increased by 20% on average.

The decision received a mixed response within the industry last month. Some media commentators praised the boldness of offering a smaller paper, while others said it signalled desperation from Scotsman publisher Andrew Neil who has seen the paper's sale fall since ending a cut-price cover price initiative. Daily sales for the six months to January showed The Scotsman's sale had fallen from 74,942 copies to 69,968 this year, according to ABC figures.

The Independent became the first UK broadsheet to offer a compact edition alongside the broadsheet in September last year. Circulation has since risen 18.3% nationally, with heavy promotion and sales activity in the commuter market boosting sales of the smaller paper. Scottish sales of the Indy have also surged since the broadsheet format was dropped north of the Border.

Tim Blott, the managing director of Newsquest Herald and Times, owners of The Herald and Sunday Herald, refused to comment when asked if The Herald had any plans to offer its readers a compact edition in the future.

However, one source close to the paper, said: "We are monitoring the situation in similar ways to the P&J because we would be silly not to look at significant changes in the newspaper industry and how they would affect us. However there is a feeling here that there is something to be said for being the last remaining quality broadsheet in the Scottish market. There are some advantages to offering a compact but we have to weigh them up against our perception as a broadsheet."