UK: The Echo to pack in more content per page

Posted by Diana Epstein on April 26, 2006 at 5:08 PM

The Exeter Express & Echo has recently redesigned to fit in twice the content per page then before. These changes follow research that showed readers liked the paper but wanted more local news.

Using smaller headline fonts and switching from caps to upper and lower case, the design is now content-led, costs the paper fewer pages (then if it were to add content normally) and is said to be “easier on the eyes.”

"Since arriving in Exeter the message I received from readers was consistent - they liked what we did but wanted more of it, said editor Marc Astley. "However, we have a significant challenge here in that we serve dozens of micro-communities, all very different from one another in terms of their geography and demographic make-up."

Instead of printing different editions, the paper combines everything communities need to know. But the changes extend to include a revamped weekend leisure section, with new pages dedicated to shopping, fashion, homes and entertainment. In a market where an increasing amount of newspapers are cutting out content in order to save money, The Echo’s solution is to just pack more into one page.

Source: Hold The Front Page [Through the Ifra Executive News Service]

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