NEWSPAPERS EXPAND COVERAGE FROM COAST TO COAST

By: Joe Strupp Broader Reporting, News Sections At Big Dailies



From more sports coverage in New York to expanded weather reports in
Seattle, plans to broaden reporting, add sections, and otherwise
improve the product were announced by several newspapers last week.
Editors said the decisions behind new or expanded coverage stemmed from
reader demands for more financial, sports, or reader-friendly services
as well as efforts to reach growing regional audiences.



Among the most ambitious plans is the New York Post's Sports
Week, which will launch June 1 with a $1.50 price tag. The News Corp.-

owned newspaper is expected to publish between 75,000 and 100,000
copies of the tabloid-style publication at first, with each issue
offering from 48 to 52 pages of features, expanded profiles, and
statistics.



'We are not looking at it as a competitor with Sports
Illustrated or Sport magazine,' said Matt Romanoski, the new
tab's editor. 'We will do more of a look ahead than they do.'
Romanoski, a former Post Sunday editor, said the weekly will not
recycle articles from the Post's regular sports section, but
will focus on longer profiles, investigative features, and broader
statistics. He said the paper plans to assign three new reporters to
the new publication, which also will run columns from the Post's
current sportswriters.



In Pittsburgh, a new problem-solving program for readers is being
promised by the Post-Gazette, according to an announcement
published in the daily. The new service, entitled 'Post Your Problems,'
began last week in the Post-Gazette's local news section. The
service will allow residents to e-mail or write in requests for help
with everything from getting a driver's license to paying property
taxes. Two veteran reporters are assigned to answer the questions. In
addition, the paper vowed to provide 40% more news in the local
section, which it plans to expand with more of a regional focus, but
with the same city neighborhood reporting included.



On the West Coast, the San Francisco Chronicle and the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer both promoted expansion last week,
with each eyeing more local news.



In San Francisco, Chronicle Managing Editor Jerry Roberts said
the paper planned to add 11/2 pages of news a day to its business
section, while also focusing more on personal finance and technology.
'Business is the story for us,' said Roberts. 'We are sitting on top of
Silicon Valley, and we are giving readers home-grown good stuff.'



Other changes, according to Roberts, include a new weekly section on
Friday focusing on local news and features; expanded local coverage in
each zoned section with more stories and photos; more entertainment and
leisure news and listings in the Thursday issue of the paper; and
increased video and DVD coverage in the Friday features section.



In Seattle, the Post-Intelligencer, facing a.m. competition from
The Seattle Times after its recent move to morning publication,
began a color weather report with more maps, cities, and environmental
information. It also started a news summary page with briefs and a
digest of inside stories.



Finally, at The Daily Deal - the investor tabloid that launched
last year - plans are under way for five new bureaus to open within the
next two months. Editor in Chief Bob Teitelman announced last week that
the New York-based publication hoped to open the new locations in San
Francisco, Washington, Houston, London, and Hong Kong. 'It's part of
our evolution,' said Kevin Worth, The Daily Deal's chief
strategic officer.



The Daily Deal's editors said the largest bureau is planned for
San Francisco, with coverage focused on Silicon Valley and the Pacific
Rim, while the Hong Kong bureau will be the base of operation for a
growing Asian financial report. The publication, started last September
and boasting daily circulation of 25,000, also plans to expand
distribution into Chicago and other Midwestern cities, with a European
debut in London during the summer.