Readers see double in the U.K.

By: Richard Brunelli Executives at The Times of London and broadsheet rival The Independent are waging a pitched battle with their new tabloid editions, but their success with smaller formats isn't likely to cause U.S. newspaper publishers to downsize their papers anytime soon.

That's the consensus of top newspaper analysts who have studied the global trend toward compact papers. Despite a bevy of studies showing that readers, particularly commuters, prefer smaller dailies, there are too many hurdles ? both financial and cultural ? for U.S. broadsheets to change overnight, according to Mario Garcia, a noted newspaper designer based in Tampa, Fla.

"I think it will be a slow process, but one that will take place in an evolutionary way," says Garcia. "There is no question that the smaller formats are preferred by readers. But U.S. editors still tie tabloid formats to downmarket products, which is not the truth at all."

Last year, Garcia recommended to The Miami Herald that it convert to a tabloid as part of an overall redesign. Herald executives opted not to switch, partly because they were pressed for time. Instead the paper chose to turn its daily features section, "Tropical Life," into a tab.

"I see the U.S. papers continuing to monitor the changes taking place elsewhere," Garcia says, "and many of the classic papers will start with production of two simultaneous editions ? broadsheet and tabloid ? eventually graduating to a tabloid or smaller format."

That, in fact, seems to be exactly what's happening right now in London. Last September, the 17-year-old Independent introduced a same-day tabloid twin of itself. Two months later, the venerable 218-year-old Times followed suit with its own downsized clone. Both papers have since expanded distribution outside London.

In mid-January, the war heated up when the Independent announced it would completely drop its broadsheet edition on Saturdays, deciding to go with its tabloid alone. In December, the newspaper's tabloid version sold an impressive 58,000 copies each weekday.

But whatever success their British counterparts are experiencing with smaller formats, U.S. publishers are likely to remain skeptical ? at least for now.

"If there is one compelling reason to consider changing from broadsheet to compact format ? consumer preference ? it is outweighed in the United States by a series of very real hurdles," says Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director of the International Newspaper Marketing Association.

INMA, based in Dallas, last month released a massive 8,000-word report titled "Does Size Matter For Newspapers? The Trend Toward Compact Formats." The report, co-authored by Wilkinson, is an exhaustive look at how the traditional broadsheet format now holds less sway with publishers around the world.

"The cultural hurdles from a change-averse journalism community would be enormous in the United States," Wilkinson tells E&P. "Such a move would impact everything from how stories are written, to length of stories, to headlines, to use of photography." And, he adds, there would have to be "a radical rethinking of advertising pricing" if a newspaper downsized.

Still, Wilkinson contends U.S. newspaper makers might be persuaded to take the tabloid leap if other large dailies, particularly the Independent or the Times, could crack the code.

"If a packaging, distribution, and advertising model is developed in Europe, I'm sure U.S. newspapers will look carefully at these models and decide for themselves if simultaneous broadsheet and tabloid newspapers make sense," he says. "But I also don't sense that American newspapers would even be considering this if someone else hadn't tried it first. If a major newspaper [in the United States] converted and there was a sustainable circulation boost, it would certainly give publishers cause for consideration."

In the final analysis, the success or failure of American compact newspapers would still depend largely on content, not size. "But having said that," Garcia observes, "a newspaper that wants to make its good content more accessible may consider the smaller format as a friendlier one for users." Readers, he believes, may simply want "the same gourmet-style cooking from the kitchen they love and respect, but in a takeout container that's easier to handle."