By: Lucia Moses
The Washington Post broke with convention in 1969 when it replaced its traditional women's section with its "Style" section on entertainment and culture.
This spring, it plans to make a similarly dramatic statement when it launches a new section with an eye toward young and infrequent readers. The broadsheet section, to be called "Sunday Source," will include graphics and charts in a design described as "Webby and experimental" by Managing Editor Steve Coll.
"It is a little bit of an experiment in intergenerational publishing for us," Coll said. "New media is shaping expectations that we need to learn how to translate into print" without losing the character of the paper. The concept grew out of a strategic review aimed at revitalizing the Sunday paper.
While other dailies, most notably the
Chicago Tribune and the
Chicago Sun-Times, have bet on freestanding spinoffs to attract a young audience, Coll said the
Post's strong household penetration and broad demographic appeal call for a less targeted approach, one designed "to appeal to singles who are living downtown and parents who are living way out in the exurbs."
The section will carry entertainment listings absent from the current Sunday paper as well as service information -- "sort of a cheat-sheet for a smart, active lifestyle in Washington, D.C.," Coll said. "Sunday Source" also will run the
Post's popular syndicated advice columnist Carolyn Hax, now in "Style."
The
Post tapped Sandy Fernandez, former editor of
Teen People, to head the section. It is set to launch in the next couple of months, Coll said, although it could be delayed if the United States goes to war with Iraq.
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