, Daily Mail unveils a new look, new size

A week of surprises is in store for readers of the CharlestonDaily Mail.

As you thumb through today's paper, you may notice the weatherboxon Page 3A looks different. The TV page has been revamped. There'sa new column, "Click and Clack Talk Cars," in the Life section.

Why so many changes at once?While the newspaper staff is always looking for ways to improve, aconcerted effort has been under way for the past few months.A group of editorial staff members dubbed the Content Committeehas been combing the paper page by page, section by section. We haveanalyzed both content and design.Some of the changes are subtle and some are quite noticeable. Allare intended to make the newspaper more attractive, relevant andinteresting.There's been no change in our editorial philosophy and mission.We remain devoted to covering local news thoroughly andaggressively.Our editorial page will continue to reflect conservative WestVirginia values.But we decided to look at the many items carried in the newspapereach day and ask ourselves: Can we do it better? If the answer wasyes, we looked for a way.In the beginning we spent way too much time on certain subjects.The arguments about what should go in the weather box, for example,seemed to go on endlessly.Some committee members even wondered whether a newspaper needed toprovide weather information at all. That question was answeredpretty quickly when we looked at reader research.Yes, you can get weather information by telephone, from televisionand on the Internet. But you still like the instant convenience ofpicking up a newspaper and turning to the weather page for a quickforecast.So we redesigned the weather box to make it more attractive andadjusted the content. We dropped the list of global temperatures,for example, in favor of a list of regional city temperatures.As the weeks wore on, the committee got more organized. We madelists of the areas we wanted to cover. We formed subcommittees toresearch certain subjects.There was something missing. We needed a deadline.Then one presented itself.A movement that is spreading rapidly across the newspaper industrymade its way to Charleston. The owners of the Daily Mail and theCharleston Gazette decided to slightly reduce the width of pages inthe two daily newspapers and the Sunday Gazette-Mail.Hundreds of newspapers, most notably The Washington Post, alreadyhave taken this step, and many more are planning to do so.The width change - about 1 inch per page - allows newspapercompanies to reduce paper consumption and hold down costs. Lowerpaper consumption is also good for the environment.Newspapers are finding that readers like the new width. They saythe paper is easier to handle and takes up less room on a table ordesk.With a date set for the press conversion that would be needed forthe new page width, the Daily Mail Content Committee had itsdeadline.The committee added the design changes needed for the new width tothe to-do list. We wanted to make sure readers would receive as muchor more content as before.On the comics page, for example, we were concerned about readerswho work the crossword puzzle. The page layout was adjusted so thepuzzle would remain the same size. No comics or other features onthe page were dropped.For these and many other design changes, News Editor Steven Keithtook the lead.It was Keith who guided the rest of us through the selection ofnew typefaces for stories, headlines and cutlines. Keith alsodesigned new section front titles and many other design elementsthroughout the paper.His intent was to give the paper a more contemporary look and addmore design consistency from section to section.A couple of sections have been renamed. The section formerlycalled "Local" will be titled "P.M. Update." It runs Tuesday throughFriday and carries updated news that may have impact on a local,regional or statewide basis.Our weekly entertainment section, formerly called "Weekend," willnow be titled "Current." You'll find the "Let's Go" guide inside thesection much more attractive and convenient to use. Look for it onThursdays.Some other changes:- Many readers have told us they want more TV channel listings.We've added nine channels to the TV page. At the top of the page,we've added a daily feature called "Tune In Tonight." We think itwill help you pick from the ever-increasing array of televisionchoices.- We think you'll love the Magliozzi brothers, Tom and Ray.Better known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Bro thers," they're thehosts of the enormously popular "Car Talk" on public radio. Theircolumn, which debuts in today's Life section, appears in 250newspapers.- Columnist Brad McEl hin ny, whose work has appeared on Page 1 ofthe Saturday paper since last fall, will begin appearing on aWednesday section front as well. Again, comments from readersprompted this d ecision.- The Thursday entertainment section will include a new Daily MailMovie Guide. It neatly summarizes the basic information you needabout movies playing in town.And now it's your turn. We want to hear what you think aboutthese changes. If you have comments, please contact Nanya Friend,managing editor, at 348-5124. The e-mail address isnanyaf@dailymail.com.