Changes with the Bee
This is a bit overdue, but I'm wondering if anyone heard Fresno Bee publisher Will Fleet calling into Chris Daniel's show last week. This would have been Tuesday, the day The Bee introduced its new format.
I missed the entire conversation, but for the part I caught, he (Mr. Fleet) made some good observations on the industry and was a good sport about the whole thing when it was obvious Chris Daniels was just looking to make some point about how newspapers missed their golden opportunity to score points (and dollars) on-line. Something about subscriptions.
What I got out of it: Regardless of how they're packaged and sold, newspapers (or at least the Fresno Bee) are still relevant. It's the reason Daniels spent a whole segment of his show dedicated to the new format. In fact, I thought it was odd that he spent so much time talking about what is essentially a competing product. That should say something to the power (and relevancy) of the paper.
Again, I didn't hear the whole thing, but I like it when Daniels talks newspapers (or downtown) and I appreciated that Mr. Fleet called in with some perspective.
What do you think about the Bee's new look and feel? Is this changing with the times or just throwing stuff on a wall to see what sticks? Ed?
reading is fundamental
Ed, per the executive editor's announcement about changes to the paper:
"We've reversed the order of local and nation/world coverage because time and again, we hear from readers that local news is what they want most from us. It's also what we do best, and what we provide in far more depth and breadth than anyone else.
"We'll continue to publish important national and world stories on the front page, but from there, readers can go straight to local news followed by state news and business. This move gives us more space for local news; the A section is always the largest section in the paper because it's most in demand by advertisers. "
local front?
i see today that world/national news is creaping back onto the front page. article about north korea cyber attacks. from the a.p. no less!
Get through it quicker
Takes a lot less time to read it now. I don't mind paying the same amount and getting less if that saves the Bee. If their website was better that would help.
Coincidently The SF Chronicle started their new, smaller format paper today. They seemed to stress new presses with more full color and stay off that it's smaller. It's not smaller..it's better!
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=CA_SFC&ref_pge=ga...
famous predictiwater
i actually like the new look bee. i think the smaller size takes a bit to get used to, but it also takes us back to the more community feel of the newspaper. i also think placing local news first really helps sell it as the fresno bee. there are tons of national outlets, and imho the bee was mainly using ap, mccaltchy news service, l.a. times, etc for national news - not a criticism - so i probably read the same stuff in their online sources as i would've read in the bee.
we talked a bit about this back here, and i think the increased local angle is better. now you can see what the fresno bee looks like without the a1 section being national news.
and, just to re-affirm the point i was making in my blog post (over @ my blog): it seemed excessive to have 70% of your front section be ads. i know that ads support the paper, but that number seemed a bit skewed. i enjoy reading the bee online, i love the beehive and all the content they generate, and should the bee stop existing there would be a very large void in fresno's news market.
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