The Coventry Evening Telegraph got an exciting new look this
week.
The paper has a new design and bolder masthead,
a new weekly female and family section, a junior sports pull-out , an enhanced
daily what's on section and a bigger weekly entertainment pull-out.
There's a greater emphasis on local, community-based news and
content, with a full column on the front page teasing stories about specific
local areas inside the paper.
And the letters page has been expanded across a double-spread to
give readers a bigger platform for their views.
It follows extensive research among regular and lapsed
readers.
Editor Alan Kirby said: "The feedback from reader focus groups
was constructively critical and really valuable to us.
"People felt that the paper was the best local source of news
and information, but they also felt we could improve how we presented the news.
Some felt we were too negative and focused too much on 'bad' news like crime.
They wanted more fun.
"We are proud of our editorial content but this has encouraged
us to look more carefully at how the news is presented. Every prominent story is
now about real people and the way in which events affect their everyday lives.
And we are using bigger and better pictures of those real people - images of
councillors and council officers are ditched.
"We are also maximising to the full the opportunities presented
by our new Trinity Mirror Midlands presses which give us full colour on every
page. The new design gives the paper a more positive and upbeat feel."
The Evening Telegraph's award-winning reader interaction
initiatives have also been moved up a gear to increase name and face
counts.
Mr Kirby said: "Stories and pictures are being used to best
effect which is good for the readers and for the editorial team. This has been a
real combined effort by everyone in editorial and we are having some fun
too."
Midlands Editorial Director Mark Dickinson said the Telegraph
was the first Midlands title to 'break cover'. ''We are spending a lot of time
working with editorial teams and readers to help us improve the offering. Alan
and his team have been through a tough time recently but everyone has really
worked hard to modernise the Telegraph.''
