Baltimore Sun tabloid

I hear the Baltimore Sun has changed its sports section to tabloid. Has anyone seen it yet? What's up with that?

 

Some papers tried this in the 1980s, Denver Post among them. All it does is make it difficult for advertisers because a full-page ad needs to either be shot down to fit or run sideways across two tab pages. In the end, sports journalists love it, readers are indifferent and advertisers hate it. Guess who eventually wins?

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.editorsnote03dec03,0,5303956.story

 

It's a mini-tab, too.
46.5" web. In the Tribune's never-ending quest to save on newsprint, they've created a mini paper. They should throw it in an envelope and stick it subscribers' mailboxes.

 

At least it's a short drive.

 

Sam Zell is intrigued by your idea, and would like to offer you four two dollars for the exclusive rights to it.

 

Granted it's only one day but I really like it so far. Although Day One is also 24 pages, I reserve the right to change my judgement once Tribune cuts the thing in half.

 

Nicely done.

 

We've been a sports tabloid for about four years now. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review started it about the same time.

And Frank knows a great deal about the business, but we seem to be winning.

 

I wonder how much Harrisburg and Pittsburgh's moves played into this.

Then again, I heard four years ago how Harrisburg's move was going to set the world on fire. While I like the product, and the design always looks cool, I don't think it's led to a revolution.

 

I'm doubting we or the T-R had anything to do with Baltimore.

Frankly, I'm quite surprised the Sun did this. Although perhaps I shouldn't be, because the past decade or so, they've been doing everything short of printing on gold plates to establish a unique identity.