Shrinking The News: NY Times Reduces Page Size

The New York Times announced on Sunday that they are reducing the page width of the daily newspaper by one and a half inches. Is this the coming trend for print news media? Or just an isolated idea?

Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of the Wall Street Journal may have had something to do with it. He has said his goal is to take on the New York Times as the nation's "Paper of Record". Or, maybe, its just a reaction to the economic realities of the digital news age. Either way, the publishers of the New York Times have made a decision to reduce the size of the newspaper. The inch and a half reduction will, according to a 2006 memo, reduce the news content by approximately 10%. It will also reduce printing costs, both through less paper being used and in the ease of using more standard set ups for printing presses. The paper will now be 12 inches wide (30.5 centimeters). The change was originally scheduled for next year, which leaves one wondering if the Wall Street Journal sale last week has quickened the pace of changes and improvements at the NYT. The New York Times owned Boston Globe is also slimming down in coming months. All traditional newspapers are seeking ways to remain relevant in the ever-increasing digitization of the news. Slimming down the print version while beefing up the paper's web content is a popular tactic among news organizations.