Changes Include New Content Features, Improved Navigation &
Better Print-Online Alignment
Journal Offered Free Nationwide On Launch Date
NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The redesigned Wall Street Journal, which launches on January 2, 2007, was unveiled today.
The Journal will reflect today's consumer desire for an easier-to-use newspaper that adds value as readers get news from multiple sources and channels. To introduce the relaunched newspaper to new audiences, and for the first time in its history, the Journal will be offered free at newsstands nationwide on the day of launch. The Wall Street Journal Online, the largest subscription news site on the Web, will also be made available without charge on January 2 to encourage trial of its new features.
A cornerstone of the Journal will be an increased focus on interpretation, insight and ideas -- more of what the news means, not just what happened. Other changes include new content features, innovative newspaper navigation, and better print-online alignment.
"The Wall Street Journal is the first newspaper rethought for the needs of today's readers, who seek news wherever, whenever and however they want it," said L. Gordon Crovitz, executive vice president of Dow Jones & Company and publisher of The Wall Street Journal. "We're launching a new kind of newspaper -- one that goes well beyond what happened the day before and focuses more on what the news means. And through changes in content, navigation, and print-online integration, we will make the Journal even more essential."
As a result of the redesign, the Journal's approach to gathering and editing news will change.
"We will continue to offer readers the news, insight and analysis they demand from the Journal, while pursuing more value-added coverage," said Paul E. Steiger, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. "In the past, about half of our news was exclusive in the sense of going beyond simply reporting yesterday's news. Our new goal is to move to 80% differentiated content, with just 20% dedicated to ensuring readers are aware of yesterday's key developments."
"We want our coverage to be exclusive, unique and powerful, providing readers with more information and insight with the greatest efficiency," Mr. Steiger added. "In this redesigned paper, readers will see innovations on nearly every page."
Key changes to The Wall Street Journal will include:
-- New Content Features: More "what-it-means" coverage -- the
Journal's hallmarks of context, analysis and insight -- and less
"what-happened-yesterday" news. New features will include the
forward-looking Today's Agenda, alerting readers to the meaning
of news they will see later in the day, and Informed Reader,
providing notable insights from sources beyond the Journal. An
expanded Letters to the Editor section will reflect the deep
engagement of the Journal community of readers. The popular
Personal Journal section will have twice as much cultural
coverage as at present. The redesign will also offer advertisers
new content adjacencies, innovative placement opportunities and
simplified advertising units.
-- Improved Navigational Aids: A 48-inch web width will make the
paper more convenient to hold and carry. New, easy-to-read
typography, improved labeling, and more prominent headline styles
will help readers get more information in less time. Innovative
summary boxes will provide story highlights at a glance, and
advanced infographics will enhance visual communication. A new
feature, In Brief, will provide news summaries for key coverage
areas inside the paper. Story lengths will be maintained, with
easier-to-find continuations.
-- Better Print and Online Alignment: The print Journal will now
publish tighter packages of yesterday's news with fuller, more
detailed stories available at WSJ.com. In the newspaper's Money
and Investing section, new value-added financial statistics will
graphically communicate market information each day. A selection
of financial statistics will be culled from the print Journal and
made available for free at WSJ.com's new, state-of-the-art Markets
Data Center, also launching on January 2, offering cutting-edge
tools, interactive data and extensive stock listings. The Online
Journal will soon introduce exclusive new offerings on personal
wealth as well as on work and family. These innovations will also
offer new opportunities for advertisers to reach the Journal
audience across both print and online.
"The Journal has always stood apart by providing more than just the news. Our redesign enables us fully to leverage this unique strength," said Crovitz. "What has not changed is the credibility and substance that our readers expect."
For additional press information about the changes in the Journal, please go to: www.dowjones.com/newjournal.htm.
About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, the flagship publication of Dow Jones & Company (NYSE:DJ) (www.dowjones.com), is the world's leading business publication. Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal has a print and online circulation of nearly 2.1 million, reaching the nation's top business and political leaders, as well as investors across the country. Holding 31 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, the Journal provides readers with trusted information and knowledge to make better decisions. The Wall Street Journal print franchise has more than 600 journalists world-wide, part of the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff. Other publications that are part of The Wall Street Journal franchise, with total circulation of 2.7 million, include The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. In 2006, the Journal was ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the seventh consecutive year.
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.pdf of Redesigned Wall Street Journal http://media.primezone.com/cache/6837/file/3486.pdf