Keep talking; we’re listening
Shawn McIntosh, Public editor
[Thanks for all the feedback. Commenting on this post is now closed. See what others said by scrolling to the end of the post.]
Just a quick note to update you. We are listening, both here and in other forums, to your suggestions and criticisms. And we’re responding. We’ve already made some adjustments and more will be coming.
The type on today’s front page is aired out a bit and we think it improves the readability. Take a look and let us know if you agree.
I’m not a color expert but even I can see we’re having some inking problems on the new recycled paper. We’re working on that. The color pictures are crisper today, but the black and white photos still look muddy. So look for improvements to come.
Vent fans, we hope you noticed we improved the spacing, restored bold lede-ins and added weight to the type. Weather junkies, we’ve heard you and will be making some adjustments to the weather page.
Your comments, e-mails and calls are helpful so thanks for taking the time to give us input.
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38 comments Add your comment
Brian Shively
April 30th, 2009
12:11 pm
As a graphic designer, I can appreciate all the hard work that has gone into re-designing the AJC. My two cents: when a story jumps to a new page, the header looks the same as if for a new article. Before, it was easier to tell at a glance what stories on the page were new, or if they were continuing from somewhere else. Now all the headlines look similar. Maybe a lighter/thinner font for jump articles?
former subscriber
April 30th, 2009
12:45 pm
You can tinker with the graphics and colors all you want. Perhaps you should have hired an interior decorator instead of some PR firm, before making purely cosmetic changes. When I see the names of Cynthia Tucker and Jay Bookman off the AJC payroll, I will consider resubscribing. It is the news content and the way it is presented that sells copy. I am degreed as are most of my friends and colleagues. The primary complaint I hear about the AJC is the blatant left-leaning, race-based political slant injected into nearly every story. Its more than perception. In case you have not noticed, Georgia is a “red state”. From a marketing standpoint, perhaps you should start considering the political and social perspectives of others. I’ve resided in metro Atlanta since 1987. I’d like to know what is going on in the rest of my state, as well as the suburban communities. This news source fails me. It seems to be focused on the inner perimeter. I’ve often wandered what percentage of your subscribers reside within the boundaries of I-285. If that is your target market, that is fine. Your own obituary will be forthcoming as a result.
conservative reader
April 30th, 2009
1:24 pm
your decision today to run a Thomas Sowell column is a great start.. I know you’ve run his columns in the past, but not frequently enough. Most conservatives I know ascribe more to his views than to the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity, etc.
whaler888
April 30th, 2009
2:30 pm
The anger that some people rant about toward editorial comment never ceases to amaze. I do not understand how someone that preaches American values such as free speech only wants to read exactly their own views and not even permit the other side. Anyway that is really for another day.
What is on most people minds is the design, font, spacing etc. I can not believe anyone thinks the design has comfortable “readibility” I find the content still there but what good does it do if I have to struggle to see the words on the page. What good does content do if the colors are so muted that they appear unfinished and “cheap”. What good does content do if I have a headache from the effort associated with the font and density. What good does content do when I couldn’t see the editorial carton without a magnifying glass. What good does content do when the major league standings were so small that it was too much effort to actually read. What good does highlighting excerpts from articles in color when it barely shows on the page.
The paper needs to present information physically clear and bold enough to be comfortable. Get less dense, get more ink on the page becasue only then will we be able to be comfortable enough to judge the effort you are making with content.
Rodney Lynch
April 30th, 2009
2:46 pm
Never mind all of the negative flack. As a journalism grad, I know quality when I see it in print. Sure, there may be a tweek here and there at first, but the overall result is awesome. The font, and definitely the color puts new life into the paper. This is something it needs. There is a loss in readership, and in this economy, eye-catching tactics are needed. The AJC is being left behind in comparison with some of the nation’s papers. With all of the ‘interesting’ comments about USA Today, people must remember how effective USA Today has been, and still is. The old style was dull, and lost people. There was never a reason to pick up the paper unless there was a national crisis we wanted to read about. It was boring. I’m conservative in some ways, but too much of a hold on something, actually causes you to lose it. I’ll keep on reading as long as you move along with the times. Time to put away the horse and buggy. There is a new era in Journalism.
News Junkie
April 30th, 2009
3:02 pm
Nobody cares about pretty colors ! Take off the rose-colored glasses ! Put the celebrity culture nonsense in the lifestyle section, not the front page ! As for editorial content, show some balance ! A token conservative columnist is not going to sell newspapers.
Alex Bender
April 30th, 2009
3:40 pm
OK, readability seems a little better today, I hope it’s not just me caving, BUT, You ask for suggestions here are more of mine:
• Take the sports off of the front page
• Go back to B&W comics
• Lose the color splashes
• Don’t try to be the USA Today
• Justify the text
• Reduce the number of columns by one across the page to ease the eye jump and smooth readably. I feel all scrunched up when I read it the way it is now. Loosen it up somehow.
• Lose Glen Burns, too much space devoted to weather
• List S&P 500 daily (+-) beside Dow Ind and NASDAQ
• Don’t try to portray you are going to be fair and balanced when you are so definitely a liberal/progressive organ, leave fair and balanced to FOX, you can’t pull it off
• Drop the pro and con liberal/conservative pieces, just stick to your bias and let us filter out the real news from the wire news you print
• Keep in mind that there are folks that live outside 285 that, mediocre or bad, do depend on the AJC as their daily morning read
Morton Levine
April 30th, 2009
3:51 pm
PLEASE, PLEASE change the font or what it takes so that I can once again read the AJC. I travel a great deal and have read newspapers from most major cities in the U.S. and I have always said the AJC was the best, particularly the sports section. I am unable to read the paper today. You either made the print smaller or did something that now makes the paper so dificuly to read, it’s just not worth the effort.Please do something. You are leaving me, I am not leaving you. But unless something is done, I am finished reading my favorite newspaper. Don’t do that to me. Thanks for listening
Zach Nilsen
April 30th, 2009
4:27 pm
1. Why publish a photo of some bloke on the weather page? I bet he only reads the teleprompter… Maybe he is a boyfriend of someone in power at the AJC? Who cares?
2. Those empty clouds – all weather today looks identical for the whole week.
3. New picture of Jay Bookman with hairstyle a la John Edwards? Is this also something that the consultants advised?
The bottom line – get back the money you spent on the consultants – sue them and get it back. They and this Julia Wallace – their mouthpiece in the blog will cause that subscriptions will drop faster than in 2008.
Katherine
April 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
The sudoku needs a little more space around it, especially on the right hand side. As the week progresses and the sudoku gets harder, I need that space to mark in. The new reduced-size paper makes this much more difficult than last weeks version.
Please, please, please do NOT break a word between pages. It may take a fraction more space, but it is so hard to follow the stories when I have to flip back and forth to see what the beginning of the word was.
My family’s personal opinion – ditch the color on the daily comics – they are easier to read in black and white. Even my kids like the black and white better.
Tim
April 30th, 2009
5:14 pm
I sent this e-mail on Tuesday:
“I picked up the paper this morning, and I thought this must be some kind of cruel joke. How could the paper be narrowed AGAIN? My community newspaper is wider than this. The width of the newspaper was decreased a short time ago. Now you’ve decreased it even more?!! This is simply unacceptable. Atlanta is an international city that hosted the Olympics, and has the world’s busiest airport. And yet, our daily newspaper looks like something out of a small town in Mississippi. Every national and world article is from the Associated Press, and there is no “State News” section. How can a capital city newspaper not inform us about the news that is happening around the state? We don’t have a clue what is going on around Georgia. An international city’s newspaper should give more than just local news.
This new font style makes the words look like they are too close together. Why make a change if it’s not for the better? With all the major corporations headquartered in this city, we don’t even have a Business section anymore. I just don’t understand the rationale for these types of changes. By making the paper smaller, thinner, narrower and letting go dozens of quality reporters, do you think this will make more people subscribe to the paper? I’m not buying the media excuse that more people are reading the news on the internet. When people click on ajc.com, they’ re probably reading the blogs and Sports section. How many of those people are reading real news? How can you raise the price of the AJC and then gut it like this?”
Now, I’m sitting hear looking at these posts from these knuckledragging right-wingers. AJC, if you keep taking advice from conservative readers, you will destroy this paper. They don’t care about the paper, they just want their misguided beliefs reinforced. A few may care, but the majority of them want to sabotage the AJC. Look at how they constantly whine about Cynthia Tucker and Jay Bookman. I mean, it’s the Opinion Page for Christsakes. Do you hear progressives complaining about Bob Barr? Or Jim Wooten? We simply ignore Wooten, we know he’s a professional propagandist. I don’t care about them being on the editorial page, I expect to see different viewpoints on an OPINION PAGE.
The AJC needs to go back to the previous design, increase the content, and increase the width of the paper. Certainly, you don’t think people will continue subscribing to a paper this narrow and thin. I realize these are tough times for the industry, but you have to do better than this.
carylon brown
April 30th, 2009
7:37 pm
I have been a subscriber for a long time and I am quite disappointed in the paper now. The print compared to an earlier edition is too close which makes it very difficult to read. I am a senior and I will not strain my eyes trying to read the crowded print, squeezed columns, and small print in areas. I will not renew my subscription and will read the paper on line instead. You cut and cut the quality. You should have sent a magnifying glass with each subscription. Reading the paper was a morning ritual with my cup of coffee. No more straining my eyes.
Scott
April 30th, 2009
8:07 pm
Bert,
Coming from a 10+ daily loyal reader, forget about all of the complaints relating to content of the newspaper — these folks should have been complaining prior to Tuesday’s change in format — as far as I can tell the content found within the AJC was the same on Monday as it was Tues – Thurs.
Seems as if a majority of the readers concerns relate to the size of paper, font spacing, and poor (yellow and thin) paper quality.
AJC could consider the following:
1. Replacing the 100% recycled paper with a partial recycled whiter higher quality paper that will offer greater contrast and enhanced picture resolution — not 100% green yet still using soy ink and partial recycled paper.
2. If your research group is completely sold on the font — keep the current font — just improve spacing between letters.
3. Enlarge the size of the paper — Enhances the feasibility of spacing the font without disrupting the overall format which the focus groups states works well.
This way everyone wins — every morning the reader receives a readable newspaper with vivid contrast — AJC is able to continue selling the new edgy format, still keep the claim of using soy ink, continue using the current colors, and with the increase space can address a majority of minor cosmetic changes loyal readers have been sharing in the blogs the past few days (i.e weather, Baseball Standings, Stocks prices, etc).
I understanding there would be an added cost per reader to make the above changes yet believe the increase would be made up in renewals of your traditional readers ( 40 + plus ) and the potential new younger clients that the AJC is attempting to capture that currently absorb their news through the internet.
Subscriber
April 30th, 2009
8:08 pm
With the new design you threw out any heritage your brand enjoyed and replaced it with a very generic look. My wife’s reaction was the AJC now looks like a free weekly.
Jack
April 30th, 2009
8:19 pm
As we know, it is very difficult to edit every inch of the newspaper. You do an excellent job of editing. Naturally, the more editors you have the fewer mistakes that occur. So, I am offering a little editing info. On the Weather page, you have Key West listed under both the SOUTHEAST and the U.S.. In previous editions Kansas City was listed under the U.S..
Media Man
April 30th, 2009
8:54 pm
Liberal rags are going the way of liberal talk shows. Get right, or get left !
Inquiring Mind
April 30th, 2009
8:55 pm
Shawn,
Gotta boyfriend?
Mary Myers
April 30th, 2009
9:13 pm
As longtime subscribers to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, we have reacted without comment to the cutbacks of recent months, though it was hard to accept them. But what you have offered up this week as the “New AJC” is “the most unkindest cut of all.” The redesign is the most uninviting thing I have ever seen in print. It’s scary to think that you invested millions in this change and that you call the result ” a sophisticated look.” The print is so small, crowded, and difficult to read that I just gave up trying. If, as you say, you are trying to increase the satisfaction of your regular readers, this is not the way.
Vic Bond
April 30th, 2009
9:59 pm
No longer an easy read, everything cramped. If this is progress,and the future, I’ll take the past.
Cindy Oldham
April 30th, 2009
10:19 pm
My first impression on seeing the “new, improved” newspaper style was “this looks like one of those cheap freebie publications you pick up from paper boxes outside of businesses.” The font in places such as the vent is very difficult to read. I have excellent vision (just got new glasses) so there’s nothing wrong with my eyesight! I usually like to see changes but feel that the recent round of changes have cheapened the quality of the newspaper, not improved it.
deleted
April 30th, 2009
11:23 pm
It’s intersting how the AJC/conversation gets updated by deleting posts the previous night that are critical of your editorial policies. I have kept co[pies and you are not fooling anyone. You say you are listening but in fact you delete the voices you don’t want to hear. You want to discuss fonts, ink, etc. and many of your readers want to discuss your views of offensive editorial content by Luckovich, Bookman and Tucker.
Glenn Phillips
May 1st, 2009
4:08 am
The type on today’s front page is aired out a bit and we think it improves the readability. Take a look and let us know if you agree.
——————————————————–
I wish I could say it solved the problem, but it doesn’t. There’s just not enough space between the words and everything runs together — I find myself skipping over articles that I want to read because of it. You’re encouraging an internet sort of reading experience where the reader is prone to skim headlines and skip the articles, and, ultimately, that’s just going to lead to readers canceling their subscriptions and skimming their headlines on the internet.
Simply put, here’s my advice for keeping the paper in business:
1. Go back to the old font or one that’s just as easy to read.
2. Ignore the completely out of place comments concerning editorial content (you didn’t redesign the editorial content). Anyone whose going to quit buying the paper for that reason already has, and they’re not coming back. They’re bitching for the same reason they always do: They get off on it — road rage is all the rage.
Lowell
May 1st, 2009
7:30 am
Thanks for bolding the county names in the Obituaries and also the first few words of each Vent.
I still have a little trouble locating a particular county in the the Obituaries. I think it’s because the spacing between the county name and the first listing in that county is too small. Or, since you’re listing the county on its own line, maybe a bit larger font would help?
I don’t yet find the color coding of each section name (Metro,Sports, etc.) particularly helpful. I don’t look for a colored background to identify the section name (Ex:green for Sports)- I still read the section name. Maybe I’ll eventually remember the color associated with each section, but since I read the paper section by section, the color coding isn’t particularly helpful to me.
Overall, I’m getting used to the new format and I’m having less difficulty in finding articles that interest me and in finding where they continue on another page.
Shawn
May 1st, 2009
9:18 am
To “Deleted” who said we delete comments overnight, that’s simply not true. If you made a posting and can’t find it later, email me directly at insideajc@ajc.com and I will check and see if perhaps you posted to another blog or something.
mike denis
May 1st, 2009
10:18 am
The changes to the AJC are pretty much a plus, with the exception of the print. I can not read the new print that you have choosen to use, nor most of the people that I mention it too. The print is one big blur. As a subscriber and reader of the AJC for many many years, I have enjoyed reading the AJC, but if there are not a change to the print so it is readable I will have no other choic than to cancel my subscription. I hope you can make the change so that I can read the print so I can continue to purchase the AJC
Thanks
Mike
steve lanier
May 1st, 2009
10:42 am
Years ago Mike King wrote a defensive article in which he said “don’t compare us to ‘USA Today’ and ‘The Wall Street Journal’, we are a local paper”. Yes, you are a local paper. Other than a crime story, when was the last time the paper had a story about the goings-on in Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah?
Let’s just cut to the bottom line. We don’t like the resign. You guys have bet your professional resumes on the resign and you’re not going to admit your wrong. For the money spent, you could have retained any number of reporters who could travel to the hinderlands and write stories. Thursday’s ‘NYT’ had an article about Rodney Cook’s arch.
Thursday’s ‘WPO’ had an article about the Supreme Court upholding the conviction of the bank robber in Rome (GA), whose gun accidentially dischared during the attempted hold-up.
In closing, back to Mike King. What paper do you want us to compare to the new ‘AJC’. Please tell us, then we will know the quality standard you are aiming to achieve.
Deborah Cross
May 1st, 2009
10:48 am
The AJC now looks like USA Today! Everything is jumbled. When reading an article it is difficult to find the remaining article on the next page. I have to really search for what I am looking for. I read most of the paper every morning, now it takes longer because there seems to be no consistency whatsoever. The page carrying the remainder of articles I’ve started should be much easier to find, and in some sort of order.
I also don’t care for the new font, the colors, or the headers! I subscribe daily, and have for years. I hope with all the complaints you will be making future changes!
Brian
May 1st, 2009
11:49 am
I appreciate the need for reducing the size, but the pages are too visually crowded. The sans-serif type in the shaded boxes is very hard to read. The arrow-shaped horizontal rules are unnecessary; you’ve already got the shaded box rules and/or the thinner (and preferable) single-line rules. Readers need white space between elements to differentiate them. The pastel colors, and especially the puffy front-page banner font, detract from the dignity of what should be a serious newspaper. I think you took informality a bit too far.
rondell
May 1st, 2009
11:58 am
Friday’s AJC had sections B & C inserted AFTER D & E. So much for Tuesday’s claim that the “order of sections will be consistent.”
Doug
May 1st, 2009
4:38 pm
I’ve been thinking about your redesign since Tuesday and I’ve finally found the right word: rinky-dink.
Kevin
May 1st, 2009
4:43 pm
yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Reality
May 1st, 2009
8:03 pm
Yeah, its been the design and colors that has been scaring away readers all these years !
Glenn Phillips
May 2nd, 2009
12:05 am
After all of the legitimate complaints about how dense the type is, you’ve responded by reducing your paragraph indents to one word. Whoever is in charge of making these decisions about the font is either blind or has super vision. In any case, the rest of us are left with a great paper that is now impossible to read.
Glenn Phillips
May 2nd, 2009
12:07 am
Correction on my last post: you’ve responded by reducing your paragraph indents to one “letter.”
sports fan
May 2nd, 2009
8:59 am
i don’t feel that wednesday nite sports should be reported on the friday edition. the area of delivery has shrunk to a size now that at least you can go to press later, and still get the paper delivered in time the next am and report at least the local sporting events.
dizzied by the new format
May 3rd, 2009
12:58 pm
I am from the norhteast, consider the NYT the standard in most respects (though I don’t always like its politics), can deal with some color and pizzaz, but have considered ending my subscribption based on the new lay out. It makes me dizzy, and it’s hard for me to see where the news is. The single biggest issue is the highly distracting grey verticle bar down the middle of each first page. It completely disrupts any logic to the page. I noticed the Sunday version is without this grey bar, and I am fine with its look. Please get rid of that grey bar in the daily as well. Honestly, it gives me a headache when combined with all the new color blocs. Uch.
Betty Delk
May 3rd, 2009
3:46 pm
I could care less about comics in color, but I do care that some features such as the vent and the obituaries are so small and dim that one can hardly read them. It seems you have “cut enough corners” without reducing the amount of ink. Also, the Sunday Homefinder is just a joke anymore. In today’s issue there wasn’t even an article written about the property. And what happened to the Home Search and Vacation Homes features? We have been loyal customers for many, many years but are seriously considering not renewing when this subscription expires.
Stephanie Haggerty
May 3rd, 2009
4:11 pm
We all appreciate your Herculean task in revamping our paper. We want the AJC alive and well, but we also need to be able to read it. It is not easy in its current form, and I often can’t find what I want or where I’m going. Especially in need of fixing is the “continued on A10″ at the bottom of such articles. It is almost impossible to read. Please make the type bolder. You have skipped a line between the article so it is already set off. But I thank you for your efforts. I’m sure we will get used to the new format with practice.