Chicagoist: New Trib Layout: Your Thoughts?

pucca

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:10:03 -0600

Seriously, anyone who doesn't know what "tempo" means should probably have been reading the Sun-Times to begin with. The revisions generally seem to make the paper as dumbed down as possible, which is really disappointing - I've always been proud of having a local paper that could win a Pulitzer once in a while, even if I thought the writing often lacked nuance and depth. I firmly believe that one of the reasons people aren't "strong readers" is because they aren't exposed to strong writing that will force them to think in sentences more complex than "Bad man take money." We live in a complicated world, and sometimes the explanations for what's going on are equally complicated. The combined National-World-Metro-Business section is now less than half what any 2 of those sections were before. I do applaud the new emphasis on consumers in the business section; anyone who wants serious business news already reads the Journal or the Financial Times, and there aren;t as many sources for consumer-focused financial information. I don't mind the addition of more graphics, because I know information is often more accessible when the visualization is strong. However, I hate that they seem to be replacing entire stories with graphics - witness today's box on similarities between the ways dinosaurs and birds breathe. And yeah, they got rid of one of the smartest comic strips I've ever read and still kept Cathy & Broom Hilda.

artdude75

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:22:13 -0600

OH BOY! BIG PHOTOS!

toddlintown

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:00:33 -0600

Have they devoted 3/4 of their "new" paper to Obama?

MK

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:50:31 -0600

"Couldn't believe what a piece of crap I was looking at and immediately canceled my subscription. If I want lightweight junk, I get plenty of that on the web." Do you have any specific examples? The only thing that really seemed to change was the design. The Tribune has had mostly lightweight articles with a lack of depth for quite awhile. It is nothing new.

Scooter Libbby

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:47:27 -0600

They dropped the comic strip Non Sequitur. That's criminal!

richrf

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:44:59 -0600

I scanned through the paper quickly. Couldn't believe what a piece of crap I was looking at and immediately canceled my subscription. If I want lightweight junk, I get plenty of that on the web. Now there is no where to turn for credible local news. What a shame. Well, back to the N.Y. Times.

magikist

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:00:55 -0600

I'm having a difficult time telling editorial apart from ads (which seem much larger). Not as bad as I had feared, but not a positive change, either. And they dropped Non Sequitur from the comics!! NO!!!

JimMcKay

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:00:32 -0600

Overall, it's much better than I expected. I have to say the new design suggests they should have also gone to a tabloid format. I have been disappointed that there are more graphics and white space on Voice of the People page when I wish they would use that space to publish more letters. It does feel like an entirely different paper, perhaps the most radical change since they merged in their evening tabloid, Chicago Today, in September 1974. Remember when it was "The 24 hour a day Chicago Tribune"?

Albanyparkour

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:45:32 -0600

I think "Live!" must be screamed, as loudly as possible. Pronounciation can vary, volume is critical.

Stealth

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:30:33 -0600

"That being said, is the new Tempo section pronounced "Live!" with a short 'i' as in 'Live and Let Die,' or is it Live! with a long 'i' as in 'Happy Days is filmed before a live studio audience'?" Your choice of examples is pretty funny...

El Thirdrail

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:27:14 -0600

I fondly remember the tempo section, too... and I guess I always took it to mean that it was sort of the "pulse" or the "beat" of what was going on. It could have been much worse.

welsey

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:26:57 -0600

It kind of reminds me of the UK's Guardian, which I like a lot. If this means the tribune will have a more liberal slant and, more importantly, start giving away free posters every issue - I'm for it! I honestly was not as horrified as I thought I'd be, the top-of-the-fold headline story on neckbeards a few weeks ago was really the height of my disgust and perhaps my expectations have been forever lowered. But from a design standpoint - I like it.

ophmarketing

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:25:53 -0600

As a Tribune reader since the 70s (Gary Deeb anyone?), I always assumed "Tempo" was a reference to the pace of life. You know, keep the Tempo, keep moving, lifestyle things, etc. I never really gave it too much thought beyond that. That being said, is the new Tempo section pronounced "Live!" with a short 'i' as in 'Live and Let Die,' or is it Live! with a long 'i' as in 'Happy Days is filmed before a live studio audience'?

mss2400

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:18:15 -0600

I think it looks silly and small market. That being said, I'd bet that in a week or two, we won't even remember what the old paper looked like. Also, "Tempo" has been the name of the features section of the Tribune dating back to at least the mid-1970s....losing the name is like losing an old friend. Oh well.

Stealth

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:08:27 -0600

"And "tempo" wasn't goofy? I never even had any idea what it meant. Is it even a word?" You're kidding, right?

MK

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:01:02 -0600

By the way, I'm also curious why you think the name "legacies" is goofy. The entire point of the obitiary section has always been to show the life legacies of those that have recently passed away. It seems like a perfectly logical name to me.

MK

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:56:17 -0600

"A goofy new name for the Tempo and Obituary sections" And "tempo" wasn't goofy? I never even had any idea what it meant. Is it even a word? What did that word have to do with any of the content in the section?

Albanyparkour

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:55:39 -0600

Our research tells us that readers want more local news, personally relevant and useful content, consumer information, watchdog coverage, more graphics, better navigation, and lots of charts, statistics and lists. Again and again, it's the local content, the unique POV that only a CHICAGO paper can have about CHICAGO that's going to make or break them Charts and lists and graphic elements are fine, as long as they're backed-up by strong content. Not everyone reading the paper is a U of C grad or interested in a 5000 word story on rezoning. Strong graphical content can make the paper more accessible to weaker readers.