Last Updated: December 29, 2000
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Pages across America
Dallas reclaims ‘dumping ground’
By Chris Kelley
Page two of the daily Metropolitan section of The Dallas Morning News
had evolved into a dumping ground for news and information seemingly print
to fit in left over news hole.
The daily “Metro Report” — a two-to four-column melange of news briefs,
calendar items, local achievements and bulletin board notices — was a daily
jumble for readers of a metro area with a population approaching five million.
The daily news briefs, for example, invariably would include a brief
on a fatal stabbing at a local bar followed by one about a blood drive
at the YMCA. The jarring juxtaposition was offensive to readers.
Senior Metro editors posed the question: If we canned ‘Metro Report’
altogether, redesigned its elements into a full page along with a few new
ones, what would it be?
Metro Diary launched in May 2000. Its mission: News you can personally
use in the next 24 hours if you live in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Tarrant,
Rockwall, Ellis and Kaufman counties, the News’ core territory.
Metro Diary strives to:
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Connect readers psychologically and emotionally to the one big city Dallas-Fort
Worth has become.
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Anticipate readers’ needs.
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Educate readers on issues relevant to their lives.
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Engender reader trust.
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Be highly enjoyable to read.
In the masthead, Metro Diary lists senior Metro editors, their phone numbers
and news bureau phone numbers for readers to call in news tips.
The page is anchored daily by “The Morning Dash,” which features at-a-glance-weather
(high temperature, low temperature and how to dress on your way out the
door), major traffic headaches to navigate on the road and Texas lottery
numbers.
Columnists occupy both sides of the page most days. Short profiles and
news roundups from around the region also run on side columns.
The centerpiece of Metro Diary is “Close-Up Today.” It is a short news
feature, typically eight to 10 column inches with a photograph and a graphic
box telling readers the information they need to know to act on what they’ve
just read.
Each centerpiece is anchored to a daily theme that is universally relevant
no matter where you live in the seven county-region. Monday, for example,
focuses on criminal justice issues and is called “Keeping Safe.” Friday
focuses on volunteerism and is called “Pitching In.” Sunday is devoted
to helping readers plan their upcoming commutes to work, “Commute Week.”
Reader reaction has been very favorable.
Research has shown that the role of the newspaper in a wired society
has never been more important.
A reader-friendly newspaper focused on relevant news can become the
indispensable glue that creates a sense of community in a time of overwhelming
change.
Kelley, former deputy metropolitan editor/city editor of The
Dallas Morning News, now directs the newspaper’s digital strategy efforts
for the newsroom.
