Published: September 01, 2000
Last Updated: October 18, 2000
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50-inch web

10 tips for senior editors facing the change to a 50-inch web

The conversion to a 50-inch web is an intricate process, but a chance to build teamwork and trust. Says Dan Suwyn, managing editor of the Savannah Morning News, “Cutting your page width and changing your front end system are all work flow issues. And while the workflow starts in the newsroom, it doesn’t end until it’s on the press. This is a great opportunity for the different departments to learn more about each others’ challenges and pressures and to make the overall process more logical.”

It’s also a chance to turn a potential downside into a gain for the newsroom. “It (the conversion) provided a perfect opportunity to look at how we did things in the newspaper and to question whether it could be done better,” says Karin Winner, editor of the Union Tribune in San Diego, who made the conversion in early June.

Here are 10 tips for senior editors embarking on this challenge:

• Involve the whole newsroom. This will give you a better chance of making sure you haven’t neglected anything. Change will also be long-lasting. One editor says, “People support what they create.”
• Set goals, identify elements to be redesigned, changed or deleted. Ensure there is a process for smooth conversion to the 50-inch web; formats are re-coded, headline counts are adjusted, advance sections are phased in, etc.
• Put somebody in charge of the process, and take them off of their other duties as much as possible. “It’s easy to underestimate the amount of coordination and formatting necessary,” says Brian Stallcop, executive editor at the Sun in Bremerton, Wash.
• Advocate and develop value-added material to offset the loss of content. Consider new coverage, a new section, a new beat.
• Show respect for typography and photography by resisting efforts to shrink pages anamorphically, even for a temporary period.
• Reassure staff that the quality of writing, editing and design will not be compromised by the change; that is, be an advocate for the integrity of the news report.
• Sweat the details. Don’t forget to consider the ramifications on your comics, TV book and crossword puzzles, among other features.
• Be the voice of the reader. What’s at stake for him/her?
• Communicate fully with readers about the reasons behind and the scope of the changes.
• Think strategically as well as operationally. In Rochester, N.Y., editor Tom Callinan and staff have created presentation designs that exploit alliances with the Internet and other New Media.