For those who don't know, newshole is the amount of space alloted for everything that's not advertising: stories, photographs and other editorial stuff.
The guidelines require that the phrase, "A Gannett Company," must now be printed near the name of the newspaper, known in the industry as the "flag." The examples given (see above and below) show that most if not all papers should be able to include the phrase within existing space. In some cases, it may replace text that now provides, for example, the paper's website address.
Why is this important? If "A Gannett Company" required an additional line of space across a standard five-column-wide page, that would reduce by a combined five lines the space available for stories and other editorial matter. Multiply that by 365 days, and it really adds up -- especially during a time of shrinking newsholes.
No doubt, there will be exceptions. And in the case of USA Today, it appears the mandated Gannett Company text will for the first time in years cost the company one of its signature Page One claims: "No. 1 in the USA."
Related: dozens of Gannett front pages in the Newseum's database
"A Gannett Newspaper'' I had no real problem with. "A Gannett Company'' makes my skin crawl. My W2s say I work for some outfit called "Gannett Satellite something or other, so obviously, the place I work is not a company that goes by the name of the paper. Just another fraud.
ReplyDeleteI see at least one paper (Des Moines) has jumped the gun on the Monday launch of the new branding.
ReplyDelete