Hurricane Sandy winds blew off the "A" in the USA Today sign atop the newspaper's tower at Corporate's campus in McLean, Va., today as the storm began raking the East Coast, according to published reports.
The damage was one of the most visible to a Gannett property on the Eastern Seaboard, where thousands of employees are now in harm's way at 18 newspaper sites, plus five TV stations and assorted other properties.
In the print paper, meanwhile, all the A's -- plus the other 25 alphabet letters and more -- are looking different today after the paper tweaked its typeface after reader complaints about how the daily got redesigned last month. The face has been darkened and made bigger, Editor-in-Chief David Callaway told readers in a front-page note this morning.
Here's a pre-Sandy view of the USA Today tower, with an arrow pointing to the sign:
Earlier: In USAT's logo change, the spending may have just begun.
The damage was one of the most visible to a Gannett property on the Eastern Seaboard, where thousands of employees are now in harm's way at 18 newspaper sites, plus five TV stations and assorted other properties.
In the print paper, meanwhile, all the A's -- plus the other 25 alphabet letters and more -- are looking different today after the paper tweaked its typeface after reader complaints about how the daily got redesigned last month. The face has been darkened and made bigger, Editor-in-Chief David Callaway told readers in a front-page note this morning.
Here's a pre-Sandy view of the USA Today tower, with an arrow pointing to the sign:
Earlier: In USAT's logo change, the spending may have just begun.
This is actually excellent news. Now we can replace the "A" with our Big Blue Ball. Now that's some branding for ya.
ReplyDeleteF---ing A!
ReplyDeleteHope all employees are safe.
And that will now give them adequate cover to spend the money to replace both signs with updated versions reflecting the new logos
ReplyDeleteI was at dinner at a friend's house last night. He asked me what was up with the new logo, it looks ridiculous. And so I showed him the "Blue Balls" memo. You should have seen his face then. It was priceless.
ReplyDeleteIn order to pay for a replacement A, corporate will require a new round of furloughs starting in November.
ReplyDeleteLooks like another A-hole position to fill at the top at USAToday....
ReplyDeleteWHAT B*LLS!!
ReplyDeleteIf only the Purpose Wall would blow over.
ReplyDelete"...after reader complaints about how the daily got redesigned last month" Sorry, but I'm not going to just leave that comment out there. The design was run by countless numbers of readers, and was overwhelmingly supported. Were there complaints? Of course, but the vast majority of responses were positive. People like the new design. It's a GREAT design. And no, I had nothing to do with it.
ReplyDelete1:40 Callaway said readers complained, and that's what I reported.
ReplyDeleteNow, if I had really wanted to beat up the paper, I would have repeated what Poynter Online noted yesterday: Callaway's Page One letter to readers contained a typo.
I think 1:40 misread/misunderstood the post. The complaints were about the old design, not the new one. Take a deep breath my friend.
ReplyDeleteThe USA Today redesign is bad, period. Not going to rehash the countless reasons why.
ReplyDeleteI don't care how many people worked on it, or how many focus groups were conducted. Like with "new Coke," USAT needs to admit this was a disaster of a redesign, lick their wounds, and try to hire some people who not only know what the hell they are doing, but will have the guts to stand up and say something when things are spiraling out of control. For too long USAT has punished people who raise red flags. This is how you end of with a blue ball logo and a newsroom with so many holes and weak links that it's amazing the paper ever gets out, let alone attracts any subscribers.
Most stories are still dull. And do not make for more sales. No profits. No jobs. Not good.
ReplyDelete2:07 No; the reader complaints Callaway referenced in hus nite were, in fact, about the NEW design.
ReplyDeleteThe A was .... let go.
ReplyDelete