Daily Inter Lake introduces new format today
The Daily Inter Lake today introduces a new format for the print edition of the newspaper that will be easier to read, environmentally friendly and full of just as much local news and sports as ever.
The Inter Lake has been published for nearly 120 years, and since that time has gone through a number of format changes. In particular, the paper has become narrower to reflect a changing lifestyle. For much of the early part of the paper's history the newspaper was 15 inches wide. By the 1990s, that had been reduced to 12 1/2 inches, and a few years ago we followed the industry trend and cut back to 12 inches.
Today, we introduce the new 11-inch-wide Inter Lake, a much more comfortable size for the active lifestyles of today's readers, and indeed the new industry standard for daily newspapers in Montana and across the United States. Part of the incentive for the change has been economic, as the price of newsprint - the paper on which newspapers are printed - has increased by as much as 40 percent over the past 12 to 18 months.
It's the same Inter Lake as before, with all the stories you've grown to expect about local people, schools, businesses and sports, plus full coverage of the world and nation every day. Indeed, some of the reduction in size is actually coming from the reduction of white space around the edges of pages so readability will not be dramatically affected and there will still be room for all the news.
One of the big improvements for readers is that classified advertising now will be printed in a six-column format instead of the traditional nine columns. That will mean classified advertising and legal notices will be much easier to read.
As noted, the narrower newspaper will also be good for the environment. Although the Inter Lake uses recycled paper on a regular basis in its publications, we are also aware that using less paper overall is smart for the environment.
Meanwhile, our Web edition at dailyinterlake.com continues to evolve on a regular basis. If you haven't visited the Web site in the past few months, we encourage you to stop in for a visit.
Our goal remains what it always has been - to provide a portrait of our community that keeps readers informed, entertained and coming back for more. Fresh news - served daily.
Managing Editor Frank Miele may be reached at 758-4447 or by e-mail at edit@dailyinterlake.com