A new section in the paper, and other changes

You will notice some changes in Tuesday's newspaper.

Most notably, there’s a new section -- LATExtra. This includes local and California stories in addition to late-breaking entertainment, business, national and foreign news. LATExtra will run Monday through Saturday; Sunday will continue to have a California section.

“The changes to the paper give us the opportunity to expand and further showcase the terrific enterprise reporting of this newsroom, as well as produce the first new news section in many, many years,” Editor Russ Stanton told the staff. ...

Most national and foreign news can be found in Section A, like usual. You’ll also find the columnists in their regular spot on Page A2, and For the Record on Page A4. The lottery results, which used to run on A4, have moved to LATExtra.

Also, the paper itself is an inch narrower. Instead of being 12 inches wide, it now is 11. However, the type size in stories and photo captions remains the same.

In a subtle change on the front page, the date has been moved from the upper left corner above the “Los Angeles Times” nameplate to centered below it. The position in the upper left sometimes had been covered up by news boxes or wrap-around ads.

Other regular features, such as the comics and the TV grid, contain all of the same information, but the pages have been reconfigured to accommodate the narrower page.

The weather page moves to the back of LATExtra, with some improvements. The local map is larger, and several cities that had been cut out have been restored: Mt. Wilson, Oceanside, Oxnard, Rialto, Santa Paula, Santa Rosa and Westlake Village.

Other changes during the week include a new day for the Food section, which will appear Thursday instead of Wednesday; and combining the Monday Business section into Section A.

For more information about the changes, go to latimes.com/24hour. Also see Publisher Eddy Hartenstein’s memo to the staff.

If you have questions or want to weigh in on the changes, call 1-800-88-TIMES or go to latimes.com/contact.

-- Deirdre Edgar

Twitter: @LATreadersrep

Comments

[AH]

I was pretty unhappy and wrote an angry comment and letter when the California section was folded into the front page. Alas, the writing is on the wall this time and I don't even have the energy. How embarrassing, that's all I can say. I guess inertia will keep me subscribed until the NYT starts charging me for content, at which point I'd have to be a moron to continue subsidizing the LAT when a real paper wants my money. I might as well get my local metro news from Kevin Roderick, my local business news from Mark Lacter and spend my money on a paper that actually cares.

And no offense to the people still at the paper, I know many care. It's just a sinking ship.

[BG]

When will the printers start to take some pride in their product? Every day, I have to pull wrinkles out of the paper in order to read a story. I get ink smudges and glue-copies. Color is often out of register. However, I also get the Sunday New York Times, which is perfectly printed. Why can't the LA Times presses produce a decent-looking, readable paper? I once worked in journalism, and knew about web adjustments, ink saturation, registration...all things that the Times has long forgotten.

[Anadel Baughn-Barbour]

I am glad to have what is, essentially, the "View" or "California" section back with its new name LATEXTRA. Please put Steve Lopez and Sandy Banks back there so we do not miss another article from them! But, once again you have moved the crossword puzzle to a position that is impossible to maneuver in a simple way to see the puzzle and the clues all at the same time! Editors, please try to do the puzzle on your lap as it is now! Uncomfortable, right? I do not want to sit at a desk or drafting table just to do my puzzle!!!! (Hint: if you put it back on the bottom left corner with the clues above it, it will be ideal, just as it used to be in the "View/California" section!!!!)

[David]

Nothing the LA Times does to cut content surprises me any longer; however, I'm extremely disappointed in how this latest cut is being spun. We read about the number of columns and the font size not changing yet the width of the editorial has now decreased by 1". This is essentially an 8+% cut in editorial. Of course, I'm still paying the same for the paper.

And have you noticed the margins of the new paper? Who wants to wager the price of a subscription that within a year the paper size will shrink again?

The death spiral continues. There must be some rich savior out there who views the LA Times first and foremost as a community asset and not a P&L.

[jeffrey Prescott]

First off....why is there an ad to subscribe to The NEW YORK Times under this article?
Just to set the record straight, this move is essentially a return of the "Metro" section.
Oh yes, and Rialto weather is back, insuring that at least 3-people from that area will not cancel the paper.
Maybe The Times should come clean and tell us whether this was all done so The Wall St. Journal could get a later start on the Times' presses. And yes, "streamlining production" really meant that close to 40 Orange County press operators have lost their jobs.
As a Dodgers fan, we all know if the game doesn't end by 11pm, it misses the first edition. Those lucky enough to get a later edition usually don't miss anything, unless a game goes way past midnight. Will LATEXTRA be a remedy for that?
Narrowing the paper does save The Times money, and a reader cannot argue with that business decision.
Once again, I say this may all be moot, when The Times and other papers stop the almost impossible process of producing this form of journalism on paper.....and we easily download the whole thing on iPad, Kindle or something yet to be invented, but certainly on somebody's brain.
In 10-years, and probably a lot less of them-----the paper won't be the paper.
The Times could have won-back the hearts of many readers, by proclaiming that Metro/California is back "by popular demand."
But instead, we got some ill-hyped attempt to sugarcoat some type of deal with Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal and the loss of a bunch of pressmen, as some advancement in what has been a long, tough economic slide not only for The Times, but the entire industry.
I'll keep reading, but not being straight with us, kills credibility.

[Kurt from Torrance]

When I opened my paper this morning I was worried that I had lost some of my favorite comics - as the new lay-out included the changing of their positions on the page, I dutifully checked off my favorites to ensure that none were missing in the manner of "Salley Forth" - thankfully none were.

[Jim]

This redesign has nothing to do with expanding coverage. All it does is give the reader old news. The new LATEXTRA, which is supposed to have breaking news, was nothing more than fluffy features and dreck. Calendar is a disaster. You guys sold your press prime time to Murdoch and give us crap in return. Way to go.

[Pam Adams]

Like the reader above, my first thought upon turning to the comics was that once again, there were some stealth cancellations going on. My second thought, as I was forced to remove my glasses to read the text, was 'don't they realize that the population who reads newspapers is aging, and our eyes along with us?'

My third thought upon reading above that the comics were 'reconfigured to accommodate the narrower page' was "Not to mention the big ad in the middle of the back page!" Personally, by the time that I get to the second page of the comics section, I am aware that I am reading the Los Angeles Times, and don't need a nameplate. Perhaps a smaller ad for the Hero Complex blog could be developed, allowing slightly larger print to be used, or, perhaps use the room to bring us back Sally Forth.

[Bill]

I was happy to see the Metro/California section reappear, but why in the world do you call it "LATEXTRA" and label it Section AA? And why did you put the index in this section of the paper instead of the main news section?

When will we see two new comic strips in place of the inane "LA Times" banner in the midst of the comic page?

I note that the weather information has increased from 115.5 square inches to 130 square inches. Now the word "moon" shows up four times instead of once. I suppose that's an improvement but it would be better still if you could go back to the full weather page.

Please take a look at the New York Times daily crossword to see the ideal way to format the puzzle, clues, and solution. I'm sure the method isn't patented.

I can hardly wait until next Monday to see where you put Dilbert.

[PK]

I loved the California section, but this LA thing is limp. Please put Steve Lopez and the other columnists on the front page of this "new" section so we don't miss them.
A quick summary of the day's weather belongs on the front page, not buried in the middle.
The comics are almost unreadable. I shouldn't have to pull out a magnifying glass to read the text.
There's not much logic to the way you lay out your paper.

[Anadel Baughn-Barbour]

Please fix the crossword puzzle placement!!! And I do not need to know I am reading the Los Angeles Times right in the middle of the comics! I am still a subscriber in this day and age primarily because of the puzzle. Please please please make it user friendly!

[Arman Afagh]

Yes, it seems the weather page size has physically increased, but the amt of information presented hasn't seen a proportional increase. The 2-3 line forecasts for the various zones are so general as to be largely worthless. And it's a shame to use such a large font size to occupy so much real state to present relatively useless information. Decrease the font size for the zones and either get more information in there or get rid of it and give the extra space to listing more California cities.

The satellite weather photo has been cropped as to be useless as well. In Ca, what's relevant is what's out in the Pacific, yet you should more of Colorado than the Pacific.

The larger So Cal map is pretty, but doesn't present much more info.

Frankly, I just see a lot of wasted space. Of course, I'd like to see the weather map go back to 3/4 or a full page (as it was in the glory days of the late 80s/early 90s), but I know that's asking for too much from a newspaper that's looking to cut cut cut.

[Gus]

A long anticipated section on every Wednesday has been the Food Section. Missing this Wed. Was that part of the slimming process? If it is, let me register a strong protest.

I will try again. The puzzle page is generally deconstructed by readers to make the puzzles easier to work on. That process is much easier when you chose to make that page the loose leaf. I know of no reason why it cannot always be so, provided that there is a loose leaf somewhere anyway. The loose leaf just drops out and is far easier to fold.

[EFV]

I was not happy when sections vanished (good-bye Highway, so long Outdoors). I looked the other way when other sections were folded into others (Metro meet Front Page, Weather meet Business, Classifieds meet Sports) or when certain comics were no longer carried (Sally Forth where have you gone??). I even put up with Bill Plaschke and TJ Simers because Steve Lopez and Dan Neil trump them all. I even wonder why there is a need to push 'The Envelope'. But to decrease the size of the comics to put the LA Times logo across the page really takes the cake. Please dump it. I, along with many readers know what paper we're reading.

[NAK]

Please print the crossword puzzle so you can once again fold the paper into quarters and do the puzzle. The way you have it now the paper folds in the middle of the puzzle making it impossible to work on unless sitting at a table where you can lay the puzzle out flat.