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It\u2019s a sign of the times, and the state of print journalism in the UK, that The Guardian and its sister Sunday paper The Observer will become tabloid newspapers from early 2018. Their shrinking size, from the current tall and slim European-style \u2018Berliner\u2019 format to tabloid dimensions, is symbolic of the ongoing battle to keep print journalism alive. After saying 12 years ago when it adopted the Berliner format that it was keen to avoid the \u2018easy short-term tabloid route\u2019, The Guardian is now doing just that, which in many way feels like a last-ditch attempt to manage soaring losses; abandoning its broadsheet heritage to potentially appeal to a wider demographic of readers and advertisers.<\/p>\n
The Guardian is referring to its decision as a \u201cthree-year transformation plan\u201d, which will see the newspaper evolve in line with the rest of the print industry. Despite the move, David Pemsel, chief executive of Guardian Media Group, claims \u201cmore people are reading and supporting our journalism than ever before\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Berliner is a beautiful format which has served our readers brilliantly for 12 years but we know that it is our award-winning, quality, independent journalism that our readers value most, rather than the shape or the size of the newspapers,\u201d adds Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of the Guardian. \u201cWe are going to create a new-look tabloid Guardian and Observer that are bold, striking and beautiful \u2013 and which still contain the agenda-setting journalism for which we\u2019re renowned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reassuringly, despite diminishing print advertising revenues, GMG claims it remains committed \u201cto high-quality print journalism\u201d. Last year, The Guardian reported losses of \u00a369m for the previous financial year, compared with \u00a314.7m in 2015. The company was forced to cut more than 260 jobs through a voluntary redundancy scheme. It also saw circulation collapse from 341,000 copies in April 2005 when the titles started printing in Berliner format, to just 154,000 in April this year.<\/p>\n
The Guardian attributes much of its losses to Google and Facebook, who it says are swallowing up the lion\u2019s share of digital ad budgets. As digital competition continues to grow, GMG hopes that its transformation plan will help the business to break even at operating level by 2019.<\/p>\n
The shift to a tabloid format will also necessitate the closure of its printing sites in Trafford and Stratford, which will affect around 50 jobs, and its\u00a0three specially commissioned \u00a380m printing presses will be sold or scrapped. The Guardian has signed a contract for Trinity Mirror, publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, to print its new tabloid format from early next year.\u00a0The expenses associated with the specialist presses had made them increasingly prohibitive to run, and the move to outsource is expected to generate millions of pounds for GMG in savings annually.<\/p>\n \n Get exclusive insights into digital \n \n \n Stay Forward <\/h2>\n
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