Broadsheet

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A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long vertical pages, typically of 22.5 inches (57 cm). Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner and tabloid–compact formats.

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Comparison of some newspaper sizes with metric paper sizes. Approximate nominal dimensions are in millimetres. Comparison newspaper size.svg
Comparison of some newspaper sizes with metric paper sizes. Approximate nominal dimensions are in millimetres.

Many broadsheets measure roughly 29 1⁄2 by 23 1⁄2 in (749 by 597 mm) per full broadsheet spread, twice the size of a standard tabloid. Australian and New Zealand broadsheets always have a paper size of A1 per spread (841 by 594 mm or 33.1 by 23.4 in). South African broadsheet newspapers have a double-page spread sheet size of 820 by 578 mm (32.3 by 22.8 in) (single-page live print area of 380 x 545 mm). Others measure 22 in (560 mm) vertically.

In the United States, the traditional dimensions for the front page half of a broadsheet are 15 in (381 mm) wide by 22 3⁄4 in (578 mm) long. However, in efforts to save newsprint costs, many U.S. newspapers [1] have downsized to 12 in (305 mm) wide by 22 3⁄4 in (578 mm) long for a folded page. [2] [3]

Many rate cards and specification cards refer to the "broadsheet size" with dimensions representing the front page "half of a broadsheet" size, rather than the full, unfolded broadsheet spread. Some quote actual page size and others quote the "printed area" size.

The two versions of the broadsheet are:

In uncommon instances, an entire newspaper can be a two-page half broadsheet or four-page full broadsheet. Self-contained advertising circulars inserted in a newspaper in the same format are referred to as broadsheets.

Broadsheets typically are also folded horizontally in half to accommodate newsstand display space. The horizontal fold, however, does not affect the page numbers and the content remains vertical. The most important newspaper stories are placed "above the (horizontal) fold". This contrasts with tabloids, which typically do not have a horizontal fold (although tabloids usually have the four page-to-a-sheet spread format).

The broadsheet has since emerged as the most popular format for the dissemination of printed news. The world's most widely circulated English-language daily broadsheet is The Times of India , a leading English-language daily newspaper from India, followed closely by The Wall Street Journal from the United States, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

History

The broadsheet, broadside, was used as a format for musical and popular prints in the 17th century. Eventually, people began using the broadsheet as a source for political activism by reprinting speeches.

Broadsheet newspapers developed after the British in 1712 placed a tax on newspapers based on the number of their pages. Larger formats, however, had long been signs of status in printed objects, and still are in many places, and outside Britain, the broadsheet developed for other reasons, including style and authority, unrelated to the British tax structure.

With the early mechanization of the 19th century came an increased production of printed materials including the broadside, as well as the competing penny dreadful. In this period, newspapers all over Europe began to print their issues on broadsheets. However, in the United Kingdom, the main competition for the broadside was the gradual reduction of the newspaper tax, beginning in the 1830s, and eventually its dismissal in 1855. [4]

With the increased production of newspapers and literacy, the demand for visual reporting and journalists led to the blending of broadsides and newspapers, creating the modern broadsheet newspaper.

Printing considerations

Modern printing facilities most efficiently print broadsheet sections in multiples of eight pages (with four front pages and four back pages). The broadsheet is then cut in half during the process. Thus, the newsprint rolls used are defined by the width necessary to print four front pages. The width of a newsprint roll is called its web. The new 12-inch-wide front page broadsheet newspapers in the United States use a 48-inch web newsprint roll.

With profit margins narrowing for newspapers in the wake of competition from broadcast, cable television, and the internet, newspapers are looking to standardize the size of the newsprint roll. The Wall Street Journal with its 12-in-wide front page was printed on 48-inch web newsprint. Early adopters in the downsizing of broadsheets used a 50-inch web (​12 1⁄2-inch front pages). However, the 48-inch web is now rapidly becoming the definitive standard in the U.S. The New York Times held out on the downsizing until July 2006, saying it would stick to its 54-inch web (​13 1⁄2-inch front page)[ citation needed ]. However, the paper adopted the narrower format beginning Monday, 6 August 2007.

The smaller newspapers also have the advantage of being easier to handle, particularly among commuters.

Connotations

In some countries, especially Australia, Canada, the UK, and the U.S., broadsheet newspapers are commonly perceived to be more intellectual in content than their tabloid counterparts. They tend to use their greater size to publish stories exploring topics in-depth, while carrying less sensationalist and celebrity-oriented material. This distinction is most obvious on the front page; whereas tabloids tend to have a single story dominated by a headline, broadsheets allow two or more stories to be displayed, of which the most important sit at the top of the page—"above the fold". In other countries, such as Spain, a small format is a universal standard for newspapers—a popular, sensational press has had difficulty taking root—and the tabloid-size does not carry pejorative connotations.

A few newspapers, though, such as the German Bild-Zeitung and others throughout central Europe are tabloids in terms of content, but use the physical broadsheet format.

Switch to smaller sizes

In the United Kingdom

In 2003, The Independent started concurrent production of both broadsheet and tabloid ("compact") editions, carrying exactly the same content. The Times did likewise, but with less apparent success, with readers vocally opposing the change. The Independent ceased to be available in broadsheet format in May 2004, and The Times followed suit from November 2004; The Scotsman is also now published only in tabloid format. The Guardian switched to the "Berliner" or "midi" format found in some other European countries (slightly larger than a traditional tabloid) on 12 September 2005. In June 2017, the Guardian announced it would again change the format to tabloid size – the first tabloid edition was published on 15 January 2018.

The main motivation cited for this shift is that commuters prefer papers that they can hold easily on public transport, and other readers hopefully will also find the smaller formats more convenient.

In the United States

In the United States, The Wall Street Journal made headlines when it announced its overseas version would convert to a tabloid on 17 October 2005. [5] Strong debate occurred in the U.S. on whether or not the rest of the national papers will, or even should, follow the trend of the British papers and The Wall Street Journal. [6] The Wall Street Journal overseas edition switched back to a broadsheet format in 2015. [7] [8]

Notable broadsheets

Argentina

Australia

The Age

Bangladesh

Most Bangladeshi daily newspapers are broadsheets.

Brazil

Most Brazilian newspapers are broadsheets, including the four most important:

Canada

Almost all of Canada's major daily newspapers are broadsheets. [10] Newspapers are in English, unless stated otherwise.

National

Atlantic Canada

Quebec

Ontario

The Prairies

West Coast

Chile

China

Colombia

Denmark

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Most are broadsheets.

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hong Kong

Hungary

India

Almost all major newspapers in India are broadsheets. Tabloids are mostly found in small-circulation local or rural papers.

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Lebanon

Libya

Malaysia

Newspapers such as New Straits Times and Berita Harian used to be published in broadsheet, but were published in the smaller size, instead, from 2005 and 2008, respectively. However, almost all Chinese newspapers in the country continue to publish in broadsheet.

Mauritius

Mexico

New Zealand

Pakistan

All Pakistan regional and national newspapers are broadsheets. Pakistan Today is the first and only paper in Berliner format.

Panama

Peru

Philippines

Poland

All of Poland's quality national dailies ( Gazeta Wyborcza , Rzeczpospolita , Nasz Dziennik , and Dziennik Polska-Europa-Świat ) are now published in compact format.

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Romania

Russia

Serbia

Singapore

Sri Lanka

South Africa

Spain

All newspapers in Spain are printed in compact format.

Sweden

The first major Swedish newspaper to leave the broadsheet format and start printing in tabloid format was Svenska Dagbladet , on 16 November 2000. As of August 2004, 26 newspapers were broadsheets, with a combined circulation of 1,577,700 and 50 newspapers were in a tabloid with a combined circulation of 1,129,400. On 5 October 2004, the morning newspapers Göteborgs-Posten , Dagens Nyheter , Sydsvenskan , and Östersunds-Posten all switched to tabloid, thus making it the leading format for morning newspapers in Sweden by volume of circulation. Most other broadsheet newspapers have followed, since. The last daily Swedish newspaper to switch to tabloid was Jönköpings-Posten, 6 November 2013. [14]

Thailand

Turkey

Most of the newspapers in Turkey are printed on this format. Notable ones include:

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

UK wide

England

Scotland

United States

Almost all major papers in the United States are broadsheets.

Vatican City

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Roy Peter (17 February 2006). "Watch Out, Broadsheet: Tabloid Power Is Gonna Get Your Mama". Poynter Institute. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Katharine Q. Seelye (4 December 2006). "In Tough Times, a Redesigned Journal". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "The New York Times Plans to Consolidate New York Print Run at Newest Facility in College Point, Queens and Sublease Older Edison, New Jersey, Printing Plant in Early 2008" (Press release). The New York Times Company. 18 July 2006. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "The Word on the Street – Background". National Library of Scotland. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Milt Freudenheim (9 May 2005). "Abroad, The Wall Street Journal Will Be a Tabloid". The New York Times . Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "For American Publishers, Broadsheets Are Bright Stars. News & Tech.
  7. ↑ Sweney, Mark (11 June 2015). "Wall Street Journal to revamp European and Asian editions in broadsheet format". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Wall Street Journal Europe to print 50 per cent more content as it switches back to broadsheet". Press Gazette. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "La Nación, con un nuevo formato: la edición impresa ahora es un compacto", Diario La Nación, 30 October 2016
  10. ↑ "Every Daily Newspaper in Canada". Fishwrap.ca. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  11. 1 2 "El tabloide: el futuro de los periódicos impresos o la evolución de la prensa en el mundo".
  12. ↑ Tina Gudrun Jensen; Sara Jul Jacobsen; Kathrine Vitus; Kristina Weibel (March 2012). "Analysis of Danish Media setting and framing of Muslims, Islam and racism" (Working paper). Danish National Centre for Social Research. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Newspaper Sizes". Paper Sizes. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  14. ↑ [ unreliable source? ]Boström, Svenåke (10 November 2004). "Mindpark #049: Tabloidtisdagen" (in Swedish). Mindpark. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
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