John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
RISING OPERATIONAL costs, coupled with the increasing competition for advertising revenues by media entities and especially newspapers, have given prominence to the idea by some traditional broadsheets to convert to tabloid or compact formats.
According to research by Kubas Consultants out of Toronto, Canada, some traditional broadsheet newspapers choose to convert to tabloid format because smaller format newspapers have been found to be more appealing to younger persons and attract more desirable readership. Based on this research, Kubas consultants say more readers, and even non-readers, are more likely to choose a smaller format edition of the same newspaper as broadsheet newspapers are not only anachronistic, but the "formidable, unfriendly size actually threatens newspapers' existence based on a 'cost per impact' factor."
SLIGHTLY GREATER IMPACT
A study conducted by Gazet van Antwerpen in 2004 also found that advertising in tabloid format newspapers and magazines has a slightly greater impact than similar advertising placed in a broadsheet newspaper. "Research proves that the impact of an ad does not depend on the physical space or dimensions of an ad, but rather on the portion of the page that the ad occupies," Kubas said, adding that "to a reader, a full-page ad or photo delivers the same relative impact, whether printed in a broadsheet or tabloid format."
This has been found to be more appealing to advertisers as they measure the results of advertising by the volume of sales, number of enquiries and gain in market share.
"Smaller formats are simply better for all newspapers' stakeholders, readers, advertisers and publishers," the consultants wrote in a paper entitled: 'Format Change: How reducing size will enlarge newspapers' future'.
A growing number of broadsheet newspapers, particularly in Europe, are willing to make the sacrifice and convert to tabloid format on the premise that increases in readership and circulation will ultimately result in more profitable advertising revenues and profits. The Times of London, the Svenska Dagladet and Dagens Nyheter in Sweden are some broadsheet newspapers that have since converted some or all their publications to tabloid format.
FEAR OF LOSING REVENUES
However, the fear of losing advertising revenues, acquiring new press and aversion to change have caused many broadsheet newspapers to be reluctant to make the conversion. Kubas explained that because most newspapers have priced advertising on a linear space basis using inches, lines or columns, converting to tabloid format while continuing to use the same pricing formula for advertising would result in a substantial loss in advertising revenues. As a result, broadsheet newspapers view this conversion negatively, especially since advertising accounts for about 75 to 80 per cent of revenues.
Kubas offered the following ways by which broadsheet newspapers can overcome or make up for the fall-off in revenues by converting to tabloid format:
Increase the rate charged to advertisers.
Add more columns per page.
Move to page-based pricing of ads like magazines, rather than on space size.
