| Creating hip, new sections |
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As the panel discussion “Hip, New Sections” began, it became obvious
that the elusive 18- to 24-year-old demographic may have finally met
its match. Newspapers across the country are contemplating trendy ways
to attract the younger generation, and this year, at AASFE’s 58th
annual conference, three creative editors shared their success stories.
Creating hip, new sections As the panel discussion “Hip, New Sections” began, it became obvious that the elusive 18- to 24-year-old demographic may have finally met its match. Newspapers across the country are contemplating trendy ways to attract the younger generation, and this year, at AASFE’s 58th annual convention, three creative editors shared their success stories. Panelist Elizabeth McIntyre, assistant managing editor for features at The Plain Dealer, discussed how the newspaper’s new section, “pdQ,” uses bullets, lists and graphics to appeal to time-starved readers. Laurie Conrad, assistant features editor at the Philadelphia Daily News, explained the origin of “Yo! Steez,” a section that covers the city’s hip-hop culture. Cara DiPasquale, features editor of RedEye, talked about the Chicago Tribune’s subway paper, which has reached a circulation of 85,000. With front-page spreads of Donald Trump and short punchy pieces, these innovative sections fall somewhere in the murky waters between the trashy tabloid and the stodgy daily. “We like to be what people are talking about that morning,” said DiPasquale. “We’re not a paper of record, and we don’t pretend to be.” The goal of the new sections is to attract younger readers and to establish a daily newspaper habit in that hard-to-crack demographic. The key is finding writers who can carry out the theme of the section. “Chances are, you have a baby-boomer editor like me, and they don’t know anything about hip-hop,” said Conrad. McIntyre describes “pdQ” as an alternative to the 100-inch stories in the Sunday edition. “I wanted this to be a section that gave them relief,” she said. And RedEye’s mix of pop culture and news may be abbreviated, but it has been well received by readers. “We think short stories can be smart and brevity can increase clarity,” said DiPasquale. Despite their success, the sections are struggling with long-held views about the nature of respectable journalism. “There is a tremendous amount of disdain for what [my writers] do, and I prepared them for that,” said McIntyre. “I think it just takes time to change the focus.” While enduring epithets such as “Tribune-lite,” the editors are striving to prove that these hybrids can draw in readers and ads. “We have about a thousand advertisers, close to 400 of whom had never advertised in the Tribune,” said DiPasquale, whose RedEye paper has been out for about two years. Sara Clarke is a senior at the University of Maryland. TIPS FOR HIP, NEW SECTIONS
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