USA TODAY reached its 30th year on Saturday and marked the occasion by unveiling a big, blue dot logo on Friday’s front page --- that featured only three stories, plus “refers” to inside content --- along with new designs for its website and mobile apps, notes Grumpy Editor.
The newspaper’s overhaul is “designed to showcase USA TODAY's prowess in visual storytelling and bring stronger voices to its stories" and "the new logo reflects the pulse of the nation," points out the company.
Gannett Co., Inc., parent of USA TODAY, launched the newspaper on Sept. 15, 1982, with the mission of providing news and information that was clear, concise and presented largely without opinion or unsubstantiated analysis. Gannett owns more than 90 daily newspapers, nearly 1,000 weeklies and 23 television stations.
In its debut and onward, few USA TODAY stories jumped to other pages. Entertainment and sports grabbed many readers. Stories were short. Pages were splashed with color.
Original core readers were baby boomers, sports fans, singles and travelers, reminds John K. Hartman, journalism professor at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, in an Editor & Publisher article. But “all four groups largely have gone elsewhere for their news,” he adds, as “smartphones and tablets are the reading platform of choice.”
Hartman sees USA TODAY running into choppy waters. “More likely,” he envisions, it “will be shuttered in the next three years, a product of the collective turning away from print and from the concept of being fully informed about national issues (even sports and entertainment) that has swept the country.”
However, Larry Kramer, USA TODAY president and publisher, declares: “We are making a real investment in USA TODAY, and putting a major focus on reinvigorating the value of print media while introducing new digital products. We want to provide our readers with a unique perspective and relevant context on a full range of issues, across all mediums. We are revolutionizing the way we cover and distribute the news in relevant ways that inform and entertain our readers."
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