Staff reports

The Elk Valley Times now has what is considered a more modern magazine-styled format — called the Berliner — beginning with this edition.

“The new format’s presentation is aimed at providing a more enjoyable reading experience and will continue allowing us to highlight the community. The Elk Valley Times is dedicated to continuing its focus on local news coverage,” said Lora Scripps, general manager of the Elk Valley Times.

The Berliner design offers an innovative, more colorful alternative to traditional broadsheet newspapers, a design leadership expects will be well received by readers. News, features and other

^ content will be organized to enhance reader experience — making the newspaper easier to read, easier to hold and easier to locate key sections. At 17 inches tall, the paper will have a more proportionate, more manageable height to width ratio than the prior page height of 21.5 inches.

In addition to the more modern look and feel, the new format will also help with managing the rising cost of postage, making and keeping the paper viable as your local news source.

“We’re excited about the change as it will double color page capacities,” Scripps said. “It will also help us better organize articles and aligns with our goal of consistently producing locally-written content,” Scripps said. “We look forward to hearing your feedback.”

R. Michael Fishman, president of Lakeway Publishers, Inc., the parent company of the Elk Valley Times, said this is an exciting move that will help keep the newspaper at the forefront of community journalism.

“Times are rapidly changing for community newspapers and we must change with the times,” Fishman said. “After years of delivering a traditional broadsheet newspaper, we expect the first couple of editions may feel strange to long-time subscribers. But we also expect they will quickly embrace this change of format which will bring them a more colorful, better organized and easier to manage product. A community newspaper is part of the lifeblood of any small to medium town, playing a vital role in keeping the public informed on the news of the day. This move will help to ensure that the Elk Valley Times will continue to be a vital part of this community for generations to come.”

The change aligns with the paper’s continued mission of producing community-specific credible local journalism, including rapid delivery of daily news reporting online, news that no one else can deliver, news that is relevant to you, your family and your community.

“We hope you enjoy the new look and feel of the Elk Valley Times and we look forward to continuing our mission to serve as your local news source,” Scripps said.