An ongoing $2.4 million rebuild of the FreePressMedia printing press in Burlington is one piece of a 2012 "Triple Crown" that also involves a new format for the printed edition and a new, content-based subscription plan for Free Press platforms, President and Publisher Jim Fogler announced today.
"We are making a significant investment in our press and making a tangible commitment to our community. We are not only here to stay, we are here to grow. Our print and digital FreePressMedia platforms, including the Burlington Free Press and burlingtonfreepress.com, will continue to deliver high value and quality. For our local business partners who advertise in our printed edition, it’s a reinvented medium designed to deliver added impact."
Fogler said the full scope of FreePressMedia’s enhancements includes:
A $2.4 million rebuild of our 45-year-old press is already in progress. This work will provide a first in the newspaper’s rich 186-year history: the opportunity to provide color photos and advertisements on every printed page. With more color capacity, FreePressMedia will also have the capacity to serve more commercial printed customers.
A shift from broadsheet page size to a new tall tab format in June that will give the Burlington Free Press printed edition more of a magazine feel with design upgrades.
A new business plan launching in conjunction with the easy-to-use format that will incorporate print and online content into a comprehensive subscription model.
The newspaper's production facility, located on South Winooski Avenue in downtown Burlington, will sport state-of-the-art printing capabilities when work is completed in late April. The Free Press printed edition will convert from a standard broadsheet format to a new, easy-to-use tabloid format (11’ wide x 15’ in length).
The printed edition in this new format will be more colorful and feature a modular approach to advertising display which will provide greater impact and ad-size flexibility for advertisers.
‘We’ll deliver a more colorful printed edition in a more compact and easy-to-handle size; and pages will be easier to navigate,’ Fogler said. ‘We will differentiate our content to match our platforms ‘ our printed edition will have more narrative storytelling and our web and mobile will be the news of now.’
At the heart of the experience for printed edition readers will be the approach pioneered since 2009 in the Free Press’ passion-topics sections: in-depth reporting, rich photographs and eye-catching design in Green Mountain, Savorvore, ARTSbtv and innovate. These approaches have enhanced our coverage of topics that define life in Vermont. The new-look Burlington Free Press will deliver the most accountability reporting and narrative writing in all of Vermont.
FreePressMedia will also be changing its subscription model, as part of an historic shift toward digital-first publishing. The new model will provide the flexibility of how, when and where our readers want to consume their local news and information in Vermont. Free Press readers will see significant digital enhancements in the next few months, including more video and photos, and a renewed focus on the topics that matter most to Vermonters. As this happens, FreePressMedia will launch new and improved digital platforms for readers to access news and information, including a more robust mobile site and a tablet-friendly reader experience.
Under the new subscription model, subscribers will pay for access to content produced by FreePressMedia and distributed digitally through websites, mobile devices and tablets and in the printed edition. Subscribers may choose from a variety of offers of our full access plans including home delivery of the printed edition (daily, weekends, or Sunday only) and access to our news coverage or they may choose a digital-only plan. And for the first time, subscribers will be able to see the entire printed edition online in an e-Newspaper format. ‘These investments demonstrate our commitment to Chittenden County, and they will help us bring a sense of urgency and deep dives into the narrative of our daily and Sunday news reports ‘ whether you read us on a digital platform or in the printed edition of the Free Press,’ said Michael Townsend, editor of the Free Press. ‘Our readers depend on us to be their community watchdogs, hold our local officials accountable, push for open door meetings, be on the scene when news happens, and to report on what’s most important to them. We will continue to evolve.’
About FreePressMedia
FreePressMedia is the leading news and information company in the Greater Burlington area. The FreePressMedia family of brands includes more than 12 publications, websites and mobile applications including the Burlington Free Press and BurlingtonFreePress.com, which together have the highest integrated audience reach of any market in Vermont. FreePressMedia is part of Gannett Co, Inc, a leading international news and information company that publishes 81 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY.
BURLINGTON, VT ‘Free Press Media. 2.23.2012
Burlington Free Press to make big changes, shrink size of paper
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