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Good-bye old Sun, July 18, 2007. |
Word on the street? The paper’s extreme makeover is a huge hit. No doubt about it: The new Paducah Sun is looking hot!
Credit goes to the entire staff, of course. But it was new managing editor Patrick “Duke” Conover who led the redesign’s nip and tuck. “We wanted to take the paper from looking dated and having run its course to making it more open, cleaner and contemporary.”
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Hello, gorgeous! The new Sun, July 19, 2007. |
The rest of the front page puts a fresh facelift forward, too. Gone are the small skyboxes on top. And a shorter index at the bottom replaces the long skinny one that had been on the left-hand side. With more front-page “real estate” to work with now, Conover can give the lead stories and photos much bigger play.
In another special touch, a question featured at the bottom relates to one of the day’s stories. The answer is found on the left-hand side of page two, toward the bottom. In fact, page two offers all sorts of fun content including a random People on the Street Q&A. So let’s make sure our hair’s on straight when we leave the house. One day, that could be one of us!
Tired eyes will light up at the larger 9.8 Nimrod typeface, which replaces the standard 9.5 Times. And more space between the lines is definitely a relief for those of us reaching for reading glasses.
And like strategically redistributed liposuction, the redesign brings a bit more organization to what goes where. The front and following pages now always contain local news before transitioning to regional, national and world news.
No more digging for the obituaries. They’ve found a permanent resting place on the last left-hand page in the front section. Conover made that change just two days after his arrival. “It made me crazy that they were never in the same spot,” he says.
| Join the Neighborhood Newsroom Have a nose for news and like to write? Then Paducah Sun Managing Editor Duke Conover wants you to join the Neighborhood Newsroom. Conover plans to train citizen journalists to report on what’s happening in the neighborhoods, classrooms, at work and on the town. The eight-week program, with once-a-week classes, begins this fall. By the end, participants will produce stories and photos that will likely be featured in the Sun. Conover hopes to hire the top participants as freelance contributors. “If you have the talent, we want to share it with the region,” he says. For details, contact: Duke Conover dconover@paducahsun.com 575.8666 |
OK, so the paper may be beautiful on the outside. But what about the inside? Veteran reporters Bill Bartleman, Leigh Landini Wright, Joe Walker, Steve Vantreese, Shelley Byrne, Angie Kinsey, Matt Sanders, Steve Millizer, Greg Stark and Joey Foskoremain as busy as ever. Newcomers Amy Burroughs, Dusty Luthy, Adam Shull and, as of Aug. 6, Clara Sanders of the Mayfield Messenger, bring new voices and perspectives. Photographers Lance Dennee and Barkley Thieleman provide the striking visuals to make the stories complete.
Slimmer stories are thanks to a new writing style “diet.” While the content is all still there, the reporters and editors write now with shorter, more active sentences, shedding unnecessary words and reducing the need for extra punctuation.
“Shorter-form stories read better,” Conover says. “We have a balance between reporter and editor that makes it possible for us to have stronger, cleaner copy.”
If increased circulation is an indicator of success – and it is – then the new Sun is clearly off the hook. The phones sure were on debut day. So many folks called to take advantage of the limited discount offer on subscriptions that the Sun had to extend the invitation into the next day.
So there you have it. Our hometown paper, just like our lovely hometown, is better than ever with great opportunities ahead. Conover welcomes feedback and story ideas. Share your thoughts by emailing him at dconover@paducahsun.com or calling him at 575.8666.
Congratulations, Paducah Sun!
