Local matters.
When U.S. Steel purchased Stelco, Spectator readers found out about
it first in this newspaper.
When U.S. Steel purchased Stelco, Spectator readers found out about
it first in this newspaper. Our story went beyond the sale, to the
analysis of where the company is headed and why it matters to workers,
pensioners and our city.
And we were with Brian Melo, Hamilton's Canadian Idol, every step of
the way on his singing journey. That's because we know readers are
counting on us to deliver news about our community first.
Starting Monday, The Hamilton Spectator is making some changes to
reflect our Hamilton-first outlook and our commitment to the community
by being even more intensely local in every section of the newspaper.
The first change you will notice when you pick up Monday's newspaper
is the return of our slogan, The Voice of Our Communities Since 1846,
to remind readers and advertisers of The Spec's long and important
history in telling Hamilton's story.
It will also be easier to get to local news faster. Starting Monday,
local news that doesn't make the front page will start on A2 with a
rotation of a streamlined City Log, Police Blotter and obituaries of
local people.
A3 will now become our "second front page" and a place to give local
news and photographs the prominence they deserve on a highly designed,
colourful page. Several more pages of local news will follow until
readers arrive at revised and more traditional Canada and World news
pages.
National and international stories of merit will appear on page 1,
depending on the news mix of the day, and the Canada and World pages
will be filled with the other best stories and photographs from across
the country and around the world.
Our popular Behind the News section, which offers readers in-depth
reading on major local, national and international issues, will follow
our Canada and World section.
In Business, we plan to expand our coverage of local business and to
mirror the look of the other lead Local and Canada & World pages
with three "attics" atop the page that feature quick news hits,
followed by a major local feature.
The A section will close strongly with editorials that mean
something to our readers, cartoons by our own Graeme MacKay and strong
-- and at times controversial -- commentary about our city and world.
Our popular Go section is also undergoing a remake. Again, the main
goal of the Go changes will be to reorganize and expand local profiles
and refresh our Go content under a new organizational structure.
The Go cover will now include stories, though from time to time, concept or single-image covers will appear.
Go 2 will become a destination page where people get the morning
essentials - weather, horoscopes, an advice column and a morning smile.
And the popular Go 3, interesting eye candy on the comings and goings
of pop-culture icons, will remain the same.
Local People, a new page, will be anchored by well-known and
respected columnists Paul Wilson (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and The
Talk by Suzanne Bourret (Tuesday and Thursday).
We have already implemented a number of changes in our Sports
section, including Game Day, and we will be building a greater emphasis
on high-school, college and university sports.
These changes are based on what we've heard from readers and a
desire to give greater consistency and uniformity to the entire paper
while, at the same time, reflect what will always be our greatest
strength -- local coverage.
That is what we do better than any other media.
I hope you enjoy the changes. I look forward to hearing from you
about what you think of them -- and what else we might do to make The
Hamilton Spectator more relevant to you.
David Estok is The Hamilton Spectator's Editor-In-Chief. editorfeedback@thespec.com
