Broadsheet
 | This article has multiple issues.Please helpimprove itor discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Abroadsheetis the largestnewspaper formatand is characterized by longverticalpages, typically of 22.5 inches (57 cm). Other commonnewspaper formatsinclude the smallerBerlinerandtabloid–compactformats.[1]
Description
[edit]Many broadsheets measure roughly28 by22+3⁄4in (711 by 578 mm) per full broadsheet spread, twice the size of a standard tabloid.AustralianandNew Zealandbroadsheets always have a paper size ofA1per spread (841 by 594 mm or 33.1 by 23.4 in).South Africanbroadsheet newspapers have a double-page spread sheet size of 820 by 578 mm (32.3 by 22.8 in) (single-page live print area of 380 x 545 mm). Others measure 22 in (560 mm) vertically.
In theUnited States,the traditional dimensions for the front page half of a broadsheet are 12 in (305 mm) wide by 22.75 in (578 mm) long. However, in efforts to savenewsprintcosts, many U.S. newspapers[2]have downsized to 11 in (279 mm) wide by 21 in (533 mm) long for a folded page.[3][4]
Many rate cards and specification cards refer to the "broadsheet size" with dimensions representing the front page "half of a broadsheet" size, rather than the full, unfolded broadsheet spread. Some quote actual page size and others quote the "printed area" size.
The two versions of the broadsheet are:
- The full broadsheet typically is folded vertically in half so that it forms four pages (the front page front and back and the back page front and back). The four pages are called a spread. Inside broadsheets are nested accordingly.
- The half broadsheet is usually an inside page that is not folded vertically and just includes a front and back.
History
[edit]The broadsheet,broadside,was used as a format formusicalandpopular printsin the 17th century. Eventually, people began using the broadsheet as a source for political activism by reprinting speeches.
Broadsheet newspapers developed in Britain after a 1712 tax was imposed on newspapers based on their page counts. However, larger formats had long been signs of status in printed objects and still are in many places. Outside of Britain the broadsheet developed for other reasons unrelated to the British tax structure including style and authority. With the early mechanization of the 19th century came an increased production of printed materials including the broadside, as well as the competingpenny dreadful.Newspapers all overEuropewere then starting to print their issues on broadsheets. However, in the United Kingdom, the main competition for the broadside was the gradual reduction of the newspaper tax, beginning in the 1830s until its eventual dismissal in 1855.[5]
With the increased production of newspapers and literacy, the demand for visual reporting and journalists led to the blending of broadsides and newspapers, creating the modern broadsheetnewspaper.
Printing considerations
[edit]Modern printing facilities most efficiently print broadsheet sections in multiples of eight pages (with four front pages and four back pages). The broadsheet is then cut in half during the process. Thus, the newsprint rolls used are defined by the width necessary to print four front pages. The width of a newsprint roll is called its web. The now-common 11-inch-wide front page broadsheet newspapers in the United States use a 44-inch web newsprint roll.
With profit margins narrowing for newspapers in the wake of competition from broadcast, cable television, and the internet, newspapers are looking to standardize the size of the newsprint roll.The Wall Street Journalwith its 12-inch-wide front page was printed on 48-inch web newsprint. Early adopters in the downsizing of broadsheets used a 50-inch web (12+1⁄2-inch front pages). However, the 48-inch web is now rapidly becoming the definitive standard in the U.S.The New York Timesheld out on the downsizing until July 2006, saying it would stick to its 54-inch web (13+1⁄2-inch front page).[citation needed]However, the paper adopted the narrower format beginning Monday, 6 August 2007.
The smaller newspapers also have the advantage of being easier to handle, particularly among commuters.
Connotations
[edit]In some countries, especiallyAustralia,Canada,the UK, and the US, broadsheet newspapers are commonly perceived to be more intellectual in content than their tabloid counterparts. They tend to use their greater size to publish stories exploring topics in-depth and carry lesssensationalistandcelebrity-oriented material.[6]The distinction is most obvious on the front page since tabloids tend to have a single story dominated by a headline, and broadsheets allow two or more stories to be displayed of which the most important sit at the top of the page "above the fold."
A few newspapers, though, such as the GermanBild-Zeitungand others throughoutCentral Europeare tabloids in terms of content but use the physical broadsheet format.
Switch to smaller sizes
[edit]In the United Kingdom
[edit]In 2003,The Independentstarted concurrent production of both broadsheet and tabloid ( "compact") editions, carrying exactly the same content.The Timesdid likewise, but with less apparent success, with readers vocally opposing the change.The Independentceased to be available in broadsheet format in May 2004, andThe Timesfollowed suit from November 2004;The Scotsmanis also now published only in tabloid format.The Guardianswitched to the "Berliner" or "midi" format found in some other European countries (slightly larger than a traditional tabloid) on 12 September 2005. In June 2017, theGuardianannounced it would again change the format to tabloid size – the first tabloid edition was published on 15 January 2018.
The main motivation cited for this shift was thatcommutersprefer papers that they can hold easily onpublic transportand that other readers also might find the smaller formats more convenient.
In the United States
[edit]In the United States,The Wall Street Journalmade headlines when it announced its overseas version would convert to a tabloid on 17 October 2005.[7]Strong debate occurred in the US on whether or not the rest of the national papers will or even should follow the trend of the European papers andThe Wall Street Journal.[8]The Wall Street Journaloverseas edition switched back to a broadsheet format in 2015.[9][10]
Notable broadsheets
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Newspaper Sizes - Broadsheet, Berliner, Tabloid & Compact".papersizes.org.Archivedfrom the original on 22 September 2020.Retrieved22 October2020.
- ^Roy Peter (17 February 2006)."Watch Out, Broadsheet: Tabloid Power Is Gonna Get Your Mama".Poynter Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2010.Retrieved10 August2012.
- ^Seelye, Katharine Q. (4 December 2006)."In Tough Times, a Redesigned Journal".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2008.Retrieved20 March2013.
- ^"The New York Times Plans to Consolidate New York Print Run at Newest Facility in College Point, Queens and Sublease Older Edison, New Jersey, Printing Plant in Early 2008"(Press release). The New York Times Company. 18 July 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2013.Retrieved20 March2013.
- ^"The Word on the Street – Background".National Library of Scotland.Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2010.Retrieved10 August2012.
- ^Rogers, Tony (28 January 2020)."Differences Between Broadsheet and Tabloid Newspapers".ThoughtCo.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2022.Retrieved23 September2022.
- ^Milt Freudenheim (9 May 2005)."Abroad, The Wall Street Journal Will Be a Tabloid".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 29 May 2015.Retrieved10 August2012.
- ^"For American Publishers, Broadsheets Are Bright StarsArchived24 October 2016 at theWayback Machine.News & Tech.
- ^Sweney, Mark (11 June 2015)."Wall Street Journal to revamp European and Asian editions in broadsheet format".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Archivedfrom the original on 28 March 2016.Retrieved19 March2016.
- ^"Wall Street Journal Europe to print 50 per cent more content as it switches back to broadsheet".Press Gazette.17 September 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2016.Retrieved19 March2016.