St. Louis Post-Dispatch cuts metro and business, adds moxie

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch joins the ranks of Lee papers now using a 44-inch web width. The paper also cut its standalone business and metro sections.

The Post-Dispatch has also kicked off a new advertising campaign, "Turn up the moxie," complete with scary paint colors throughout the paper's building (left).

I'm not sure everyone's on board with the moxie campaign: It looks like some employees took to Twitter to mock it.

Pantagraph cuts web width

The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Ill., was 1.5 inches smaller Monday, adopting the Lee-favored 44-inch web. They wrote a story and have a video about it too touting their redesigned features.

(Via e-mail)

Globe Gazette switches to tab on Mondays

A month ago, The Globe Gazette in Mason City, Iowa, cut its web width by 1 inch. Now the Monday paper, starting March 16, will be a tabloid format. A note to carriers says "The news inside is different with more good news feature stories."

(Via e-mail)

Post-Star cuts page width

The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y., cut its page width by 1 inch starting with Tuesday's editions. Publisher Rick Emaneul said the newsprint reduction will save three positions at the paper.

Star-Tribune shrinks web width

The Star-Tribune in Casper, Wyo., slimmed down on Monday: Pages are now 11-inches wide, vs. 12.5-inches last week. Smaller web width means less money spent on newsprint. Editor Chad Baldwin says the paper was redesigned so readers won't see a "reduction in news." Anyone herad of reader complaints?

More Lee papers should be converting to a smaller web soon.

Newspapers are shrinking

Not the number of pages, although many Lee papers are cutting back, but the width of the paper is shrinking again. Most Lee papers will move to a 44-inch web. Vice president of production Brian Kardell says the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Wisc., will switch by the end of 2009.