Winnipeg Sun Switches to Broadsheet

This is going on third week or so of the Winnipeg Sun's switch from the tabloid format it has had since its 1980 beginning. The paper initially was only three days a week and began evening delivery about a month into publication. Initially, the paper was black and white but eventually started having colour in their Sun logo. The publication was owned and operated by Winnipeggers, many of whom were refugees from the shuttered and beloved Winnipeg Tribune.  After getting to a respectable 34,000 plus circulation, Quebecor bought the paper and folded it into their national national Sun chain.

The early Sun was a little more serious paper in that there was no Sun girl. Editorial policy was more local and more encompassing. The tabloid format was streamlined and within two years some editions had a whopping 120 pages. The new Sun managers had a way of doing things that was more pugnacious and heavily conservative. It should be no surprise now that with a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, the new Winnipeg Sun should continue to be very conservative. However, it has picked up on local which the former owners seemed to have cut considerably in recent years.

Kevin Klein contributes regular columns and there are several additions in terms of columnists and writers on the paper. The relationship with the former Sun ownership continues but the focus there is all too often on the federal government. It is likely why Klein has tried to beef up local coverage.

The broadsheet format change is more of a hybrid. The broadsheet has a tabloid sports section in it. That section more closely resembles what a Sunday Sun was like. Even the logo more or less is the same. However, the front section has a banner type font reading Winnipeg Sun with a that at first glance looks like the Free Press even though the lettering is completely different. A rising sun in the middle of the letters is the one splash of colour in the heading. The stories and columns are laid out around a main picture. 

Inside the broadsheet is a fair amount of news and editorial. This seems to be true of both the Saturday and Sunday printed papers. It would appear that the newspaper is a work in progress so I am treating it more like what those 1980s days were like when the paper kept adding colours, days printed, delivery and the like. Klein keeps adding content because it is the only way to grow subscriptions.

Print newspapers are now quite dead yet. Just like books were written off far too early, newspapers and magazines can survive but they can't exist on classified and commercial ads. The big 6 gatekeepers such as Google and Facebook are starting to run afoul of antitrust. The fact that they can have anti-competitive practices hurts news media is only one aspect of concern. Their systems are capable of taking down banks, airlines and government services. The Microsoft update shows how badly we can be hurt. It cost billions.

Government can't pay media but these large groups that use content paid for by groups such as the Free Press and the Sun need to be held to account. If a new Conservative government drops supports for TV/film and media, it is entirely possible we see large areas of industry, news and production cease. 

Winnipeg is lucky as it has two local owners for their major newspapers. Kevin Klein will have his work cut out for him re-building the Sun. It still heavily favours a lot of national Sun/Postmedia content. To appeal to women, they will need different content than they do now. The New York Times gets thousands of subscribers for their game section. Other newspapers get reader for their advice columns. It was the Winnipeg Sun that was original home of Miss Lonelyhearts. There are many things that a newspaper is on a daily basis. But a big part of it should be informative and entertaining. 

The Sun really needs to build their Winnipeg Jets and Moose coverage. It is possible some relationship with the various sports podcasts is appropriate. This could apply to radio stations as well. Hal Anderson has contributed to the Sun for years. However, the paper could benefit from more restaurant reviews. More entertainment reports on what is happening in the city.

I get that this will be a piece by piece building project. And it won't all be about print newspaper. But it can be about news and information. And it can be a heck of a lot better than TikTok or Facebook.