Readers point out pros, cons of R-J makeover

In mid-July we redesigned the Review-Journal — a larger story typeface and new headline fonts as part of an overall makeover. Most have applauded the "crisper, cleaner" look. Others, however, have found it a "disappointment."

I asked for feedback from readers, and they eagerly (though not always happily) obliged. More than 500 emails poured in. Dozens called. Some wrote letters. Few left any doubt where the stood on the re-do.

More than 65 percent of those who responded found it refreshing.

Tom Teates, a reader since 2002, said: "I'm very impressed with the changes you have made. I know what good newspapers look like ... coming from Washington, D.C."

John V. Bremseth had this to say: "Kudos to you and your staff for the new look!!! I love the somewhat larger type size as well as the increased spacing. It is so much easier to read than the previous format."

About 300 writers echoed similar sentiments. There were so many "I love it" comments, I lost count.

Not everyone was impressed, however. They pulled no punches. There were so many "I hate it" comments, I lost count.

"The fonts make the paper appear as a class assignment in a graphics class, still in progress," wrote Carol, who didn't include her last name. "Bold, italic, block, serif, sans serif. ... Make a decision and go with it."

Robert Poll had been out of town when the changes occurred. He got an unpleasant surprise when he returned. "I went on vacation in July and was dismayed to find, when I got back, that the paper had been emasculated. It looked like a paper from a podunk town instead of from an area with a two million plus population."

Yikes. Change can be difficult for everyone. Those of us in the newsroom also have had our frustrations dealing with the changes and the new processes that came with them.

I hope we can all agree that it's a work in progress.

Many of the complaints revolved around the crossword puzzles, the sports "agate" (the small type on the page with the Major League Baseball box scores, the Scoreboard page, etc.) and several very bad endings to stories. Many of those issues have been fixed or soon will be.

And then there are the crime maps in the View, our weekly community news publications. One reader described the new maps as "useless." I won't argue with that. When it comes to design, I'm reminded of a quote by Apple founder Steve Jobs: "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like; it's how it works."

In the case of the crime maps, they're not working. Though we have been wrestling with the designers to fix them, they're not yet right. Next week for certain ... I hope.

We've made many other adjustments based on the feedback you've provided, and there are more in the works. Your expectations are very high, thank goodness. We may never exceed them, but we'll never quit trying.

Thank you for writing and calling.

READER ADVISORY BOARD

Our first Reader Advisory Board gathered on Wednesday. We selected 15 readers, and 11 attended. Some were traveling or had other conflicts.

What great feedback they provided on our content. Some of it involved the redesign, but most revolved around reporting, writing and editing. Not surprisingly, their news priorities varied widely. Some like lots of national and international coverage, while others are more tuned in to local reporting. On typos, it was unanimous: They hate them. The feedback came in waves.

All who attended read the R-J regularly on all its platforms. That's important to us, because our readership finds the content in different ways, including through our phone and tablet "apps" and on their desktop computers. To make improvements in all, we need comments from people who are familiar with all.

It's quite a diverse group in every way. Two are twin sisters, Michaela and Nicolle Chesin, students at the College of Southern Nevada and voracious readers of news. As a newsman, I was impressed. Something tells me I'm going to learn a lot from the way they consume news, and not just news from the R-J. I'll meet with our new advisers monthly until after the first of the year, and then we'll empanel a new group. I'll keep you updated on their recommendations.

Mike Hengel is editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. You can reach him via email at mhengel@reviewjournal.com, or phone: 702-387-2906. Follow him on Twitter: @mhengel