TD Redesigns Page A1?

I couldn't help but do a double-take this morning when I saw the Richmond Times-Dispatch's above-the-fold news treatment -- a "U.S. goes to war" sized headline and companion photo announcing that a diamond thief is going to jail. The rest of A1 was a fluffy assortment of photos with graphic arrows attempting to lure readers deeper into the folds of the newspaper. Either today is a real slow news day, or the Times-Dispatch has taken another step away from delivering something more than the headlines.

Comments

[Paul Hammond]

We had an interesting discussion here a while back on the value of the traditional media to the online blogging community. Jason Roop and others participated. It would be worth revisiting.

[GetRealRichmond]

All that was missing was a page one pic of Britney Spears or Angelina Jolie .....

[Jeff]

Did anyone notice that the page also mixed up the word "Mustang" and "Nation"? (note now the james river and metro captions look, compared to the other one). That paper literally made me sick to my stomach to see. Could be the all time worst idea ever.

[GetRealRichmond]

Too bad that Landmark has Style Weekly for sale. Wouldn't it be great if Landmark would be willing to pump some money into Style and take it DAILY? If ever there were a time when a rival Daily newspaper could just put the RT-D out of its sorryass misery, that time is now. The RT-D newsroom is so demoralized by the antics and excesses of Silvestri and Proctor that reporters are fleeing the place faster than sane people are fleeing City Hall. (In fact, the only place as dysfunctional as Richmond City Hall right now IS the RT-D newsroom). Chris Dovi, Amy Biegelson, Scott Bass and Jason Roop recently won far more awards at the VPA (Virginia Press Association) than the RT-D combined. Dovi and Biegelson CONSISTENTLY scoop the daily. CONSISTENTLY. A few more front pages like this one, maybe the "Powers That Be" at Landmark would consider waging an all-out newspaper war and use a StyleDaily to put the RT-D out of business?

[William]

Pathetic. Absolutely Pathetic.

[Mariane]

They've gone insane with desperation. I thought the huge cover story about Forbes magazine saying Richmond was a good place to do business -- which in past years was buried in the business pages because it's essentially a meaningless story -- was jumping the shark. This is crazy. Silvestri and Proctor are destroying this paper. I never thought I'd ever be a Richmond traditionalist, having felt like an outsider since I came here in 1969, but....I almost miss Cynthia McMullen's cat stories now and Jann Malone's empty-headed reveries looking out her window at her backyard.

[Mariane]

They've gone insane with desperation. I thought the huge cover story about Forbes magazine saying Richmond was a good place to do business -- which in past years was buried in the business pages because it's essentially a meaningless story -- was jumping the shark. This is crazy. Silvestri and Proctor are destroying this paper. I never thought I'd ever be a Richmond traditionalist, having felt like an outsider since I came here in 1969, but....I almost miss Cynthia McMullen's cat stories now and Jann Malone's empty-headed reveries looking out her window at her backyard.

[Mariane]

They've gone insane with desperation. I thought the huge cover story about Forbes magazine saying Richmond was a good place to do business -- which in past years was buried in the business pages because it's essentially a meaningless story -- was jumping the shark. This is crazy. Silvestri and Proctor are destroying this paper. I never thought I'd ever be a Richmond traditionalist, having felt like an outsider since I came here in 1969, but....I almost miss Cynthia McMullen's cat stories now and Jann Malone's empty-headed reveries looking out her window at her backyard.