Newspaper & Mailroom
Sun-Times Media Group Announces Innovative Changes to The Courier News
Monday 29. December 2008 - Chicago's Premier Newspaper Group Announces A New, Reader-Friendly Format, A Refreshing New Design And A Pledge To Increase Local News Coverage in the Elgin, Illinois, Area
Sun-Times Media Group, Inc. (OTCBB:SUTM), continuing its commitment to being the Chicago area’s best source of local news and information, announced today some exciting new format changes to The Courier News, the daily newspaper of record for Elgin, Illinois, and surrounding communities.
The Courier News will be redesigned to contain even more local content, more graphics and more of the intensely local information that Elgin-area residents want and need. The redesigned newspaper will launch on Monday, January 26, 2009 and will be converted into a portable, easy-to-read tabloid format. It will feature more in-depth and investigative reporting, more local features and more names and faces of Elgin-area residents — all reorganized into an easily digestible format perfect for the reader on the go.
The newspaper will also switch publishing schedules to publish every day Sunday through Friday, and will debut a new Weekend Edition debuting on Friday, January 30, 2009, combining all of the news and features found in its Friday and Saturday publications. The Courier News will continue to carry all of the great content readers have come to depend upon, including their favorite columnists, local news and features and sports stories.
“The Elgin area is important to the Sun-Times News Group family of newspapers and Web sites, and to the Chicago region. We believe readers and advertisers will be pleased with a more dynamic and local hometown newspaper,” said Fred Lebolt, President and Publisher of Fox Valley Publications, the publisher of the Courier News.
“On January 26, our readers and advertisers will see a completely redesigned, extremely locally focused Courier News,” Mr. Lebolt said. “The new Courier News will sport an easy-to-read, user-friendly new shape, a dynamic new design and a renewed commitment to be the unsurpassed source of local news, sports and information for the Elgin area. Our Web site, www.couriernewsonline.com, is committed to covering all breaking news as well, meaning Elgin-area readers never have to miss a bit of local news. And moving to a new tabloid format will allow us to better manage our cost structure.”
Advertisers will benefit from greater color advertising possibilities, premium placement opportunities, and the ability to increase the impact their ad will have on the page, said Robert Wall, Vice President of Advertising, Fox Valley Publications. “More attractive ad positions and feature sponsorships will heighten awareness and increase effectiveness of our advertisers’ message. We look forward to partnering with our advertisers on this exciting new path for The Courier News.”