The weekly edition of The Christian Science Monitor, launched in April 2009, gets a new look beginning with the April 9, 2012, issue. With almost three years of regular input from readers, the editors are now seeking to create a more engaging magazine and, at the same time, introduce some efficiencies to boost the Monitor’s overall financial stability. Clayton Collins, the weekly edition’s editor, answered questions about some of the upcoming changes.
The most exciting innovation grew naturally out of our need to operate with more efficiency. Our new eight-page One Week section selects the best of a week’s Monitor reporting online—hundreds of stories—and packages it in ways that add context and meaning. It’s energetic, a broad survey. There are other places in the issue to dive deeper into the news. And throughout the publication the old section borders between World and US News fall away to connect the whole story. That just seemed to be progressive, a right idea.
A smaller format—still 48 pages, but in a more standard magazine size—will save a great deal in paper, printing, and distribution costs. While deciding to change the page size, we knew we would have to design a product that readers valued more, not less.
