Welcome to the new Spotlight. By now, you should have noticed all of the changes we’ve made to the paper’s design — a front page with the best images from the past week, a colorful and lively entertainment section and an eye-catching layout.
You may have also noticed the size of the pages shrank. That isn’t your imagination. We cut the size of the pages by 3 inches, but that allows you to see the full effect of our work because we will no longer mail folded.
Why would we essentially reinvent the wheel? Even the best newspapers have to make changes to their appearance in order to progress with the times. Having a front page that is equal parts art and copy can be boring to the eyes. Having a front page with a large, colorful picture will grab your eyes and pull you into the rest of the paper.
And we are continuing to make our paper a real page-turner for you. We remain committed to providing award-winning news and sports reporting about your community by focusing on what’s happening in our towns and schools.
We’re also making a commitment to providing readers an expanded look at the regional arts scene. Led by new art and entertainment writer Michael Hallisey, our new Spotlight News Living section includes stories about what’s going on in the greater Capital District. Whether it’s a play at Proctors, a concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall or a new exhibit at a local gallery, we’ll let you know about it. And you’ll be able to find this section all around the region, as we will be distributing it to Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga and Rensselaer counties.
We are excited to be making these updates to our news product to better reflect the needs of our readers and advertisers. Everyone here at Spotlight News has been working hard as a team to make this transition as smooth as possible, and we couldn’t be prouder about what we will be presenting to our customers.
There are adjustments we know you’ll have to make when reading our new paper. Our lead stories are no longer on the front page, sports no longer starts on the back page and our editorial page is no longer on Page 6. But we know with time, you’ll find your way to your favorite sections and enjoy everything else we have to offer. And as always, we welcome your feedback about the new look and with our coverage.
We have worked hard on this new version of Spotlight News. It’s better. It’s bolder. And it’s brighter.