from nypost.com
Keith Kelly gets the (ahem) confirmation: The New York Observer really is coming out with their redesign this week, a brand-new tabloid format that will be easier to read, hold, and capture your fleeting interest! It will still be salmon, but with a new logo and typeface (though from the looks of the pic it does seem like the classic little Observer man graphic is unchanged). The front cover won't feature the giant cartoon anymore (though it will have a smaller version) — instead it will be headlines and pics to tease the viewer inside to the "real" front page, according to Kelly. The Observer's famously long, long features (Bloggers drinking! Scocca You-Tubing!) will also be clipped, from 3,000 - 5,000 words to 2,000 - 2,5000, with more shorter stories (still, we should point out that 2,000 - 2,500 words is still quite long, especially for a tabloid). Also, the back page will be all-real estate, all the time as the Observer aims to flood that zone.
In the accompanying photo, Kaplan and Kushner look happy and excited about their new baby, and Kelly's version makes it sound like a fun romp to the finish line ("There's definitely a Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid thing going on here, and that's fine," said Kaplan), borne of many adrenaline-fueled nights to give readers "a new kind of newspaper to hold." Of course, the road to Wednesday's relaunch has been perhaps a little rockier, as ETP's Melissa Lafsky reported last week (Kelly refers to "reports of some friction in the overhaul" but Kaplan and Kushner say everyone's pleased as punch). ETP is a little sad to see the old Observer go, but then again we read it online, anyway. Either way, we wish the Observer and its plucky staff the best of luck with the relaunch — for that we'll go to a newsstand.
Change Comes To The Observer [NYP]
After Turbulence And Turnover, The Observer Prepares For Re-Launch [ETP]
