Everyone has done it. We walk into a newspaper shop, and as we reach for the Telegraph, or the Guardian we have that quick though flash through our head: We want to read these bigger broadsheet papers but the others are just so much more appealing. Smaller size is easier to read on the bus, tube, anywhere.
Many publications have thought of this in recent times. The Independent took the plunge and went compact with favourable results. The Times soon followed, even the Guardian changing their size to a more manageable 'Berliner' format.
Finally, it seems, Ireland's media have got with the programme. While the Irish Star's 'Ireland RIP' front page may have grabbed all the headlines in the past week, it may have gone unnoticed that The Sunday Tribune have changed their size to a compact.
Now, I would have bought the Sunday Tribune quite a lot and even contributed a few small stories. It is a paper that I would have a lot of time for, not least for its in depth sports coverage. Miguel Delaney, Ewan McKenna and Malachy Clerkin are all in the top notch bracket of journalists in the country.
The format isn't hugely different, same columns from the same people, but the reading experience certainly was. As I travelled round the country at GAA games last summer I found it very hard to read the broadsheet size, so this new paper is a joy.
So the message is clear: Change the size, it doesn't diminish the quality!
