Official welcome, eh

Think of it as a Bob and Doug McKenzie-inspired Canadian corner in the news design webworld.

SND regions 9 and 10, representing Western and Eastern Canada, have joined forces to create a Canadian-only blog on the SND website to help Canadian members stay on top of the latest design news and happenings from Victoria to St. John's. The blog had a soft launch a few weeks ago, but we now want to get the word out about it to every SND member in Canada.

If you have not dropped by the site yet, here is what you have missed: timely coverage of the Toronto Star's redesign, the award-winning NNA presentation category portfolio, daily coverage of the Canadian Newspaper Association get-together in Winnipeg and reaction to The Globe and Mail's redesign. In addition, the site now has direct links to all 17 Canadian front pages posted on the Newseum site, allowing for a rapid-fire survey of Canadian visual journalism.

Several of our breaking news items have been featured on the main SND blog as well.

Although we are still looking for more volunteers, we have a pretty dynamic crew already. Initiators of this site were Region 9 Director Gordon Preece of the Winnipeg Free Press, Region 10 director Michael Bird of The Globe and Mail, Region 18 SND/FR director Lucie Lacava of Lacava Design Inc., and SND Vice President Gayle Grin of the National Post. SND web editor Kenney Marlatt is providing some amazing technical support.

Other contributors include Nicole MacAdam of The Globe and Mail, Ron Wadden of the National Post, Steve Murray of the National Post, Janet Matiisen of the Calgary Herald, Susan McDonough of the Ottawa Citizen, Justin Stahlman of Le Journal de Montreal and Adam Sommerfeld of Lacava Design.

We are looking for more volunteers, particularly from Eastern and Western Canada. If you are interested, please let us know. Gordon Preece , Michael Bird, Lucie Lacava and Gayle Grin

And if you have a tip, shoot an e-mail to the SND's Canadian Web desk or to any of the crew members above.

Toronto Star redesigns

The redesigned Toronto Star hit the streets today, with a cleaner look, larger body type and a pared-down selection of sections. Gone is the distinctive blue ribbon behind the flag (replaced by a smaller one just above) and soon to be gone is another inch in width as the paper gradually shrinks to 11.5 x 22 inches by October. The paper's local section has been rolled into the main A section and the various lifestyles sections (Food, Fashion) have been rolled into one section, titled "Living." Thestar.com also got a minor tweak and clean-up.

Body type is custom-designed Torstar Text, set at 10.25 points on 11 points of leading. Read more about the changes in their on-line readers guide.
Editor-in-chief J. Fred Kuntz promises:

• A renewed emphasis on local coverage. We are dedicating most of the A section to news from the Greater Toronto Area.
  A new World & Comment section.


• Simpler and clearer naming of sections. For example, it's Living six days a week, instead of I.D. or Food or Fashion or Health or Shopping. And it's Entertainment instead of Buzz or Movies or What's On.


• Don't get us wrong ‚Äì changing section names does not mean dropping content. We still continue to bring you topnotch coverage of food and fashion and health. It's all there in Living.


• And on Saturdays, the Weekend Living section will be wide-ranging, with more pages and all of the great content that was in the former Life and Shopping sections.

No response from readers yet posted on-line, but feel free to have at it here.

STAR PREVIEWS ITS NEW LOOK

The Toronto Star has let the cat out of the bag. While most papers go to great lengths to keep their redesign projects top secret until the big day, the Star rolled out a two-page redesign readers' guide in its Saturday and Sunday editions, complete with images of sample sections fronts constructed on a five-column grid and a new body type sample, more than a week before its May 28 launch. See pdf here


The readers' guide lays out four key changes:
1 'Bigger body type': The Star's custom Torstar Text will increase in size from 9.9 over 10 to 10.25 over 11.
2 'Easier to handle': The Star will gradually move to a 11.5 inch page from the existing 12.5 inch size over the next five months.
3 'Focus on local news': The Star is moving Greater Toronto News "to the front of the line" A-section, made way by creating a new section for world news and comment.
4 'New and improved daily sections': The Star will expand coverage of lifestyles in a new Living section, focusing on health, food, family, relationships and other topics.

In a Saturday Star A2 column, Editor-in-Chief Fred Kuntz admitted that many readers dislike change. "But no newspaper should stagnate," he said. "We will embrace any change that heightens your enjoyment of the newspaper."

"That's why we began this project by improving our understanding of readers -- and seeing how every reader is different. Many will jump to their favourite section first. Some are fans of one columnist, or devotees of certain puzzles or comics. With 2.9 million Star readers a week in print and online, that's a lot of interests to satisfy.

"We conducted in-depth readership surveys, and met with groups of readers in person to review our plans."

WINNING PORTFOLIO

NNA UPDATE Here are Genevieve Biloski's winning pages from the National Newspaper Awards in Winnipeg on May 19. Genevieve, who won the presentation category, is a designer for the National Post's daily Arts & Life section andweekly Toronto magazine. She has been at the paper since February 2006 and this is her first NNA. Previously she was a designer at Maclean's for 3 years. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design in 2005.

The other nominees were Cinders McLeod of The Globe and Mail and Philippe Tardif of La Presse.

Congratulations again, Genevieve!

'Sleeker' Star: new sections, larger type, increased local coverage

The Toronto Star plans to roll out a dramatic redesign on Monday, May 28.

Word is the Star is thrilled by how fast the project, headed up by design boss Charlie Kopun, was pulled together - less than five months.

"Newspapers typically take a few years to go through this process, but it seems inconceivable in this day and age to take that long to bring a new version to market," said Star publisher Jagoda Pike. "So we said we were going to change the cycle and get out to market as quickly as we can."
The new-look Star is expected to feature:

• Bigger body type - 10.25 over 11;


• Cleaner crisper headlines with sections clearly labeled and colour-coded;


• A move towards an 11.5-inch page, a first for major North American broadsheets;


• Enhanced local news coverage with Toronto and GTA content moving to the A section;


• A new World & Comment section, published Monday through Saturday;


• A new daily and weekend Living section.

In a story that ran in the Star on May 3, Jagoda Pike said the increase in body type size will translate into less content in "some cases," but the editorial team is countering that issue by experimenting with smaller headlines.

"We are going to use the space more effectively for good storytelling," editor-in-chief Fred Kuntz said. "I'm not interested in story count or number of words. The most important thing is to hit the topics that readers are most interested in."

Jagoda Pike also announced a move towards modular adverstising, starting in January. "We are the only medium that sells ads by any size," she said.

Links:
Star news release
Star story
And story on Media in Canada site

NNA NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY

An emotional Peter McCabe of Canadian Press accepts the Award for News Photography, at the NNA Awards dinner Friday evening.

NNA's A CLUCKING SUCCESS

The Friday Night gala was a fantastic success. Emceed by Brad Oswald, (Winnipeg Free Press TV columnist and local standup comic) in a Tux and Doug Speirs, Free Press humour columnist, in a kilt and chicken suit. One of those "you had to be there moments".



Between award presentations, they entertained the enthusiastic crowd with top ten lists of why Winnipeg should be the Centre of the Universe, wacky lymrics and even a song written for the evening called simply Belinda, roasting Belinda Stronich.

The Awards of course highlighted the best in Canadian Journalism:


Highlights:

Lisa Rochon of The Globe and Mail won her second straight NNA for Arts and Entertainment.

David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen won in both Beats and in Politics. The two awards boosted his total to three. He last won in 2002.

There were 32 first-time nominees and they won 11 of the 20 awards.

Yves Boisvert won for Column work. He first won for Short Features in 2004.


The winners and runners-up in the visual catagories:



Editorial Cartooning:
Winner, Marc Beaudet, Le Journal de Montreal
Runners-up--Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail; Graham Harrop, The Vancouver Sun.

Feature Photography:
Winner, Gord Waldner of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix for a photo of a little girl with Santa Claus
Runners-up, Colin O'Connor, National Post, for a photo of children perched on branches of a tree in Uganda; Lyle Stafford, Reuters, for a photo of PM Stephen Harper getting his nose tweaked.

News Photography:
Winner, Peter McCabe for a photo of Dawson College students fleeing out of a doorway while a police officer, with the body of the suspect at his feet, trains his weapon on the doorway, not sure if there are more gunmen;
Runners-up, Luc Laforce, Le Journal de Montréal, for a photo of emergency personnel hustling a wounded student away from Dawson College in the aftermath of the September shooting; Bruce Stotesbury of the Victoria Times Colonist for a photo of an anguished protester who was forced to find open air to escape the effects of tear-gas.

Presentation:
Winner: Genevieve Biloski, National Post,
Runners-up, Cinders McLeod, Globe and Mail; Philippe Tardif, La Presse, Montreal.


Sports Photography:
Winner, Steve Russell of the Toronto Star for a photo of a controversial and disallowed goal scored by Canada’s Rick Nash on Swiss goalie Martin Gerber;
Runners-up, J.P. Muczulski of Reuters for an extreme closeup of a tumble involving Jorge Garbajosa of the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers Steven Hunter in a pro basketball game; Ryan Remiorz of The Canadian Press for a photo of jubilant B.C. Lions holding pieces of a broken Grey Cup after their win over the Montreal Alouettes

AND THE WINNER IS

Genevieve Biloski, National Post

Beating out Cinders McLeod, The Globe and Mail and Philippe Tardif, La Presse, Montreal.

CNA AWARDS DINNER

Well folks I'm off to dine with the elite in newspaper publishing, dressed in my finest and looking forward to an entertaining evening... don't forget the chicken.

Presentation nomiees are:

Genevieve Biloski, National Post
Cinders McLeod, The Globe and Mail
Philippe Tardif, La Presse, Montreal.

La Presse designers in Montreal have been nominated for a fifth straight year in Presentation. Designers from the newspaper have won this award four years in a row. Could this be five.

Will update you tomorrow.

cheers

CNA BITS

WHEN WE HAVE A BIG JOB TO DO...

We send in our big shooters.

Free Press photgrapher Boris Minkevich chats with Free Press publisher Andy Ritchie during the opening reception Wednesday evening.

CNA WINNIPEG / DAY 2

Coverage of Leonard Asper's (CEO of CanWest Global Communications Corp.) Thursday noon hour address to CNA delagates as reported in the Winnipeg Free Press Business section.

Papers down, not out:
Asper Says print media can compete with evolving online competitors

By Martin Cash

According to Leonard Asper's hockey analogy, the newspaper industry may be down by a couple of goals after the first two periods, but it can still win the game against its online competitors.

Speaking to about 450 members of the Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA) in Winnipeg on Thursday, the CEO of CanWest Global Communications Corp., which owns the largest group of newspapers in the country, said that newspapers' advantage over the online world, which has a bunch of all-stars" is that it owns valuable content.

It just has to figure out the right way to disseminate that content online in addition to the traditional printed form. Asper said he believes there is plenty of resolve and ability to ensure a strong future for the newspaper industry.

"We can win by defending our zone, our local markets, and by playing the game in their end zone," he said. "If we do that, I think we stand a good chance of at least scoring the next goal."

Asper was referring to the fragmentation of newspapers' core audience and advertisers by online information and entertainment sources. He said it's crucial that the Canadian newspaper industry, with $3.5 billion in annual revenues, use its brand integrity and establish the right kind of online platforms to deliver its content in a way the changing audience wants it.

"There is so much more the web is going to offer." he said in an interview. "YouTube didn't really exist a year-and-a-half ago. No one in the newspaper business can predict what the media will look like in three or five years from now. We need to build a platform to accommodate new users' desires."

He said if newspapers can build the kind of web presence that attracts people, then when the next new way to use content is invented, they'll have a web presence in place to exploit that.

"They will already be going to our shopping mall, not someone else's shopping mall," he said. Anne Kothawala, president of the CNA, said online strategies are at the top of the agenda for newspapers across the country. "Clearly the biggest issue for the industry is how to monetize online content," she said.

Rob Curley, the head of product development for Washingtonpost. Newsweek Interactive, perhaps the leading figure in online developments for newspapers, stressed that since newspapers have a legacy as the leading provider of news and information in their respective communities, they need to figure out ways to carve out that same niche on the web.

"In every local market in the world, newspapers are synonymous with the news," he said. "If we screw it up (the newspapers' presence online) it's our own fault." Curley is now bringing the award-winning, online work he accomplished at small papers in Lawrence, Kan. and Naples, Fla. to the Washington Post organization. He said newspapers ought to provide the day's stories on their websites, but they need to do much more.

Among other things, they also need to morph into multimedia organizations, he said, where the day's news, and richer, more detailed content, is delivered so that it's accessible to all online devices. That includes wireless ones like iPods and cellphones.

CNA WINNIPEG / DAY 1

Seminars, a speech by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada and an lively and entertaining opening reception sponsored by the Winnipeg Free Press, marked the first full day of events.

The seminars:

A NEWSPAPER COMPANY WITH A BROAD AUDIENCE
The future is now, learn how some North American newspapers are transitioning from the current model of circulation, readership, visitors and page views to a world where audience is the metric. Hear how you can leverage the total footprint and reach your newspaper's portfolio of products, Change your destiny by leveraging, selling and communicating your market share B2B and newspaper to consumer. Speakers: Mark Cohen, Director Sales/Marketing, The Florida Times-Union; Chris Kouba, Director of Content and Strategic Development, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk

THE SECOND CURVE:
MANAGING THE VELOCITY OF CHANGE
Ian Morrison, futurist and author, will share his long-term forecasting on changing business environments and theorize on the evolution of the newspaper business model. His theory is that companies must ride the first curve a company's traditional business carried out in a familiar corporate climate to the all-important second curve. The second curve is the future, the new technologies, new consumers and new markets that companies must command to survive and thrive. Sponsored by Markets Initiative

CANADA'S MEDIA LEADERS IN CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE
A panel of senior executives at several of Canada's newspaper companies explores the future of print and online and the steps needed to thrive.Speakers: Dennis Skulsky, CanWest MediaWorks; Jagoda Pike, Toronto Star; Phillip Crawley, The Globe and Mail; Natalie Larivière, Transcontinental; Julia Kamula, Osprey Media; Peter Kvarnstrom, Glacier Ventures; Andy Ritchie, Winnipeg Free Press. Moderator: Alan Allnutt, Montreal Gazette

****************

Need a passport.... maybe not

The U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins spoke on issues affecting US/Canada relations. Commenting on the passport situation to reporters after a meeting with Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz, Wilkins hinted that high-tech driver's licenses could be used to cross the border instead of passports as originally planned by the U.S. government.

****************

PARTY TIME

Over 500 attended the opening reception at The Club Regent Casino. They were greeted by Lieutenant Governor John Harvard, Premier Gary Doer, and Winnipeg Free Press publisher Andy Ritchie, after decending a staircase through an opening in a 3 story indoor rock wall and waterfall into the reception area. Guests drank and dined for 4 hours, while being entertained by nonstop performers from Manitoba, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, illusionist Brian Glow, the world famous Rulsaka dancers, violiniist Sarah Noble and native performers and dancers.


As everyone left, they received a gift pack which included copy of the recently released Winnipeg Free Press hard cover coffee table book "THE HERMETIC CODE".

****************

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT
Leonard Asper, CanWest Global Canwest Global Communications will be the keynote luncheon speaker.

Not newspaper-y, but definitely design-y

Once a day, you should find something that really turns your crank, from a design perspective. For me, today, it's the Apod.

The what-pod? Is this another product from the brainiacs at Apple?

Heck no. What some clever British design team has done is find a way to gussy up the drab, every-day asthma inhaler. With asthma rates in children rising at alarming rates, what says "Hey kids, breathe easy - look at the groovy gadget you get to play with" better than a colourful carrying case? There's even a glow in the dark version!

CNA BITS from "THE PEG"

A BUNCH OF TURKEYS

No, not the CNA delegates... i mean real ones. Winnipeg has been overrun with wild turkeys the past couple of weeks.... perched in trees downtown and walking across busy streets in the trendy Osborne village area. They may find themselves on a dinner plate at Friday's gala.

GLOBETROTTING GLOBERS

Those folks from the Globe love to travel... either that or they can't stand to be apart. I'm told about three dozen of them have made the trip here for the festivities.

IT'S HEAT'N UP

32 degrees here today.... summertime and the partying is easy.

CNA's come to "the Peg"

Hi folks.... my first entry into the the world of blogging and starting with a bang here in Winnipeg.


For the first time in its history, CNA will join with the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Canadian Circulation Managers Association for Newspapers '07 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Upwards of 450 delegates are expected to attend this joint convention which will attract newspaper industry executives from all departments.

The annual event starts today, May 9, and ends Friday night at the National Awards Gala. All

Everthing will kick off tonight at an opening reception at the Club Regent Casino, and ends Friday night at the National Awards Gala. The seminars and gala dinner will all be held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. You can check out the program here.

The sessions cover an amazing broad range of topics, including;

HOW BRAND DIVERSITY & CONSUMER INSIGHT DRIVE GROWTH: The rapidly evolving media landscape requires newspaper companies to transform their strategy, business model and organization to drive growth.

THE SECOND CURVE: MANAGING THE VELOCITY OF CHANGE: Ian Morrison, futurist and author, will share his long-term forecasting on changing business environments and theorize on the evolution of the newspaper business model.

CANADA'S MEDIA LEADERS IN CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE: A panel of senior executives at several of Canada’s newspaper companies explores the future of print and online and the steps needed to thrive.

FROM THE PRINT PRODUCT TO THE ONLINE WORLD: Rob Curley, vice-president of product development for the Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, is an online innovator and his prior work at the Naples, Florida, Daily News; the small market Lawrence Journal-World in Kansas; and with Morris Communications has made him a critically-acclaimed innovative legend at age 35.

A NEWSPAPER COMPANY WITH A BROAD AUDIENCE: The future is now, learn how some North American newspapers are transitioning from the current model of circulation, readership, visitors and page views to a world where audience is the metric.

HOW NEWSPAPERS CAN REGAIN THEIR COMPETITIVE EDGE:

BUILDING A MORE STRATEGIC, FUTURE-FOCUSED NEWSROOM:

NEWSPAPER NEXT: A BLUEPRINT FOR TRANSFORMATION: The American Press Institute's study of innovation presents a path for newspapers to follow in transforming to successful multi-platform information companies.

50 IDEAS TO TRY AT YOUR NEWSPAPER:

TO BE FREE AND COMPACT: The trend to free and compact is not just a European phenomenon.

THE VIDEO NEWSPAPER: Session explores how newspapers can employ low-cost methods and critical visual editing techniques for making and distributing engaging, interactive news films to help newsrooms of any size can increase their video reporting expertise.

not to mention...
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CANADA DAVID WILKINS: David Wilkins, the flamboyant U.S. ambassador to Canada, will make a special stop on his way to Vancouver to speak to the delegation.

I will update you over the next few days.....

BREAKING NEWS: I have inside information that the awards dinner will be hosted by a not so young lad in a kilt ... a chicken ... and another mystery person (tracking that one down). You heard it here first.

Cheers for now and welcome to SND's Blog Canada.

Lock-out, strike and Média Matin Québec

UPDATE (May 10, 2007)

MédiaMatin will continue to publish as another court injunction was denied today

On April 24, 2007 a new free daily newspaper paper called MédiaMatin Québec was launched by 120 editorial and office employees who were locked out at Quebecor's Le Journal de Québec. Eighty press workers then followed in a supportive strike.

• Free 24-page tabloid

• Considering doubling the press run from 40,000 to 80,000 and soliciting advertising to make the paper self-sufficient.

• Competes with Le Journal de Québec - which Quebecor has continued to produce in Toronto - and with Quebec City's other daily, Le Soleil.

Du déjà vu
Grant Robertson, media reporter for the Globe and Mail notes with irony how the Journal de Québec and the Journal de Montreal were themselves successfully launched 40 years ago during newspaper strikes at Montreal's La Presse and Quebec City's Le Soleil.

MédiaMatin intends to publish as long as the lock-out persists while a Quebecor spokesman says Quebecor is trying to find a way to halt publication of MédiaMatin.

Legal battle
Quebecor spokesman Luc Lavoie charged the union was just waiting for the lockout to spring its rival paper and Quebecor is looking for legal ways to shut it down. The Quebec Superior Court rejected the Quebecor/Sun Media request for a provisional injunction to stop the publication of MédiaMatin.

But both sides were anticipating the lock-out. Le Journal de Québec created a backup newsroom at the Toronto Sun, which also belongs to Quebecor, and shifted its classified advertising operation to Kanata in Ottawa.

Le Journal made in Toronto
So the largest French-language daily in Quebec's capital city... is being produced in Toronto on the third floor of the Toronto Sun. (No Toronto Sun union members are doing work on Le Journal de Québec)

MédiaMatin Québec
735, av. Pruneau
Local 150
Québec
(418) 688-5550


More info here and here and here

REDESIGN CHATTER

NewsDesigner's posting on The Globe and Mail's redesign is generating a lot of action in the comment department. Last we looked, there were 60 posts, including a few, er, colourful exchanges between Toronto type designer Nick Shinn and a couple of other commenters. As SND vice prez Gayle Grin says, it's an "incredible dialogue," so check it out if you missed it.
And there is the equally active (60 comments over two pages) thread over on Typophile

TONIA COWAN JOINS THE GLOBE

Tonia Cowan will join The Globe and Mail's visual operation as graphics editor beginning Monday, May 28. Tonia began her career with Canadian Press before moving to New York where she spent six years with the Associated Press and four years with Newsweek prior to returning to Canada to join The Toronto Star in 2003.
Tonia holds a B.A. in fine art with a minor in political science from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Her work has been recognized by the Society for News Design and the Malofiej International Infographics Awards. She also created several graphics for Charles Hanley's Pulitzer Prize winning No Gun Ri story.

Welcome to THE CANADA BLOG

Welcome to The Canada Blog, a news design blog for and about Canada's vibrant design community.

Regions 9 and 10, representing Western and Eastern Canada, have joined forces to create a unified site to help keep you up to date with Canadian design happenings.

Although we do not have all the bloggers together yet, we have a pretty dynamic crew already. All of you know Region 9 Director Gordon Preece, art director of the Winnipeg Free Press; and Michael Bird, Region 10 Director and Deputy Editor of Presentation and Editing at The Globe and Mail. And me, Gayle Grin, Managing Editor, Design and Graphics, National Post, SND Vice President.

Others on the team so far are Nicole MacAdam, Deputy Editor, Presentation and Editing, Report on Business, The Globe and Mail; Ron Wadden, National Post's Financial Post Design Editor; Steve Murray, comic book illustrator and part of National Post graphics department; Janet Matiisen, Senior News Editor, Design, Calgary Herald; Susan McDonough, Director of Design, The Ottawa Citizen; Justin Stahlman, graphic artist at Le Journal de Montreal (Justin has worked at several papers in Canada, The Montreal Gazette, Le Soleil, The Toronto Star as well as the U.S.); and Adam Sommerfeld, Directeur du design, Lacava Design.

More to come: Toronto Star is immersed in a redesign and cannot join us yet. And we are looking for more participants from Western Canada.

But here we are: The Canada Blog. Welcome!

If you should have a tip for The Canada Blog, please shoot us an e-mail to the SND's Canadian Web Desk at sndcanada@gmail.com