New Sunday section takes new look at TV, travel, things to do
Change, we know, is inevitable. Change for the better is imperative.
"Not only is everything changing, but everything exists in relationship to something else that is changing. If you or your products don't grow, improve and evolve, as in nature -- they (and you) will face extinction."
-- Robert J. Kriegel, "If it Ain't Broke...Break It!"
Newspapers have defied a host of predictions of impending extinction over the past century, continually finding ways to succeed by adapting to changing reader needs and habits. It's no secret that we're currently undergoing another period of upheaval in what readers want and need from their local newspaper, but that doesn't keep us from being able to modify our product. Indeed, it behooves us to re-examine what we do and what you want and to make sure the two are in sync.
Enter "Your Time."
Beginning this Sunday, we'll launch a new family-oriented entertainment section that combines functions of two of our previous sections -- the TV guide and our Going Places travel section -- and adds new features that can help you better enjoy life in and around the suburbs.
Your Time aims to highlight and explore practical activities that can appeal to anyone in the suburbs. In our inaugural edition, for example, we show some ways to enjoy Arlington Park without betting and we take you to heritage farms where you and your family can experience an aspect of the region's development you may not often think about. We'll also look ahead to the best entertainment values and experiences of the coming week and provide an extensive calendar of city and suburban attractions.
While our travel offerings in Your Time focus less on the more exotic destinations found in Going Places, we'll still help you find life-enriching places to visit outside the Chicago-area -- with a look this week at the ways a city family can revel in the outdoor magnificence of the Great Northwest in Oregon state. And we also retain some other valuable travel-related features -- such as day trips worth checking out, advice for dealing with air travel and help troubleshooting unpleasant travel surprises.
The section is a natural setting for movie listings, so those will move to Your Time from their previous home in Neighbor. That, in turn, allows us to move the obituaries out of the Business section and into the more appropriate setting of Neighbor news.
We are often nervous about making changes to our TV section and disrupting a presentation that emphasizes usefulness to a devoted audience. But the wrap-around TV section that is a dominant feature of Your Time includes a variety of features that TV readers have long wanted. The listings type is larger and easier to read. We bring back the popular TV crossword puzzle, provide a breakout for sports programming and add listings for late-night viewers.
Yes, things are changing. The TV section won't quite look like the separate and distinct insert magazine you are familiar with, and many of the attractions of the former Going Places section are folded into a new environment that will look and feel different.
But we hope you'll also come to find that both the television and travel functions -- as well as the new entertainment additions you'll find -- also look and feel better. Change, we know, is inevitable. Change for the better is imperative. We think we've found that balance, and we look forward to hearing your reactions.