You are holding in your hands the future of the Abbotsford News.

After 87 years of publishing a broadsheet newspaper, The News has changed its format to a sleeker, easier to handle and contemporary tabloid.

It’s a bold new look and format.

This change was not made lightly. Earlier this year, The News commenced a series of discussions on format and content with readers and advertisers.

“Our mobile, high-tech world with the likes of Facebook, myspace and Twitter, together with faster, dynamic lifestyles, reflected the need for change within The News,” explains publisher Andrew Franklin.

The move to a new size heralds the paper’s biggest change for more than eight decades.

“The traditional broadsheet newspaper will become an easier to read and handle, compact-size newspaper. Seven inches shorter and almost two inches narrower will make The News much more portable in today’s world,” says Franklin.

While the size and format has changed, The News will continue to publish three times a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“We listened to our readers and overwhelmingly one thing was certain – we must continue to provide the high quality coverage our readers have come to expect,” says Franklin.

The switch to the increasingly popular ‘tab’ size was accelerated after careful consideration of demographics in Abbotsford, which reflect a young, diverse and dynamic community.

Internal statistics of online usage (abbynews.com) also provided important information in making this decision.

Within Black Press, The News website has the highest average number of ‘unique’ visitors in the company, along with the highest online interaction from its readers.

Since launching a Twitter site (twitter.com/abbynews), The News has become the most popular site in Abbotsford. The connection between print and the web is essential for The News, which is now positioned extremely well for the future.

“Our goal was to create a newspaper for the future that is modern but classic; authoritative but distinctive.”

The journalism and design are calm and confident. There will be more analysis, investigative work, and fresh features.

One of the newest features is our monthly entertainment magazine MyCity. Published the first Thursday of every month, MyCity features stories, entertainment listings, community events, recipes and much more to help plan your month.

MyCity is an important addition to the new look of The Abbotsford News.

“Working with two award-winning staff members, graphic artist Kevin Plastow and editor Andrew Holota, we have created a format that will continue to draw readers’ attention and provide advertisers with an unbeatable platform for consumer response,” Franklin says.

The paper’s focus will continue to be ‘hyper-local’ – with information you cannot get anywhere else.

Matching the impact of a major format change is a newly redesigned logo.

“The iconic Abbotsford News logo has run the test of time and now we are pleased to showcase our new modern and contemporary new look.”

This is the dawn of a new era for the Abbotsford News – we hope you approve.

If you have questions call the publisher at 604-851-4538, the editor at 604-85-4522 or email to whatdoyouthink@abbynews.com