Berliner (format)
Berliner, or "midi", is a newspaper format with pages normally measuring about 315 mm × 470 mm (12.4 in × 18.5 in). The Berliner format is slightly taller and marginally wider than the tabloid/compact format; and is both narrower and shorter than the broadsheet format.[1]
Contents |
European newspapers [edit]
The Berliner format is used by many European newspapers, including dailies such as Le Monde in France, Le Temps in Switzerland, La Repubblica and La Stampa in Italy, De Morgen, Le Soir and Het Laatste Nieuws in Belgium, Mladá fronta Dnes and Lidové noviny in the Czech Republic, and (since 12 September 2005) The Guardian[2] and The Observer in the United Kingdom, and others such as Expresso in Portugal and Jurnalul Național or Evenimentul Zilei in Romania. The French financial newspaper Les Échos changed to this format in September 2003, and the largest daily papers in Croatia (Večernji list), Serbia (Politika) and Montenegro (Vijesti), are also in this format. The most recent European newspaper to join this trend is Het Financieele Dagblad, the daily Dutch newspaper that is focused on business and financial matters (March 26, 2013). Student publication The University Observer became Ireland's first Berliner-sized paper in September 2009.
The name refers to the city of Berlin, and was originally contrasted with "North German" and "French" sizes in the early 20th century. Although the daily Berliner Zeitung is occasionally called simply Berliner, it is not printed in Berliner format. In fact, only two German national dailies use Berliner format: Die Tageszeitung (generally known as the "taz"); and the Junge Welt, which in 2004 abandoned the unique slightly-larger-than-A4 size that had distinguished it since the early 1990s. The majority of the national quality dailies use the larger broadsheet format known as "nordisch", measuring 570 mm × 400 mm (22.44 in × 15.75 in).
North American newspapers [edit]
The daily Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Indiana, began using Berliner format for its daily edition on 31 July 2006. It was the first newspaper in North America to be produced in this format.[3] The Chronicle in Laurel, Mississippi, which begin publication in April 2012 uses the Berliner layout. The Bucks County Herald in Lahaska, Pennsylvania, began using Berliner format in 2009. Major papers such as the Chicago Tribune and The Cincinnati Enquirer have tested the format.
Since then, numerous broadsheet newspapers throughout the United States and Canada have adopted a page format similar to Berliner, though some may use a taller page. In some instances, only the width has changed from the typical broadsheet page, and the height has remained the same or close to it. For example, the New York Times used a 22-inch (559 mm) tall by 13.5-inch (343 mm) wide page, but in 2007 downsized to 22 by 12 in (559 by 305 mm).[4][5] It still refers to itself as a broadsheet, even though its size is closer to Berliner.
Asian newspapers [edit]
The business daily Mint, a collaboration with the Indian media house Hindustan Times Media Limited (HTML) and The Wall Street Journal, is the latest to be launched in the Berliner format on 1 February 2007. In Nepal, the Nepali Times is the latest and the only newspaper using this format.
In Pakistan, the English daily Pakistan Today is published in the Berliner format.
Also, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz is published in this format (18 February 2007).
Though very rarely used in the Metropolitan Manila, the Berliner is the most popular format in the Philippines. In the Ilocandia, some of the well-known names are the Zigzag Weekly, the Northern Dispatch — commonly called as Nordis — and the Northern Philippine Times.
In the Visayas, the Panay News (Visayas’ most widely circulated newspaper) also uses this format.
Though not published for commercial purposes, the official publication of the Caritas Manila uses a slightly narrower Berliner format.
In March 2009, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo adopted the Berliner format, becoming the first Korean newspaper to do so.
Also in the same month, Turkey's Gazete Habertürk or Zaman adopted a variation of this format as 350 by 500 mm (13.78 by 19.69 in) and became the first Turkish newspaper to do so. The format is called as Ciner Format because it is unique.
On 1 June 2012, the UAE's leading English language newspapaper, Gulf News, adopted the Berliner format.
South American newspapers [edit]
The Buenos Aires Herald, a daily Argentine newspaper founded in 1876, uses the Berliner format.
Jornal do Brasil, a daily Brazilian newspaper founded in 1891, was published in Berliner from 16 April 2006 until 31 August 2010, when the newspaper ceased to publish its physical issue and transferred all activities to the internet. Initially, only the newsstand edition was in that format, but its success made the format switch extend later to the subscriber's edition, which until then remained in broadsheet format.
In 2008, Salvador-based Correio* (formerly Correio da Bahia) switched to Berliner, also from broadsheet.
After being sold by Organizações Globo to J. Hawilla's Grupo Traffic, Diário de S. Paulo, which was a broadsheet, switched to Berliner, bringing it in line with its sister publications under Rede Bom Dia.
Other parts of the world [edit]
In February 2010, Mauritius's century-old Le Mauricien adopted the Berliner format with full-colour content, thus becoming the first evening national paper in the country to adopt this format.
Gulf News in Dubai adopted the Berliner format beginning with its 1 June 2012 edition.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://rebuildingmedia.corante.com/archives/2005/09/22/the_new_guardian_intelligent_design_in_newspaper.php
- ^ Cozens, Claire (1 September 2005). "New-look Guardian launches on September 12". MediaGuardian (London: Guardian News and Media).
- ^ Gerrety, Joe (2006-07-30). "Black, white and read all over: The J&C changes again". Journal & Courier (Lafayette). Retrieved 2007-12-04.
- ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (2006-12-04). "In Tough Times, a Redesigned Journal". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
- ^ "The New York Times Plans to Consolidate New York Print Run at Newest Facility in College Point, Queens and Sublease Older Edison, New Jersey, Printing Plant in Early 2008" (Press release). The New York Times Company. 2006-07-18. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
External links [edit]
- How we got the measure of a Berliner (discussing the Guardian's switch to the format)
