HATE it!!  Can't swap sections with hubby over breakfast table so both of us can read at the same time.  No national weather map.  Still didn't bring Non Sequitur back, either.  (Ok, well, THAT was just an add-on thought.)  Actually, though the use of color throughout is supposed to help guide readers' eyes, I found it very distracting.  So, to sum it all up... I HATE it!

I like it...always game for something new...kinda like when I'm in San Bernadino in the waiting room reading one of their papers down there....I don't mind switching from vanilla to strawberry ice cream from time to time.....

Like a previous reader, my husband and I have a daily routine of reading the paper together before breakfast.  We split up the paper and read it simultaneously.   We tried to do that with the new format - disaster!  I don't mind the size being different - perhaps infact it might be a little easier to handle but please please section it off within  the paper.  Why don't you have 2 sections - one for news and the other for Eye Street and Sports. As it is we are considering canceling the subscription and just getting local news online or from the TV.  Please consider your readers' wishes.  I haven't seen other papers use this format eg. USA Today, LA Times, Fresno Bee and SLO paper are all similar to your previous format.

While I can understand the paper swapping problem I to like the new format.

I bet there is a solution to the swapping thing.

Maybe the Californian can get the paper boy out to sell you a second subscription. :>)

I cannot agree more with the first post - If I wanted a tabloid I would buy the Enquirer.  A newspaper is supposed to provide a source of news and stories, carefully crafted by professional journalists.  The stories are written to objectively inform the public about the issues of the day, so we have a better educated community.  Volunteer stories (with their attendant bias); mere parrotting of press releases and "blogs" which are clearly opinion (though not noted as such by the editors) do not constitute a newspaper that will educate the public - as Ginger said in her piece, the paper is to sell advertising space.

Just be honest, call yourself the "Pennysaver" or "Photo Ads," and quit the falsehood of claiming to purvey news that informs.

I have wished the Californian well for many years - I hope that you find your journalistic star that you can follow again.  When that day comes, I will subscribe again.  Until then, I will follow the Californian lead and look to the internet as my exclusive source of news -

Smoke that last cigarette. The firing squad is on its way.

Depressing.  : (

I don't like it one bit.  I can't share the paper with my husband so we can read it at the same time.  The color highlighted ads in the classified are distracting.  Miss the detailed weather page.

 "The end draws nigh"

Add me to the list of those who can't share the paper with my tablemate.  The paper provided the usual daily "pollen count", but did not list what things (chenopods, grass, elm, etc.) were in the air!  The one paragraph snippets of national news are, of course, not informatiove and, frequently, misleading.  I have to go to the newspaper published in the area where the reported event took place to get the true facts.  Example:  Mayor injured in domestic dispute.  This headlie makes it sound like the mayor and his wife were involved in a fight.  Not so!  He saw a miscreant beating his wife, ran to try to stop the attack, and the miscreant took a pipe to the mayor and beat him.  The attack took place in front of the mayor's wife and children.  Change is not necessarily good!

Life is a series of adjustments.  I'll adjust to the change in the Bakersfield Californian too.

One thing I will point out, and I'm sure others will too, the TV listings were printed on two separare sheets of paper rather than the whole middle sheet.  This makes it hard to separate the listings from the rest of the paper when you toss the paper in the trash.  Poor planning guys!

Good night BC...I have can canceled my subscription. The idea that this anything other than an avenue to sell me a bunch of crap is gone. You had a good run as a great newspaper, but now its over. In 1-2 years this newspaper will be web based only with a weekend edition.

RIP BC!

My husband and I are both extremely disappointed with the new "tab," as Ginger so affectionately calls it.  As the world goes to hell in a handbasket, you can be assured the handbasket will be lined with the Californian.  Prior to the "new and improved" format, I paid months ahead on our subscription.  When I call in to cancel, I am going to ask that the remaining months of my unused subscription be prorated and credited back.  We certainly are not now getting the product for which we originally paid.  Sad, sad, sad.  The end of another era.

I am fine with the general format. I know Newspapers need to make hard changes to stay in business...and as one who reads the paper everyday,  I know that many great Newspapers have closed their doors or gone entirely On Line.  I would be heart broken if we lost our wonderful Newspaper.   There are two things I found to be a problem for me & probably lots of others. There is no way to share the paper with anyone else who wants to read it at the same time during the limited time we have in the mornings before work. Also...I have arthritis in my hands and with the paper all in one unit, it is too heavy for me to hold for any length of time. ( I read it sitting in my recliner watching the "Today" show)  Can you at least divide the Newspaper into 2 sections to solve these two issues?

Audrey,

"This makes it hard to separate the listings from the rest of the paper when you toss the paper in the trash."

You should be recycling those papers.

--virgil

 "I am fine with the general format."

Lots of color and it's very busy - kinda like the on-line edition.

--virgil

When I saw it on my driveway this morning at first I thought there was some mistake and they had only delivered the classfied ad section. Then I remembered they were going to tabloid. It's horrid, sad and pathetic, and the efforts to sell it as an improvement only make it more so. With only a handful of reporters left, there was already precious little real journalism going on, and the tabloid format only emphasizes that fact. I doubt I'll renew.

The new format is not couple-friendly.  How hard can it be to make this format but put it in sections that can be pulled apart?  The lack of national and international news was glaring and some of the local articles were totally ridiculous.  Let's put our thinking caps on and look into something better for the subscriber rather than the publisher.  If this format continues, I will cancel my subscription. 

After 40+ years of daily reading, CANCELLATION ACCOMPLISHED.  So long, old friend. 

My main complaint is I can't share sections with my husband. Also, because of arthritis in my hands, it's painful to hold the paper up for very long. I miss not being able to just remove the crossword sections to do later so that others can enjoy reading the paper without huge gaps in it.  I like the big headlines, national news, on the front page. I do like the articles printed all together, not split up by ads.  I'll probably give it a few more weeks trial, or until my current subscription expires, to change to weekend only.  As long as I can get a paper edition of the newspaper, I will continue to do so, but am dreading the eventual transition to a completely on-line news source.

Hpver,

"With only a handful of reporters left, there was already precious little real journalism going on, and the tabloid format ..."

But, you know, they were able to get Inga Barks on board !

--virgil

yes, indeed ...

--virgil

It's ok.  For those who make up their mind in one day that they hate it and are going to cancel, too bad.  I know you will make improvements and it will be easier to share it with your breakfast mate.  I know you will make other improvements too.  Can't say I liked the classifieds upside down but all of us, if we want a newspaper, need to be patient.  Rome wasn't built in a day. 

A newspaper change that you don't like and you're told to "deal with it?"

WOW, there's a helpful hint.

I don't take the paper anymore because it rarely got read during the week and I didn't need Fri, SAt, AND Sunday subscriptions just to get the Sunday paper.  I now buy THAT one at the store (when I remember that its)  If the crosswords can't be removed easily, what the use?  

Most of us here are on line anyway and the news is attached to the blog.  How hard is that?  Sorry TBC, I know that doesn't help your paper edition but as some said here... we're just keeping up with the times.  (No pun intended)

I have to agree with the other readers, the paper is non shareable and I have arthritis in my hands and the paper is too heavy to hold and read.  I should not have to hold the entire paper to read it and I have never notice having a problem with my hands hurting while reading the paper  until this morning.  As far as the T.V. guide section maybe you can put that in the center fold, coupon caper on the front of the center fold and games section on the backside of the center fold.   Please change it to pull out sections, eye street, sports & National & Local section.  I am a long time subscriber and will continue to subscribe as old habit are hard to quit, please don't force me.  Thanks.

I really like the new format.  Since I usually read the paper from front to back it fits right in.  It's easy to read and after getting through it I find that everything is in the right place. I particularly like the "flip" idea for the classifieds. It's easy to handle and parts are not spread all over the table.  Good job Californian

 I do enjoy the new format. Change is sometimes good. All those old koots who can't handle it, to you I say, just deal with it

Oh um....................eaguilar,  the following was written by one of those old coots you're talking about  "Life is a series of adjustments.  I'll adjust to the change in the Bakersfield Californian too."

clr2   For those who make up their mind in one day that they hate it and are going to cancel, too bad.  I know you will make improvements

That's exactly what I was telling my daughter this morning.

I like the size, but the lack of news in horrible. What will happen when High School sports starts up? I understand that changes need to be made, but this format is not a good change. I will give it time, and hope for changes. If the improvements don't come before my subscription runs out, I probably will cancel it.

 Newspaper redesign: What do you think?

What do I think?  Reading the above commentary makes me think that the new BC is going over about as well as a turd in a punch bowl.

InGA ... !!

--virgil

Well I like it...as long as I get my printed word at 4:30AM--everyday--except Saturdays and Sundays---it's cool with me.....

It can be on a roll of paper towels as far as I'm concerned--as long as it's on my doorstep everyday...ONE thumbs up from me TBC....do what you have to do---as MANY businesses are doing to stay afloat now-a-days.....

Wow, eaguilar ... while you're insulting readers who have been subscribing to The Californian for longer than you've been alive, maybe you should reveal that you are an EMPLOYEE of The Californian.

And you would do well not to bite the hands that feed you.

Well, you know, dying is a change, and it's not good. Not all change is.

Hey eaguilar-- THEY ASKED!!  The headline of this blog is:

Newspaper redesign: What do you think?

So get over it already.  This blog is free feedback.  Instead of doing a phone survey of their customers, they're getting some representative remarks and ideas from their customers on this blog.  Now they know.  Now they can change things accordingly.  Geez.

I think inga barks needs two days a week .

--virgil

I think inga barks needs two days a week.

...in the nuthouse.

I don't mind it so much if I am reading it by myself.  However, VERY dificult when sharing.  May cancel to only weekend delivery.  Sorry:(

eaguilar says:  I am just having fun on these blogs today.

If you can't handle change, move to the desert where things stay the same. Move to a hole and stay there forever and then you won't be unhappy when things change or b/c you can't handle it. Sorry to sound crude but c'mon, please do something more constructive with your life instead of complaining what can't be changed.

So this is your idea of "fun." Hmmmm. Not buying it.

I hate mondays ...

--virgil

But seriously, I don't mind the tabloid format so much. I just want to see more solid local content. And I don't mean so-called citizen journalism, regurgitation of blogs, fluffy Q&As and the like.  These shouldn't even count as local content. The stories by Mayer and Burger are good examples of strong, local articles. 

It stinks!

Just look at it this way, eaguilar--by Friday all of the new complaints should have tapered off and you will be able to go back to just the normal amount of complaints.  ; )

Hey ~Virgil~...been in and out all morning doing some gardening out front...Tomato Beers on Monday's says YES to the LING....kinda brightens the day up and puts pep in ones step amigo.....

Remember what Jim Morrison says...." I woke up this morning--got myself a beer...."

Ling,

I have a weakness for beer in the morning, especially when doing the yard work.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

--virgil

The LING !!

--virgil

It's already WARM outside...gonna call it a day....already ' half-lit '...gonna go to the corner HOWARDS and get me a Taco Salad--they have a Gordos in there--GREAT food...and come home-still stinky-and kick back in the patio--drink beer and have a cool lunch.....

You all know how I feel about the paper...is there anything else to VENT about???

B.C. is finally going down.  It took too long, since it was nothin but a rag anyways.  Can't read much about world affairs, because people who live in this town, want to find out who went to jail last night instead.......you made us suffer, I quit the paper over 10 years ago, when they completely botched an article regarding a family member............the charges were dropped and not one word from the Californian......die a dreadful death you rag of a newspaper. 

Time to say night night BC.  People do want to read about the war, about economy, about marijuana issues, but the paper is more excited to write about who the heck went to jail last night.

I quit the paper over 10 years ago, die a dreadful death you dirty rag.  Your legal writers need to be more experienced or at leat a little more trained on the law in general.  Nigh-night and boo on you.

It's great