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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, January 11, 2009

AFTER DEADLINE
Advertiser changes with the times

By Mark Platte
Advertiser Editor

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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We want to introduce you to some changes we are making to The Advertiser starting today and continuing this week.

Our expanded TV grid debuts in our Island Life section today on Page D8, meaning we will have listings seven days a week. Each day, we will provide movie descriptions, Tube Notes and a few extra hours of evening programming.

With the conversion of Hawai'i's television stations to digital format this week, our TV book will be eliminated after today, which will undoubtedly disappoint many readers. But with the advent of so many digital channels and online guides, it made sense to end the print version. In addition to the expanded listings in Island Life, you can visit our Web site at www.honoluluadvertiser.com/tv to find a searchable list of programs two weeks in advance. Send your comments or questions about TV Week to feedback@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Also in Island Life, Wayne Harada's Show Biz column lives on at the top of Page D2 even though he formally retired last year from The Advertiser. We are reformatting our books and arts sections into one page called "The Arts" that will feature stories about performing arts, literary arts and visual arts.

Perhaps the biggest change begins tomorrow when we will be combining our Hawai'i section with business news and classified ads. The change was made to cut newsprint costs that come with producing extra sections. As you are aware, we are being hit hard by the economy like everyone else and we need to find efficiencies where we can. But we also wanted a convenient all-local supersection and early reaction from focus groups was very positive. As always, we would love to know what you think.

The Hawai'i section will continue to feature obituaries on the second page and our "My Communities" page on B3. The business section will begin on Page B5. On Sunday, the Hawai'i and business sections will remain separate. The daily "A" section, as well as sports and Island Life, will not change although we are eliminating the Saturday editorial page, keeping our normal space intact for editorials and letters Sunday through Friday. A week from today, we will combine our Sunday auto section with our employment and classified ads into a single section called "Hawaii's Marketplace."

For Lee Cataluna fans, she will be writing a fourth column starting this week, adding a Thursday column to her regular days of Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

We have other plans that we will introduce throughout the year both in print and online but we are keenly aware that our readers like the familiar feel of their daily newspaper and since we are still the premier source of news in Hawai'i, we will try to tinker as little as possible.

Mark Platte is senior vice president and editor of The Advertiser. Reach him at 525-8080.