The Guardian RIP?

[VodkaDilc]

Beacuse they regard Robert Peston as some kind of hero?

I think that's the man with a dreadful voice who sometimes appears on the R4 Today programme and prompts me to switch off in desperation.

[Panjandrum]

What on earth is the use of a five-day weather preview to most readers?

No doubt, as a bona fide cockney, you spend your time scurrying around London in a subterranean existence, effectively shielded from the vagaries of the British weather. For the rest of us, an accurate 5-day forecast is a godsend.

[amateur51]

No doubt, as a bona fide cockney, you spend your time scurrying around London in a subterranean existence, effectively shielded from the vagaries of the British weather. For the rest of us, an accurate 5-day forecast is a godsend.

The weasel-word there is accurate, Panyan whether it's in London or elsewhere in UK. Perfectly feasible in Spain or southern France in Summer, but rarely in UK.

Still, it gave you a chance to contribute to the thread

[Richard Tarleton]

Ams, here in Little England Beyond Wales it's the same-day forecast which is useless as everything moves through so fast it's already happened by the time the forecaster gets round to mentioning it In the smoke you get a bit more warning.

The 5-day is useful for a general idea - eg if you're a farmer about to spread lime (blows around) slurry (washes into streams) harvest/cut hay (gets soggy) etc., not to mention sportsmen, ice cream salesmen, live near a stream (get sandbags ready....) I paid very little attention to the weather forecast till I adopted a rural existence, er, quite a few years ago now......

[Flosshilde]

Isn't it better to check the BBC forecast, or the Met office? (online, that is) Updated regularly, & you can selet which area you want to look at. A forecast appearing in a mofning newspaper is going to be out of date even before you see it.

[amateur51]

Isn't it better to check the BBC forecast, or the Met office? (online, that is) Updated regularly, & you can selet which area you want to look at. A forecast appearing in a mofning newspaper is going to be out of date even before you see it.

In the fickle climate that caresses this sceptred isle, I would think that's the sensible approach, Flossie

[VodkaDilc]

Isn't it better to check the BBC forecast, or the Met office? (online, that is) Updated regularly, & you can selet which area you want to look at. A forecast appearing in a mofning newspaper is going to be out of date even before you see it.

Computers! I wouldn't have one in the house! (Didn't Jimmy Saville say that to a journalist, who then saw one hidden away as he left?)

Seriously, weather forecasts, share prices, radio and television listings should all be in a newspaper as far as I'm concerned. Computer are for other things.

[mangerton]

Why do the TV weather forecasters all seem to use a strange s-l-o-w t-h-e s-p-e-e-c-h r-i-g-h-t d-o-w-n and then suddenlyspeeditallupagain sequence of delivery?

They are working to a fixed time schedule. They must be finished by the pips, or the 30 second trailer before it, and on the other hand they can't leave "dead air" for more than a very few seconds.

Thi is especially noticeable just before 5.30 am on R4 towards the end of the shipping forecast and weather reports.

[Don Petter]

They are working to a fixed time schedule. They must be finished by the pips, or the 30 second trailer before it, and on the other hand they can't leave "dead air" for more than a very few seconds.

Thi is especially noticeable just before 5.30 am on R4 towards the end of the shipping forecast and weather reports.

I don't think this can entirely explain it, as the effect is not an overall one, but within each sentence!

[Mr Pee]

Isn't it better to check the BBC forecast, or the Met office? (online, that is) Updated regularly, & you can selet which area you want to look at. A forecast appearing in a mofning newspaper is going to be out of date even before you see it.

The important word there is FORECAST, Flossie. That is a prediction of the weather based upon scientific analysis of climatic conditions. How can it be out of date? It's not a report on yesterday's weather, it's a FORECAST...... (D'Oh emoticon.)

[Mr Pee]

Seriously, weather forecasts, share prices, radio and television listings should all be in a newspaper as far as I'm concerned. Computers are for other things.

Free pornography??

[Chris Newman]

Free pornography??

Now we know what you get up to, Mr Phoebus....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNARJPNz2CA

[VodkaDilc]

1,400 readers can't be wrong:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/guardian-changes-design-format

Not much hope of a slow-down in the decline of The Guardian indicated there. What's the betting for on-line only by this time next year? I bought a Telegraph this afternoon - same price, much meatier and, so far, not too much right-wingery! Food for thought!

[kernelbogey]

1,400 readers can't be wrong:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/guardian-changes-design-format

Not much hope of a slow-down in the decline of The Guardian indicated there. What's the betting for on-line only by this time next year? I bought a Telegraph this afternoon - same price, much meatier and, so far, not too much right-wingery! Food for thought!

Not finding the letter from Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian, referred to in the first paragraph of the Readers' Editor's piece referenced above, I wrote to his office to say it wasn't available on the website. They sent me a copy of the text:

Here is the text of the recent letter to readers from the Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger, about changes to the newspaper. It appeared on 16 January, page 2.

An evolution, not a revolution


You’ll notice some changes in the Guardian this week. Most noticeably, from Tuesday to Friday sport will now be at the back of G1, the main section of the paper, rather than appearing as a separate section. We’ve already made some changes to the comment and obituaries pages. On Friday, Film and Music moves to G2 size. There are some changes to G2 during the week as well. On Saturdays we’ll have more obituaries, including Other Lives.

Changing technology, changing habits
As many readers change the ways in which they consume news, so we are making adjustments to the way we produce, edit and present it. Increasingly, readers tell us that what they want from the printed newspaper is changing as they seek out, or absorb, breaking news from the web, mobile, TV and radio. Half of our readers now read the paper in the evening, by which time, they say, they want more pieces that help explain events and contextualise them.
We are actually producing more news than ever before, and nothing about these changes marks a retreat from news. We cherish the Guardian in print, and the paper continues to carve out a reputation for its ground-breaking investigative reporting, including Nick Davies’s tireless work on phone-hacking. But, as readers change their habits, so we are changing the ways and forms in which we produce news.

Changing economics
We have to save on the cost of paper, ink 
and production. Like every newspaper
iin the world, the Guardian faces significant financial pressures from a combination of the digital revolution, the rising cost of newsprint and the economic downturn. The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, so unlike many newspapers, there is no billionaire backer or global corporation in the background.

Feedback
We have thoroughly researched these changes with both loyal and occasional readers. The great majority of them understand the reasons for change, and approve of the refettled paper. But we are losing one or two features and columns which some readers will undoubtedly miss, as will we.i
Do, please, let us know what you 
think.iYou can email your views to 
newspaper.changes@guardian.co.uk, or call 020 3353 2000 and ask for the newspaper feedback team. We can’t promise to please everyone – but we’d rather know than not know. We will listen, and have previously been known to change our minds in response to feedback.

And finally …
Some readers say they prefer the printed Guardian, and don’t like the implication that they might be subsidising the digitaliversion. We understand: we love print, too. But the blunt truth is that the current economic model for serious printed newspapers is initrouble throughout most of the developed world. Every newspaper facesitheiimperative of developing digital forms for which, similarly, no general newspaper publisher has yet found a proven business model.i
This is a revolutionary period in newspapers. We are, as our 60% digital growth suggests, very well placed to thrive in the new world as well as print. The best way to support the Guardian’s journalism is by continuing to buy the paper, by taking out a print subscription (which will give you free mobile access), or by paying for an iPad edition, iPhone app or Kindle edition subscription.
Thank you for continuing to support us. We believe, as I hope you do, that the Guardian has an important role, and that it also amplifies the voice of others who deserve to be heard. The paper’s global reach and influence has never been greater: in November we attracted more than 63imillion unique browsers. In print, our readership – and that of the Observer – has held up better than any of our direct competitors over the past 12 months. Campaign magazine has just made us Medium of the Year for the way we are negotiating tricky times, editorially, technologically and commercially.
So, there’s much to celebrate. And I hope you continue to enjoy reading the paper as much as ever.

[ahinton]

In the fickle climate that caresses this sceptred isle

Sceptred promontory these days, surely? (and I wonder if "sceptred" should read "septic", too)...