WSJ overhaul

[Doug Henwood]

I learned last night that the Wall Street Journal will unveil a major 
overhaul of its front page in a few weeks. The first three columns 
will remain more or less as they are now, but the layout of the rest 
of the page will vary. The number of "leaders" - the long, usually 
excellent stories on either side of the current front page - will be 
cut to one, and the "A-head" - the often whimsical, usually clever 
stories in the middle of the page that it's hard to imagine any other 
U.S newspaper publishing - will disappear as a regular feature. And 
it will all be in color. The paper will add a new section, Personal 
Journal, which will cover personal finance, electronic gizmos, etc.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like the paper will get dumber and more 
conventional. A few years ago, a former Dow Jones exec told me he 
thought it would take 10 years for this to happen; it may be 
happening a little quicker. I hope I'm wrong.

Doug