Change, same focus for weekly Variety

Earlier this weekend, we revealed the completely new weekly Variety -- that is exactly like that old one, but different. There is a new design along with a couple of additional features. But essentially, our mandate has not transformed: We are still since the business for those who work in the market. Currently of constant changes, there are not many news orgs still doing that, so we are pleased to keep your focus. But like many showbiz veterans, we came to the conclusion the time had come for any facelift. (I am talking about, Variety is 106, for Pete's sake, so just a little plastic surgery are only able to help.) I needed Daily visitors to understand, because there's lots of untrue stories available on the planet of showbiz confirming -- since you may have observed. There's remarkably little overlap between visitors of Daily and Weekly. Therefore if you are a readers of both, fine. If you are thinking about beginning with Weekly, that's fine too: With Variety, a regular membership to 1 allows you to definitely another. In either case, I needed to clarify the brand newOrexact same Weekly and, like a bonus, to fix some misperceptions about us. Some tips about what Weekly will not be: It will not be considered a "new direction" for that paper. It's will not be considered a consumer-gossip-superstar-driven consider the industry. Also it will not be a directory of tales which have already made an appearance in Daily. (It has not been that for several years, however, many visitors have that image. Ah, well...) Some tips about what Weekly is going to be: We'll keep going longer think pieces. And, because the biz grows its global view, we'll carry much more worldwide news. We may also be more and more people-focused, with profiles of professionals and creatives whom you should know about. Together with regular coverage -- film, TV, technology, legit, music, below the road, legal, etc. etc. -- you will find additional features for example Money Trail (a glance at showbiz funding) and Talent Watch (profiles of producers, company directors and authors whose encounters can provide experience in to the industry). And much more additions can come later on, both to Daily and Weekly. Previously 2 yrs, the range team started something we'd never done before: surveys to request visitors the things they wanted. The overwhelming response was that people ought to keep doing what we are doing, but better still. Visitors want serious coverage from the business. Pleased to oblige. Several also referred to us, passionately, like a community paper. That is true, despite the fact that the "community" is global. Since we are offering new methods to read Variety, for example news alerts and iPad programs, some visitors have expressed concern that people might phase the print business. Wrong, wrong, wrong. We are adding options, not subtracting them. The philosophy is you pay one subscription cost, and you will read us in whatever way, anywhere you would like. The reviews of print's dying were greatly exaggerated. Sure, everything has transformed in news reports world, but it is interesting the number of Variety visitors (across all decades) like print. (And, like a bitchy side note, it's interesting that showbiz writers who once predicted the dying of print are actually turning out newspaper models throughout honours season to fortify their little earnings. Gloat? Moi? Nah, existence is simply too short.) Other trade pubs and "industry" websites have attempted to reinvent themselves. Our biz model is working, therefore we have no need for -- or want -- a transformation. Making this not really a relaunch, not really a reinvention. Variety continues to be Business to business, as the saying goes. To repeat, it is the same but different: same goal of providing you with need-to-know info. Change is definitely unsettling, particularly in the tumultuous twenty-first century. But a couple of tweaks are in line with our tradition, otherwise we'd be covering vaudeville and Wild West shows. Weekly Variety is really a work happening, much like Daily and Variety.com. Provide us with feedback. We really do give consideration. Contact Timothy M. Grey at tim.grey@variety.com