It has been my life-long dream to invest in Newspaper publishing. However I will like you to enlighten me a bit on the similarities and differences between Tabloid (weekly or monthly) and the national dailies.
Newspaper publishing is one of the oldest means of communication in the world. It does not matter what kind of publication you are aiming to print – be it tabloid or standard news print, a publisher is a publisher.
However it is imperative to shed more lights on their similarities and differences (just as you suggested) in order not to confuse one for the other.
A TABLOID is a newspaper with compact page size smaller than broadsheet, although there is no standard for the precise dimensions of the tabloid newspaper format.
Tabloid journalism, along with the use of large pictures, tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology and celebrity gossip. This style of journalism compact stories into short, easy to read and often exaggerated forms.
The term ‘Tabloid’ got its name from the 'tabloid pills' marketed in the 1880s, which were the first highly compacted and easy to swallow pharmaceutical pills commonly available.
Although some respected newspapers in Nigeria such as The Sun and Authorityare in tabloid format, the size is used by nearly all local newspapers.
The tabloid newspaper format is particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where its page dimensions are roughly 430 mm × 280 mm (16.9 in × 11.0 in).
BROAD or STANDARD SHEETS, on the other hand, are larger newspapers, traditionally associated with higher-quality journalism.
Basically, whichever way we look at it, the terms tabloid and broadsheet are, in non-technical usage, today more descriptive of a newspaper's market position than its physical size.
It is also worthy to note that 'tabloid' are sometimes printed on daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Many of them are essentially straightforward reports, well-published in simple format because commuters, traders, motorists and shop owners prefer to have a smaller-size publication due to lack of space. These newspapers are distinguished from major daily newspapers, in that they purport to offer an "alternative" viewpoint, either in the sense that the paper's editors are more locally oriented, or that the paper is editorially independent from major media conglomerates.
Other factors that separate tabloids from standard newspapers are their frequency, and that they are usually either free or sold to readers for a small fee, since the publishers rely more on revenue from adverts. Additionally, weekly tabloids tend to concentrate on local level issues, and on local entertainment in happening in event centres, bars, arts galleries, clubs and local theatres.
As I mentioned earlier, it does not matter what kind of publication you are aiming to print – be it tabloid or standard news print, a publisher is a publisher.
Interestingly, both publications have a huge followership in Nigeria.
Culled from "How To Publish NEWSPAPER/ MAGAZINE / TABLOID On A Small Budget" by Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis
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