Wall Street Journal to revamp European and Asian editions in broadsheet format

The Wall Street Journal is to relaunch its European and Asian editions with a new look that will see a return to the full-colour broadsheet format.

News Corp-owned Dow Jones is to revamp the titles from September, both in print and digitally, offering “regionally relevant content”.

The publisher said that a new full-colour, broadsheet edition will replace its current compact format for its Monday to Friday edition from mid-September.

Its revamp will also include new iPad and Android editions for subscribers.

Gerard Baker, editor-in-chief of the WSJ, said that the move to a single global broadsheet edition will mean about 50% more news content.

“The single global edition will be based around the US edition but will be adapted for the two separate regional readerships,” said Baker in a note to staff. “There will be regionally relevant front pages of both sections, as well as stories, columns and other articles inside the paper that will be relevant to readers in Europe and Asia but the overall tone and substance will be global in nature.”

Baker said that the global editions will be produced in New York, with “editorial input” from editors in Hong Kong and London.

“This is an important step in the global expansion of the Wall Street Journal,” he added. “It represents a significant investment by the company in our newspaper’s future. And while it will enhance the print offering to readers around the world, it will also help introduce many more readers to the rich real-time platforms for our global journalism available on digital devices.”

The new global newspaper will include staple sections such as business and technology, money and investing and opinion along with regionally-focused content.

There will also be a weekly features section with coverage of lifestyle, arts, food, wine, design and real estate.

The WSJ Europe went from broadsheet to compact in 2005, a move that the company said would save it £9m annually.