The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., in late December gave MAN Roland Inc. an early Christmas present by signing a letter of intent to purchase a 4-by-1 RegioMAN press.

The Advocate (daily, 91,522; Sunday, 117,555) has been shopping for a press vendor in conjunction with a planned $40 million, 120,000-square-foot production facility to replace its current site, said Kirk Fisher, director of operations.

Fisher said the press, slated to go on-edition in July 2006, would let The Advocate produce 40 color pages in a 64-page section, doubling its current capacity.  

According to McClier, which is designing The Advocate’s new facility, the press will be configured in seven towers and eight reels with two tower positions and two reels allotted for expansion.

The 50-inch press will be convertible to 48 inches and sport a 21-inch cutoff and two 2:3:3 jaw folders, McClier said.

The Advocate is now produced on a 1950s-vintage 55-inch-wide Goss letterpress, making it one the few remaining properties to convert to offset printing.

New process

The family-owned newspaper is basically reinventing its entire production process, Fisher said, from prepress to postpress.

“We’re investing back in our business for a multitude of reasons,” he said. “One is to keep up with the technology. We’ve done very well over the years, but honestly, savvy advertisers expect more and it’s time to step up to make a commitment back  into the business and into the community and make the long-term investment necessary.”

More flexibility

Fisher said The Advocate expects to finalize the letter of intent at next month’s Nexpo as well as shop for pre- and postpress production vendors.

“It’s a basic top-to-bottom upgrade,” Fisher said, and will include computer-to-plate, new editorial and advertising software and high-speed postproduction and distribution systems.

“The flexibility (provided by the new press) will be incredible,” he said.

The new production facility, to be built in east Baton Rouge Parish, will also double as one of a series of distribution centers The Advocate will roll out over the next several months to improve delivery.

The Advocate’s editorial, advertising and administrative staff, meantime, will leave its current downtown site later this summer and move into a six-story building that’s currently under renovation, Fisher said.

The paper will keep a news bureau downtown to cover the state capital.

A MAN Roland executive declined to comment on The Advocate sale, pending finalization of the sale.