The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., last month pulled the plug on The Patriot, a colorful compact version of the broadsheet it launched in June to bulk up readership (see Newspapers & Technology, July 2005).

In a note to readers, John Kirkpatrick, editor and publisher of The Patriot-News, said the format “didn’t catch on the way we had hoped.”

The tabloid wasn’t an exact replica of The Patriot-News, instead containing a subset of local and national news stories published in the broadsheet. Patriot stories didn’t jump and the tab offered more color and bigger photos and graphics.  

Kirkpatrick’s note said the color, as well as other features, will be added to The Patriot-News in the next few months.

The Patriot-News printed fewer than 8,000 copies of The Patriot Monday through Friday, less than 10 percent of The Patriot-News’ daily circulation.