The Toronto Star last month launched an electronic afternoon edition of the paper, with a twist.

The Sept. 5 introduction of the online-only Star P.M. allowed the Star to become the first North American daily to use the Web to provide readers with a discrete afternoon product containing up-to-date news and information.

The Toronto Star's online afternoon edition gives readers a choice
of two versions.
Photo: Toronto Star
 

Star P.M. is available each weekday afternoon in two editions, said Michael Babad, the Star’s assistant managing editor for business.

The free PDF newspaper contains news, information, features, stock market results and ads that are separate and distinct from the Star’s printed morning edition. It’s a tack pioneered earlier this year by The Guardian and Financial Times, both of which offer packaged online editions to readers.



“We have to adapt to changing readership and advertising models,” said Babad, explaining the approach behind Star P.M.

No workflow changes

The Star posts the afternoon edition at 3:30 and 4:15 Monday through Friday. Star P.M. is composed of eight pages of news and information, and readers can select up to four additional pages of specialty information. The full-color paper is designed to be printed on standard 8.5-by-11-inch paper on any desktop printer.

The PDF newspaper is created with Adobe Distiller, an app that converts PostScript files to Adobe’s portable document format. Reporters and editors generate the content on the Star’s CCI Europe editorial front end.

Babad said the Star didn’t have to change any of its workflow or production operations to produce Star P.M. outside of creating a dedicated team of writers, editors and page designers.

The Star attracted a number of Canadian national advertisers that agreed to buy banner positions on Star P.M., including Sears and General Motors.

Babad said Star execs plan to review the progress of Star P.M. over the next several weeks to determine what steps they might take to change the publication. “Our plan is to adapt to what readers and advertisers tell us,” he said in early September. Among features under consideration: PDA or BlackBerry support and an HTML version that can be customized by readers.