OUR VIEW: What do you think?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
The paper you hold in your hands today is smaller than the one you held just last week. Actually, it’s the exact same length but an inch less wide. What it does, besides, we believe, fit very nicely in your hands, is save the company a whopping 8 percent off its annual newsprint bill. That’s big. Paper prices are now running at more than $700 per metric ton and anything we can shave off that bottom line helps us do our jobs better. 
It’s no secret that the newspaper industry is experiencing, euphemistically, some rough water. Work forces have been slashed across America. Some big-name papers have even contemplated becoming used-to-be papers. (Go ahead and get the comparisons to Detroit out of the way). The industry is now looking for ways to stay ahead of the reaper many analysts say is knocking at the door. While we don’t believe a cloaked figure clutching a scythe is in our future, it still only makes good sense to cut costs where possible and take advantage of new trends early.
The new paper size, the elephant in your hands, is the new trend. Gannett papers and a few others have already made the jump to what will soon be the standard size. Those papers, according to industry reports, have found that readers like the new sizes. We hope you will too.
It’s only the size, not what’s inside, that’s changing. We are still deeply committed to bringing you all of the local news, the stuff you can’t get anywhere else. We are still committed to being a part of this community, celebrating its successes, crying at its pain, laughing at its jokes and when necessary pointing out when it falls short of its ideals. We are still committed to growing. A shrinking page, believe it or not, could help us do that. To become the newspaper we want to be, with a vibrant Web site and a well-crafted paper product, we need the people to make that happen. The savings we make on paper will ensure that we, unlike many in the industry, won’t have to lay off any of the workers who help make our commitments real.
As always, if there’s something you don’t like about what we’re doing. Let us know.
Contact publisher Sam Cooper at , group editor Mark Sage at . If you’d like to weigh in online, go to http://www.swvatoday.com.