Farmers Guardian has undergone one of the most fundamental changes in its 172 year history: relaunching in magazine format on 1 July, 2016.
Previously a tabloid newspaper, FG underwent the change under the guidance of its recently appointed new editor, Ben Briggs, who is also the current chairman of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists.
Owned by Briefing Media, the decision to change the format of FG has coincided with a redesign of the publication and introduction of new sections such as Global Ag View, Politics and Red Tape, Insight, Beyond the Farm Gate, Moving Up and Young Farmers Focus.
Ben explained the reasons behind the change.
He said: “There was an acknowledgement within the team that a change of emphasis was needed, not just in terms of content, but also the look and feel of the publication.
“In order to make a statement in an increasingly digital age we chose to move away from newsprint but also reinvigorate much our content with a focus on asking what decisions and events mean for our readers, not just simply reporting what can often be out of date by a Friday.
“Readers were telling us they wanted something that felt fresh and modern and we believe we have delivered that while retaining the news front page and a style and tone that is discernibly FG.”
With more room for comment and opinion as well as additional farmer focus, Ben said feedback had been positive.
FG’s digital platform, FGinsight.com, has also undergone a recent overhaul with more news being added to the home page and more easily accessible content elsewhere on the website.
