Panel ad and the discomfort of reading a newspaper

Oh the horrors of reading a newspaper with a panel ad!!! While this was too much of histrionics, reading a newspaper with a panel ad on the first page does create a lot of discomfort for reading.

As explained to me by a very senior and leading editor in our company, who also happens to have experience of working in the newspaper publication house that I am writing about. A ad in the newspaper, which covers only the left half of the newspaper keeping the other half open to hold is called as ‘a panel ad’. While such ads on any page is an hindrance, I despise such an ad on the first page or what we hold on the first covering four page of any newspaper.

Though the ad may be eye catching, soul stirring, etc, it seriously acts as a hindrance of holding a paper properly to read. The only solution being either groveling while reading the newspaper or removing the first four page of the newspaper so as to read the remaining portions (of equal length and width) at peace.

Recently, however I think the publication has understood the perils of a panel ad in a newspaper and has started stapling or sticking the entire paper at the middle fold helping for easy hold and reading. Thank you!!! J

While staying on the newspaper, I would also like to touch up on another point viz., the probability of a customized newspaper for everyone. Wouldn’t everyone be happy if they could get the paper in the format in which they like to read the news? For instance in my case, I read the main headlines, then move on to the sports page and glance through juicy tidbits about world of entertainment. How would it be, if the newspaper that I get has news in the same order, with the remaining news after these three sections in any particular order (with an index for easy access)? So if I have some more time or interest, then I could go through the remaining pages. The only example that I have got in front of me of such a scene is in the newspaper is as seen in Harry Potter movies, where the newspapers not only highlight the recent happenings but also provide a very interactive version of the news as it happened.

Meanwhile publications houses have got aware of these customizations that nowadays people prefer with a new novel being published with 11 endings!!! These endings are customized as per the investor’s preference, details of which can be found here. While this may interest book aficionados, my simple wish would be to have a customized newspaper that I could hold easily and read at peace!!!