Financial Times Unveils Global Refresh

NEW YORK, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Financial Times has a new look. Today, it is introducing a 'refreshed' version of the newspaper, incorporating a range of design changes aimed to further enhance the award-winning content* and improve navigation, including expanding the links between the newspaper and FT.com to better-serve consumers in the 24-hour news cycle.

Lionel Barber said, "These changes are evolutionary and will provide extra news, deeper analysis and comment. By improving the navigation of the newspaper, we're aiming to help our busy readers get more out of the paper so that they understand that the Financial Times is not only as an informative and entertaining read, but also as an essential business tool."

Changes will also be introduced to FT Weekend (formerly known as Weekend FT) and the UK's FT magazine on Saturday April 28. The changes to both the weekday and weekend newspapers will run in all editions-UK, Europe, Asia and the US-of the Financial Times.

The weekday edition will feature a new, revised masthead and color palette, and greater signposting and labeling inside the newspaper, making it easier for readers to navigate and scan stories. The Business Life and Arts pages will now occupy the prominent, final spread in Section One. In Section Two, there will be clear labeling of corporate stories by sector, and improved coverage of the financial markets.

The weekend edition will don a new masthead, 'FT Weekend,' and a new headline font. Changes will also be made to the UK's FT magazine, with a bolder cover and the introduction of more space and color throughout. A new section called 'Frontiers' will be added to the magazine, along with a column by Simon Briscoe entitled 'It Doesn't Add Up' and an expanded Books section, featuring more author interviews. The back page will now be called 'Defining Moment', which will each week feature a moment that has influenced and shaped our world today.

The FT has some exciting additions to its first-class team of columnists and commentators. In the US, Clive Crook, former Deputy Editor of the Economist and Publisher of Atlantic Monthly, will write a weekly Washington column, starting on Thursday April 26, focusing on political and economic issues as well as other public policy matters.

Readers can count on the FT for a well-organized, concise account of globally significant developments in business, finance and politics, with commentary that offers a wide-range of analysis and opinion. To honor that legacy, today, we return to the original motto the FT launched in 1888: 'Without Fear & Without Favor', which will appear on the 'Leader' page.

The refresh is the result of extensive reader research, carried out by independent consultant Hilary Birt, from May 2006 to March 2007, during which respondents agreed that the new look was "more modern" with "newer, fresher colors" and that the "better sectioning makes it easier to read".

About the Financial Times

Financial Times is one of the world's leading business information brands, internationally recognized for its authoritative news, comment and analysis. Whether in print or online, the Financial Times is essential reading for the global business community.

Printed at 23 sites worldwide, the Financial Times newspaper has a daily circulation of over 447,000 and a readership of more than 1.4 million people worldwide. FT.com (http://www.ft.com/) is one of the world's leading business information portals, and the Internet partner of the Financial Times. FT.com has over 5 million unique monthly users that generate more than 41 million monthly page views.

  For more information on the Financial Times, please contact:
  Courtney Dolan
  Head of Public Relations
  Financial Times
  212-641-6360 or courtney.dolan@ft.com