Rusbridger makes mark with new-look Guardian

Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian’s recently-appointed editor, has made the first changes to the newspaper with a redesigned broadsheet section and new Friday second section launching on May 1.

The paper’s sports coverage will be expanded and will move to the back pages of the broadsheet section in place of the news and comment pages, which move to the middle.

A colour ad site will be created on the new sports back page. The change follows the appointment of Richard Williams, from the Independent, as sports feature writer.

The broadsheet’s home news, foreign, financial and sports sections will also be redesigned.

Each section will be preceded by digests of upcoming news stories in the style of US newspapers and the Financial Times’ front page. There will also be more sign-posting of stories throughout the paper.

Guardian marketing director David Brook says: “It is part of the development of the paper to demonstrate to readers the worth of the extra cover price.”

The Friday second section, redesigned last September, will be relaunched as a “general cultural review”. Book reviews will be added to a redesigned mix of music, film and theatre reviews.

* The Guardian is expected to confirm formally the appointment of Carolyn McCall, currently deputy advertising director, to ad director this week.