New Business section, return of Iowa Today section in Jan. 9 Sunday Gazette

You are going to see some changes in your Gazette on Sunday (Jan. 9, 2011) that I think you will like.

We will debut a significantly revamped business news section. Instead of the Sunday Money section that has been tucked behind sports you will see a weekly tab that serves as its own section, with news and information from the Corridor.

We call this tab Business 380. The title stems from the main artery that connects people who either live at one end of the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor but work at the other, or simply enjoy what the Corridor offers in general. Plus, we hope we can provide a full 360-degree view on business issues, plus a little more.

Business 380 will be a business-to-business section. It is designed to provide news of interest to top executives who make decisions about their businesses. Of course, many aspire to that kind of position so we think Business 380 will appeal to a wide range of people.

The tab will have a distinct edginess. You will see creative design and storytelling that tosses aside the staid gray look you may be expecting. There will be no mistaking that it will have a different look from the rest of the newspaper. Business 380 will have a bit of an attitude.

Still, its stories, photos and graphics will be presented with the respect, thoroughness, fairness and relevance that you would expect for content of this kind. Issues will explore themes, such as leadership, wellness, philanthropy and alternative energy business in the coming weeks. We'll ask people what they think about local business topics. We'll keep you abreast of the people moving into and working in the Corridor's top executive positions, and the news and events you need to know about in order to stay connected in this fast-paced business world.

The weekly stock pages will not be part of Business 380. Most people – perhaps close to all – of the section's targeted readers get that information from sources other than a Sunday newspaper. Instead, the summaries of the weekly stocks will run at the back of the section that carries sports, in their usual spot.

Which gets me to the other changes to expect next Sunday:

We are restoring the practice of giving Iowa Today its own Sunday section. Currently, Iowa Today is in the front section of the paper. But people from time to time noted that they missed that news being in its own section.

This move will be for Sundays only; you still will see Iowa Today news in the front section on weekdays. But starting next Sunday, an eight-page Iowa Today section will carry local, regional and state news, plus that day's obituary news.

Almost two years ago we dramatically cut offerings in The Gazette during an economic downturn. Some people used their pocketbooks to express their displeasure but a huge majority of you hung in there with your locally owned and produced Gazette.

Hopefully the addition of Business 380 and restoration of the Iowa Today section returns that trust. We will continue to look at ways to strengthen the printed report you've told us you enjoy from the paper.