The Northern Echo is to convert to a compact format six days a week, a year after its Saturday edition changed shaped.

The paper will be printed as a broadsheet for the last time on February 23, with the first Monday compact issue out on the streets on February 26.

It follows the successful trial of the Saturday edition, which in the past year has seen sales around two per cent better than during the week.

A reader survey demonstrated “overwhelming support” for the handier size, with nearly 80 per cent saying they preferred compact and 20 per cent calling for the paper to remain broadsheet.

As a result, Newsquest North East has decided to make the biggest change to the paper in its 137-year history.

The Saturday compact

Peter Barron, editor of The Northern Echo for the past eight years, said: “This has not been an easy decision and it has not been taken lightly.

“The Northern Echo is an institution – one of the country’s most famous provincial titles – and it has to be treated with great care and respect for its traditions.

“But the world has moved on and readers are demanding their news in an easier, more convenient format.

“Over the past eight years, and before my tenure as editor, a debate has raged about whether the paper should change its format. It is the question I am asked more than any other and the time for change is now.”

The Times, Guardian, and Independent have all switched to a smaller size in recent years, and Peter said the successful conversion of The Times was seen as key to The Northern Echo’s decision.

He said that killed off the argument that going compact or tabloid meant moving downmarket and sacrificing quality, and said the paper would remain true to its principles after February 26.

He said: “All that’s changing is the size. In every other respect, The Northern Echo will be the same paper: the same unique balance of local, regional and national news; the same commitment to campaigning journalism and community involvement; and the same great columnists.

“I am very aware that it is impossible to please everyone and I know a significant number of our readers will oppose this change but I am convinced that the paper’s long-term survival in a highly competitive market is dependent on it.

“Not only is it what the majority of our existing readers want, but it also gives us a better chance of attracting a new generation of customers.”

To announce the change, the Echo is planning to run a promotional campaign including TV and radio advertising and bus side posters, with the slogan In better shape than ever.