The Press and Journal’s days as a broadsheet newspaper appear to be numbered, according to editor Derek Tucker.

The newspaper announced this week that its Saturday edition is to adopt a compact format on a permanent basis, and Derek has admitted that plans to follow suit Monday to Friday are “inevitable”.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “Following the launch of the Saturday compact we held focus groups and also published an in-paper questionnaire, of which I would say between 85 and 90 per cent of the feedback was positive.

“There are currently no plans to change the format on Monday to Friday, but inevitably it has to be on the radar.

“If there is one overriding view which we’ve had from readers it is that they much prefer the compact format and they are asking when it will be introduced six days a week.

“In the short to medium term it is inevitable.”

But before a transformation can take place, production issues at the Aberdeen-based paper need to be addressed, with print times currently almost doubled for the Saturday edition.

Derek said: “We will have to look at the print schedule. If we do hit production problems on a Saturday there aren’t the problems with home delivery that we would have Monday to Friday.

“It is not something which is going to happen within weeks – I would say months rather than weeks, if not a year or years.”

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