Reuters’ departure was a publicity coup

rival and New York upstart Bloomberg.

But one of the best reasons
for going was to sit opposite Rupert Murdoch, surrounded in the pews by
his obedient and lean brood of editors and executives.

For much
of the working week, my relationship with many print titles has mutated
from a physical page-turning intimacy to a virtual, web-based browse.
It is all too easy to lose sight of the fact that all publications,
even in internet form, are the product of very singular, opinionated
people, and that editors set the tone, as they come and as they go.

The
recent switch of editorship to Sarah Sands from Dominic Lawson at The
Sunday Telegraph has already served a useful purpose. One of the UK's
lowestprofile broadsheets – despite the good stories it lands from time
to time – is getting some serious attention, and about time too.

Now
this is the first big editorial change introduced by the Barclay
brothers' regime since assuming full control a year ago, and it makes
tremendous sense, as even shocked Sunday Telegraph executives are
starting to acknowledge after meeting her and listening to her pitch.
It has become a dreary read, as the 7 per cent drop in sales within a
year confirms.

At a stroke, the stale relationship with The
Spectator, Lawson's previous berth, is at an end. The Spectator 's view
of the world is too narrow for a mainstream newspaper, which has to
appeal equally to women and men.

Sands seems to be little known
to the wider advertising world, but she'll soon put that right. I once
watched her oozing charm at Christopher's, the restaurant in Covent
Garden. She had the best table on the first floor and every head turned
as her guest, Michael Portillo, showed up.

Her detractors label
her the Becky Sharp of Fleet Street, but the more accurate truth is
that she is a sophisticated and savvy operator, able to land the best
columnists and the right book deal. Her appointment also sensibly
rewards the in-house strengths of The Daily Telegraph team and, above
all, its features department, which has driven the Saturday Telegraph
to heights of popularity, selling over 1.2 million copies.

In
some ways, the Saturday Telegraph, with the advantage of coming out a
day earlier, has taken on The Sunday Times in its broad appeal and
emerged as its real rival.

Sands will lose no time glossing up
the title, warming up its coverage and fixing its poorly executed
supplements. This should capitalise on the fact the paper isn't broke
and already punches its weight in advertising volumes, despite the fact
it never seems to be promoted properly – a Reuters-style publicity
stunt would work wonders!

The art of being an enjoyable
broadsheet Sunday package, while living in the shadow of The Sunday
Times, is currently best practised by The Observer, which has shown
that you can build readership, become a brand leader in areas such as
food and cookery and be an attractive fullservice alternative.

I find it's at weekends when I pick up newspapers and really savour them. That's when the web version doesn't get a look in.