Financial Times doubles coverage of Lex column

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 26-Sep-05, 13:25

LONDON – The Financial Times is doubling the size of its influential Lex column from tomorrow, having invested in an extra Lex writer, more online Lex features, and a marketing campaign.

The team of writers under editor Dan Bogler has been expanded to nine with the addition of a writer in New York. Five are based in London, three in New York and one in Tokyo.

The Lex column will expand from its current quarter page to a half-page piece each day.

Last week, FT rival Breaking Views, an online source of business comment from a team led by former Lex editor Hugo Dixon, recruited four writers for its New York office. Breaking Views also supplies branded comment to the Wall Street Journal Europe and the Sunday Telegraph, and now to the WSJ's just launched US weekend edition.

Lex's expansion will be complemented online by features including Lex calculators, a Lex-only search engine and a function that allows users to comment on Lex notes.

FT editor Andrew Gowers said: "The new Lex features on FT.com will serve as everyday business tools for our readers around the world."

Ads will run in Business Week, Time Magazine, Financial Adviser and Investment Adviser with the strapline "Lexpanded".

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