WSJ website set for overhaul

by John Reynolds, Media Week 15-Sep-08, 13:55

LONDON - The Wall Street Journal's website, WSJ.com, is to undergo a major redesign in a push by owner News Corporation to attract new readers.

The online overhaul includes new design and layout, plus improved navigation and expanded content. The company said the overhaul would also provide new advertising opportunities for brands.

One particular new feature is Journal Community, a management section that will be complemented by an enhanced What's News and Heard on the Street content. Additional tools will be rolled out over the coming months.

The new site will also feature Newsreel, a visual and text-driven tool at the top of all story pages, which will highlight the most important stories in each major section of the site, with direct navigation to them. Another new feature will be a new video player, photo slide show viewer and interactive graphics.

Robert Thomson, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and editor-in-chief of Dow Jones & Company, said readers would be able to access easier-to-navigate sections and would have improved access to "a far greater range" of Wall Street Journal analysis-related content.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal launched a new lifestyle magazine, WSJ, across Europe and Asia. The 80-page first issue appeared in The Wall Street Journal Asia and The Wall Street Journal Europe on 5 September.