When the nation’s largest circulation magazine makes substantial changes in format, it’s bound to affect the printing industry. TV Guide magazine, published by Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., New York City, has been a household name for decades. The digest-sized weekly currently boasts circulation of about nine million copies in 140 different regional editions, reflecting the variety of program offerings from network, local, and cable TV stations across the U.S. Though TV Guide’s cover and some inside editorial pages are printed in color, about 75% of the magazine’s pages–the program listings–are black-and-white. Beginning with the October 17 issue, that’s all going to change, and at least one of TV Guide’s printers, Cincinnati’s S. Rosenthal & Co. Inc., is already feeling the impact.

Gemstar-TV Guide announced its new, 8" x 10.5", full-color format on July 26, 2005. In a formal statement, CEO Rich Battista noted, “We’re boldly transforming TV Guide magazine into a weekly full-size, feature-rich TV entertainment and guidance magazine that will better serve the needs of today’s readers and advertisers.”

More specifically, the new TV Guide is reversing its current 75%-25% mix of program listings-to-editorial. Fully three-quarters of the revamped publication will be feature stories focusing on TV personalities and shows, with only the remaining one-quarter made up of national program listings. It will be printed in full-color, and there will be only one national edition.