Welcome to the newly designed Bradenton Herald, Bradenton.com

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, May 18 — a day we’ve been preparing for all year. Welcome to the new look of the Bradenton Herald and Bradenton.com!

Why change? Because you, our readers, have changed so much. How you want to get your news has never been more diversified. After tracking our readers here and across the country in other McClatchy markets, we’ve found our print readers want a cleaner, more organized look. You either want a quick summary of the news with your cup of coffee, or an in-depth look when you can take the time to explore. Online, most of you come to the Herald via mobile devices, looking for a quick update on your cell phone or iPad, or on your desktop during a break at work. You also are enjoying the news, sports and features videos being produced each day by our reporters and photographers, so we’re devoting more resources to that visual reporting.

Our strategy: to meet your needs for news with our award-winning journalism, with more analysis and perspective in print, and more videos, photos and easy-to-scan breaking news on Bradenton.com.

For several months, we have experimented in print with occasionally packaging our strong local news in the A section. This new design now emphasizes every day what sets us apart from other media: our dedicated, award-winning local reporting.

The Herald’s front page will be easier to navigate, with our top stories and a digest to help guide you quickly inside. Local and Business pages are now inside the A section every day, keeping you updated on everything happening in Manatee County. The new look is more colorful, attractive and easier to read.

We’re introducing new In-Depth coverage in print on Page 3A Wednesdays and an entire section Sundays, and on Bradenton.com 24-7. It features longer pieces and deep reports with more background and perspective. Our Opinion and Letters pages will also be in the A section. We’ll continue to offer national and international coverage, emphasizing stories that have particular impact on Florida and Tampa Bay. And our Sports and Features coverage will continue with our great team of reporters and editors. On Wednesdays, you’ll find Sports and Taste in the same B section, with all the same content.

The majority of our digital readers come to us primarily through a smartphone or tablet, so we worked to make our story pages look more engaging on your mobile devices.

Here is what isn’t changing: our deep commitment to keeping you informed and engaged, celebrating our diverse community, entertaining you and shining a light to enact needed change and make a difference.

It’s what we’ve been doing since the first editions of the Bradenton Herald were printed in 1922. With today’s changes, we’re reinforcing our commitment to you as your most trusted source of news and information for decades to come.

We welcome your feedback on these changes. Please visit the “Feedback” link at new.bradenton.com and tell us what you think.

As always, thank you for reading the Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Welcome to the newly designed Bradenton Herald, Bradenton.com."