The Times, the 200-year-old newspaper synonymous with the British newspaper tradition, has abandoned the broadsheet format and will appear only as a tabloid from Monday. The move puts an end to the broadsheet era at the prestigious paper after 216 years. "Since we launched the compact edition almost a year ago, it has been clear that the format has attracted many new readers to the Times and further expanded our influence," editor Robert Thomson said as the last broadsheet edition hit the news stands on Saturday. The compact edition was launched almost a year ago, following a trend set by the Independent, which reported an immediate rise in circulation. Public transport commuters, in particular, prefer the smaller paper. The Guardian, the left-liberal daily broadsheet, has announced plans to switch to the "Berliner" format similar to that used by France's Le Monde and Spain's El Pais. The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times, among the major British dailies, continue as broadsheets, although the Telegraph, which backs the Conservative Party, is said to be considering its position. And the quality Sundays remain largely broadsheet - a format dictated in part by their voluminous nature. "If the Sunday Times and its fellow broadsheets went tabloid they would become even more unwieldy than they are at present," the BBC website commented. "And as long as the broadsheet exists, there will be many who prefer its greater flexibility of layout, larger pictures and - in many cases - larger type. They won't be afraid to say so," it noted, suggesting the battle was far from over for older and more conservative readers. --SP 0026 Local Time 2126 GMT
