The new weekened WSJ is coming

Andrew Vanacore of the Associated Press writes about the revamped weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal, which will be rolled out next weekend.

Vanacore writes, “Starting next week, the Saturday Journal, under a new masthead reading ‘WSJ,’ will replace Weekend Journal with two distinct sections.

“The Review section, comparable to the Times’ Week in Review, will carry essay-style pieces on big ideas and events, with a pullout section inside devoted to book reviews. Gary Rosen, a former Commentary magazine editor with a background from Stanford and Harvard universities will run the section. Robert Messenger, one of the founding editors of the shuttered New York Sun, will report to Rosen as head of the book section.

“The Off Duty lifestyle section will hew more toward high-end consumer reporting: fashion, tech, home decorating and design. Deborah Needleman, the editor of home decor magazine Domino before it folded last year, is leading the section as well as WSJ magazine. She has brought in fellow Domino alumnus Ruth Altchek to help run things day-to-day and Kevin Sintumuang from GQ to edit tech and gadgets. (The Journal won’t reveal exactly how many extra staffers it has hired for the weekend.)

“The lifestyle section, in particular, is supposed to help the Journal make a case that its advertisers can reach well-paid individuals in a buying state of mind.”

Read more here.