NEW YORK — Rolling Stone magazine is shrinking with the times. After standing out for decades with different formats from other magazines, it will start looking like everyone else starting with the Oct. 30 issue, due out this week.
The adoption of a standard format could boost single-copy sales and reduce production costs for advertising inserts such as scent strips and tear-out postcards. The magazine says any cost savings, though, will be offset by the inclusion of more pages and the shift to thicker, glossier paper.
Rolling Stone chose Sen. Barack Obama, who is campaigning for president on a theme of change, for the cover of the Oct. 30 issue. The last issue in the oversize format featured a cartoon of Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain. The Associated Press
