Recapping a week of announcements detailing the new format of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Publisher Tom Silvestri gave us the bottom line this morning: "The Times-Dispatch will publish 16 to 20 fewer pages each week." He also dropped two new zingers: the newspaper is increasing subscription rates by an average of three cents per day, and it has stopped delivery on money-losing routes in the western part of the state.

"I feel your angst," Silvestri writes. Indeed he should. The newspaper industry is buffeted by many of the same economic forces that are hurting its readers.

Inflationary pressures are making themselves felt in the newspaper industry, Silvestri noted. Newsprint prices are projected to increase by 12 percent this year. That explains the aggressive shrinkage in the page count. Gasoline prices and unspecified manufacturing costs are behind the increase in circulation rates. And, of course, the slump in retail spending and the precarious financial predicament of many retailers -- look no farther than home-grown Circuit City Stores -- is crimping display advertising revenues. Silvestri specifically noted the demise of advertisers A&N and CompUSA.

On an optimistic note, Silvestri wrote, "We still have the largest newsroom and largest multimedia advertising staff in the region, as well as the largest Sunday circulation among Virginia newspapers." The Times-Dispatch still circulates to 66 Virginia counties.

Looking forward, Silvestri wrote, "The Times-Dispatch's livelihood is a balancing act: Publish the best regional newspaper possible given our resources. Expand online capabilities. Launch niche products aimed at satisfying a specific, narrower audience and winning smaller advertisers. Embrace emerging technologies. Do it faster."