The nine Independent Newspapers around the Valley will have a new look soon.

They are going the way of the Arizona Republic‘s Community Sections and The Tribune’s tabloid format. The new format is “meant to appeal to readers and advertisers.” I’m thinking that a smaller format paper means smaller type – which leads me to believe a sponsorship with a reading glass company should be part of the mix.

The word is that each of the newspapers’ commitment to local news remains the same. The reality is that less advertisers equals less editorial space, which eventually leads to less news.

Too bad, because the Independents have always done a solid job of keeping neighborhood news important.