You might do a double take if you visit the WTOP News website in the next few days and mistakenly think you’ve gone to the wrong place. But that’s by design.
We are rolling out a new look, and we want you to take a second peek. You’ll first notice a cleaner layout on WTOP.com, crisp lines and a balance that feels lighter.
Maybe on the third look you’ll notice the content now has a greater focus on local news – That’s our motto after all, news that happens here.
You’ll see that the top story on our homepage is local, and it’s prime spot is front and center. Here you can find the day’s and the region’s top story.
You’ll see it in the Spotlight section, where we’ll place local features and some of WTOP’s original award-winning reporting that have made us a household staple for so many in the region
The Top Video spot calls your attention to the most visual story, and as always, you can always Listen Live to our local 24/7 programming on 103.5 FM with the click of the red button at the top.
And as you take in the latest stories around the D.C. region, you’ll find an up-to-date weather forecast and traffic updates right there as well.
WTOP will still bring you the stories from the region, the nation and the world, but our bread and butter remain the stories that matter to you right here. You’ll notice that focus when you navigate to the other areas of our homepage from the top navigation bar: WTOP’s local staples such as Matt About Town and Things to Do, now with Food & Restaurant, Business & Money categories that are all locally centered.
Our Sports section, as well, is now all local and more robust with the recent emphasis of the WTOP newsroom on local sports stories, including youth sports and college sports.
We’ve made it easier for you to choose your preferred method of consuming local news, whether you like to watch, read or listen.
As we continue to hammer and build out our homepage, we want your feedback.
Email me or send me a message via the Feedback tool on the WTOP New app. Your messages go directly to me and other members of the WTOP team, and we try to respond to them as quickly as possible. That’s part of WTOP’s longstanding promise to our listeners and readers and that legacy prevails today.
You may experience some downtime as we transition to the new design over the next few days. We are working hard to make the switch as seamless as possible so that when the new look is live, you will do a double take.
There’s more to the new WTOP.com and much more to come.
Come back for many more visits and we hope you make our homepage your home for the D.C. region’s most important stories.
Giang Nguyen
Digital News Director
Email me at giang.nguyen@wtop.com
