A great deal of ink has been given to Rupert Murdoch's now apparently successful bid for Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal. Part of this is because the news media love to cover ... the news media.

However, we are also talking about one of the best newspapers in the country and, importantly, a place that's always been a dream for aspiring writers in small and midsized newsrooms everywhere.

The New York Times may be the paper of record, but the Journal has always attracted those who see themselves as writers. Its great creativity and willingness to take risks with its page one stories -- particularly those in the center column -- gave heart to hardworking scribes everywhere.

It was nice to see my old friend The Wall Street Journal upon returning to work today.

"You look good," I said at first sight. "Have you lost weight?"

Actually, it's been well-known since late last year that the WSJ -- perhaps the single most influential publication for U.S. business communicators -- was undergoing a major redesign. And redesigned it has been.

The new Journal is now 12 inches wide (according to my ruler) instead of 15, which is a reduction of 20%!