The Western Mail will turn compact from 7 October

The Western Mail, which was first published in 1869, has given market research as the reason for the change.

It is following the lead taken by The Independent, The Times and The Scotsman, which now publish tabloid - or "compact" - editions.

The Western Mail will change to the smaller format in October, following research which showed overwhelming support for the idea.

The Scotsman changed the format of its Saturday edition earlier this year, as did the regional daily in Aberdeen, the Press and Journal.

Management at The Western Mail - which is owned by Trinity Mirror - believe the move to a new size paper will complement changes already made by editor Alan Edmunds.

Mr Edmunds, who was appointed editor in September 2002, said: "We have been delighted that the research shows that readers totally endorse the editorial changes made last year.

Attract readers

"They also overwhelmingly support the change to a compact format, which will be one of the most important milestones in the history of the newspaper."

The change of format is planned for 7 October.

This development follows a �18m investment, which included a new printing press facility in Cardiff Bay, opened by Prince Charles in 2003.

In March last year, the paper was redesigned and relaunched to appeal to a broader age range, and the new-look paper was printed in full colour throughout.

The Independent took the lead in producing a 'compact' edition

In its current broadsheet shape, it costs 40p on weekdays and 55p on Saturday.

The Western Mail has aimed to attract readers from the ABC1 market in Wales and the paper claims it is read by 182,838 people (JICREG May 1 2004)

Its sister papers include the South Wales Echo and Wales on Sunday, and the Celtic Newspapers series of weekly titles.