Dear Doctor Deadline...

Do the 'Press Gazette's readers need an agony uncle? Alice Lascelles speaks to the new editor about the journal's revamp

Editors winding you up? Trouble with headlines? Fear no more – the Press Gazette has the journalists' first agony uncle: Dr Deadline.

The Doctor is part of the revamp introduced this month under the new editor, Ian Reeves, which sees the weekly providing more practical advice. Reeves won't be drawn on the Doctor's true identity, but promises answers for even the most hard-bitten journalists.

"Journalists come from all kinds of backgrounds and sometimes things pass you by – but by then you may feel it's too late to ask," says Reeves, who took over as editor last October. The column is to tackle queries ranging from legal advice to office politics.

If this all sounds too lighthearted, then other additions include Tips from the Trade and monthly guides to QuarkXPress. Reeves plans to pay greater attention to his student readership, and hopes that the more practical content will "help them to make their mark".

With a growing number of media supplements on the market, a January relaunch was necessary, says Reeves. Press Gazette suffers from the fact that it tends to be passed round newsrooms, rather than bought by individuals: "It's frustrating – while our circulation stands at around 10,000, our actual readership is more like 45,000," Reeves admits. One strategy for boosting the number of subscribers will be the inclusion of long-running guides and "cut out and keep" features, with the overall aim to make issues more collectible.

But despite the competition, Reeves argues that Press Gazette is in a unique position in the media market: "We're the only paper that speaks to and for journalists."

With eight extra pages per week, Reeves aims to give more coverage to the trade publications: "There are so many excellent journalists out there," he says, "and they deserve more of the credit for breaking stories that frequently make the national news agenda." Regional papers, which Reeves describes as "our readership heartland", will also get more column inches.

The changes were sparked by a reader survey carried out by Reeves last December. The journal he inherited from the previous editor, Philippa Kennedy, was, he says, "high quality in terms of content – but it looked flimsy". So he asked readers what they wanted. The response from all areas was "more on our sector". Since then Reeves has been working to broaden the remit – and he argues that this is something other titles can't do. "We don't have to be sniffy about the opposition – I like to think we are completely non-partisan."

Press Gazette's website has also had an overhaul. Formerly open-access, it's now for those paying the paper's annual £74 subscription. They can access the "gold" area, which includes the online Gazette, and extra features like an events diary and discussions.

Reeves remains confident that charging for website access will not deter readers, but to encourage the sceptics he's currently offering a two-week free trial. There are also plans in the pipeline for a weekly "website pass" which would give readers short-term access. This is aimed in particular at overseas readers, a sector that Reeves says is growing all the time.

Press Gazette has also had to reassess its role as a weekly publication. Faced with competition from online news, Reeves acknowledges that this means that they are less likely to be breaking the stories. But not for long – he says the technology is in place to produce regular email updates and subscribers can expect this service "in a matter of weeks". In the long-term, he hopes the website will also deliver breaking news.

Getting a dialogue going with his readers seems to be high on Reeves' agenda, and the website is helping the Gazette to become evermore interactive: "I want people to feel that their voices can be heard. It should be a forum for people with something to say."

With so many plans afoot, it comes as a surprise to hear that the office has taken on only one extra member of staff. Could it be that the pressure is getting too much? So far, things seem to be going smoothly. But then otherwise there's always Dr Deadline.