The magazine was given a nip and tuck and the formula tweaked in line with new editor Charlene Rolls’ vision to help readers make sense of the world. Rolls takes over from Waldimar Pelser, who has moved to Rapport newspaper.

“We’ve had much feedback in the months since we’ve launched and we’re reminded daily that our readers want us to help them understand news events,” Rolls says. “There’s so much news out there. Our job is to gather opinion related to them then to analyse those events so we can tell our readers what the news means for them, for South Africa, for the world. We’re bombarded with so much media that it’s necessary for someone to break it down and say, well, this is what it all means.”

New features include Hot Topics, an analysis of four of the week’s stories that got everyone talking; Need to Know, a breakdown of an issue in the news; Leisure, showcasing film, music and travel; and Arts &amp Culture. Property has made a comeback and The Interview was lengthened to allow an opinion-maker to provide insight into an industry or the world in which we live.

“Another exciting new aspect is the fact we’re introducing illustrated covers,” Rolls says. “We have Fred Mouton of Die Burger and Rico Schacherl of Madam &amp Eve fame illustrating covers and there’s much excitement when we see what these very talented artists create for us.”

NewsNow and its Afrikaans version, NuusNou, is great value for money, she adds. “We really do comb the world’s media for the best opinion and analysis on news, business, lifestyle and people to bring to our readers. We’ve streamlined our design and scaled down the number of stories to bring you meatier, more substantial articles that will make sense of South Africa and the world. I think R15 is a great deal for all the analysis and opinion, great writing, wonderful pictures and the week’s best columns and blogs.”