The Next Generation.

The article examines the challenges faced by USA Today on its third generation as a newspaper in the U.S. Born to derision in 1982, USA Today saucily called itself as the nation's newspaper and shocked journalists with its bold color, its big weather map, its late sports scores and its stories. As of April 2004, the newspaper is already 21 and a half. And as a young adult learns to compete journalistically with its more decorated elders, its elders want the paper to remain committed to its reader-friendly roots. The third generation will also test USA Today's journalistic ambition and leadership. Over the next few years, the paper will answer questions about whether it can keep the reporters it has worked hard to recruit, how well it uses their talents and how effectively it melds their skills with the paper's distinctive mission. The challenges USA Today faces bear some resemblance to those of the McDonald's. Like McDonald's, USA Today is a known product, beloved and purchased by millions of U.S. citizens. The paper circulates to 2.15 million people Monday through Thursday, and 2.6 million readers by its weekend edition, published each Friday. But less than 15 percent of those sales are home subscriptions.