KTVZ.com - Convergence Journalism at Work in Central Oregon

For local news in my hometown, I always turn to KTVZ, Bend's NBC affliate news station because their website is not only user-friendly, but they also do a great job when it comes to converging media.
For each of the stories featured on KTVZ's broadcasts, users can view the story in both broadcast and article form. This feature is very beneficial in that it caters to both the consumer that would rather read the news and those who prefer to watch/listen to it. Users can also rate and comment all stories on the website. This system is also very beneficial as it allows the consumer to be involved with the news and have their voice heard.
The website also features news highlights from around Oregon and the Pacific Northwest in addition to links to the latest nationwide and global news featured on CNN.
KTVZ's website contains many stories that are relevant to their consumer and also allow the consumer to interact with each other and news.

Rolla Daily News = Convergence?

My hometown news source is The Rolla Daily News (therolladailynews.com), and questioning the convergenceness of the site made me realize how it really isn't very advanced. The purpose was to be a local paper, to give information on things that just matter to our town and county, not to be super hi-tech. People can comment on the articles, but cannot upload photos or anything like that if they are a member. While there are many staff written articles, the majority of the website is consumed by links to articles from bigger news sources, and that is where the broader topics are available - subjects under sports, lifestyle, entertainment, etc... The main newspaper itself is primarily just the written articles and advertisements, nothing too fancy. There are some pictures that go along with the articles, but they are few and far between, poorly placed... I cant find any audio or videos on the site, unless you want to count the moving advertisements, but there are multiple links to sites that contain both. So, I wouldn't say the Rolla Daily News is very convergence friendly... But it has a start with at least giving access to sources that do have audio, video, and more pictures.

stltoday.com

Since we had to do a local news source for this blog I decides to do stltoday.com. This website is the site for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, however the site seems like an entity all it's own. The main focus of the site, as you might guess, is to keep you informed with everything that's happening in St. Louis, as well as the world. I found that the site wasn't trying to be a newspaper, but just a great source of information. If you so desire though, you can get articles from the St. Louis Post Dispatch through the site. The site also features several pictures, audio clips, and videos, which help to broaden the spectrum of news. The site even lets users upload their own pictures and media to the site. This gives the user complete control of what type of media they want their news delivered to them. I think that this website is a perfect example of how a news site can use all aspects of journalism.

Chicago Sun-Times Incorporates Convergence... How?

The most obvious way the Chicago Sun-Times incorporates convergence is by offering both print copies and subscriptions in addition to having all of their news online as well. On this website, they feature articles complete with pictures and links to similar or related stories. Sections also come with their own recent photo galleries that give stories in pictures... after all, a picture is worth a thousand words! The main page also provides links to labeled videos on relative topics and search engines for various things, including how to find parking in Chicago; that can be difficult. Across the page, things are broken up by subject, for example there are headings such as Religion, and Transportation. Along the left side of the page you can find blogs, columns by author, as well as the Classifieds. Everything that can be found in the newspaper, as well as additional pictures and video, are available on the site. There is also a constantly updated weather box, which is not something that can be put in the newspaper, as the weather changes throughout the day, and the paper only comes out once. This is one of the benefits of having a website for a newspaper: you are able to incorporate up-to-date information or breaking news, that may not have been featured in that day's paper, which lives up to the newspaper's goal of keeping its audience informed.

Albuquerque Tribune!

Although they stopped publishing The Albuquerque Tribune in February, their website is still up to give a little glimpse of the past.  In 1933, The Albuquerque Journal, the morning newspaper, and the Albuquerque Tribune, the afternoon one, were the first newspapers to sign a joint operating agreement, even though the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 wasn't around until, well, 1970.  This joint operating agreement meant that the ABQ Journal and the ABQ Tribune would use the same building and the same printing press but still remain completely separate in terms of circulation and content.  The JOA has since disbanded because Albuquerque, like many other cities it's size, did not have enough demand to support two newspapers.

On the main page of the Albuquerque Tribune's website, they have video, photos, stories, polls and links to a podcast.  When the Trib was still being published, they had an option to subscribe to the print and/or the online edition.  Along the top of the page they have the sections News, Sports, Weather, Living, Entertainment, Business, Opinions, Multimedia and Webified.  The Webified section is where they have links to blogs, podcasts, multimedia slideshows and polls.  Webified seems to be the most convergence-like part of the ABQ Trib's website.

The Omaha World-Herald and Convergence.

These two things should probably not be used together in the same sentence. The World-Herald's website makes it very clear that all of this newfangled technology is well and good, but that you should really just go buy a hard copy. There are even links to the subscription page displayed rather prominently at the bottom of the home page. The site, while visually well designed, is virtually indistinguishable from a daily copy of the paper scanned into digital form. The two concessions to the possibilities offered by the online format are a rotating list of video clips on the main page, none of which are truly detailed enough to be called anything but hooks for the written story, and a simple weather forecast in the upper right of the main page. While the World-Herald is a daily newspaper, and as such is truly targeted only at those old enough to be making house and utility payments, the lack of visionary thinking and waste of technological potential on their website is somewhat surprising.

KQED: Convergence in the Silicon Valley

The theme in the Silicon Valley is bringing pieces of technology together to create something better. The people do it in their business and they expect it in their news media and KQED, the local public broadcasting affiliate, has (almost) risen to the challenge.

KQED's radio and television outlets are a lot like they were when I first started listening and watching as a little kid in the Central Valley. But check out KQED on the web, and a lot of the trends of convergence journalism jump right out.

Radio and television being the main parts of KQED's reporting, both of those elements are emphasized on the station's Web site. Two whole columns are set aside below a (somewhat disappointingly) standard print header story for radio stories with audio links, and a video story is also featured. Rounding out the home page is one feature I look for in any radio station Web site bragging about new age technology: a link to listen to radio station live, preferably that listeners can take on an iPod--news wherever you choose.

The station then has a good strategy of giving a page to each it TV and radio arms, with main stories available in full and clips of other stories they're pitching for the day's viewers, complete with a guide to what's on each station (because KQED covers a wide swath of the Golden State).

The only real downside to KQED's pitch for convergence is in the very media we're working in right now--blogs! Sure, a few individual program hosts maintain running journals of what's on their show and there is an Elections '08 discussion board. But there's no running feed of stories that are happening now, no opinions on the myriad of issues simmering in the nation (Hell, even the state has enough happening for at least a couple of blogs!).

And its this last point that makes me say they almost rose to the convergence challenge. KQED has the features. But without the blogs, or really kind of up-to-the-minute news, KQED looks like a "slow" network in a really "fast" news time. It takes KQED a couple of days to get on a hot regional or national story because they have to get it recorded and scripted and edited. All this time kind of defeats all their technological achievements. People want the news to look good, but today they also want it fast.

Evanston Review-ing Their Website, Making It More Convergence Friendly

My local newspaper, The Evanston Review, has been modified to keep up with the fast-changing media.  There is definitely evidence of convergence journalism embedded in the works and stories on the website.  The homepage contains a top story with a picture that goes along with  it to bring the story to life.  On the left side is a list of stories with more pictures that match the stories, and there are also lists of blogs that people can join and read.  On the top right side of the website is where the videos reside.  There is a list of videos, but only three videos show at a time.  After about five seconds, the videos scroll down and the next three pop up.  It is a very interactive and engaging website.  Underneath the scrolling videos lies an outline of more videos readers can view, covering a broad source of topics.  Next to the videos is a photo gallery, where one can find pictures from local events and relevant topics.  

The Evanston Review's use of convergence journalism brings the website to life.  The videos and pictures animate the site and make it more appealing to the viewers.  It's a pretty well organized website and it's easy for users to find what they are looking for.  The use of images and videos makes it more eye-catching, and it's more exciting for users because instead of just reading an article, the story is brought to life and users can both read and view the story.  Convergence journalism allows users to grasp the story in more than one way, and the Evanston Review's website executes this idea in an effective way.

Has anyone even heard of Broomfield?

I always say that there is a place for hippies and hackie sack and that place is Boulder Colorado. Nestled just about 10 miles east of Boulder there is a town that no one has even heard of. This place would be my hometown of Broomfield. Broomfield turns out a pretty respectable paper every week. The reason that I really love this paper is that it is focused specifically on the small things that are going on down the street from my house, which is what a local paper is supposed to focus on I guess. 

The Broomfield Enterprise is keeping up with all the latest trends in the media. It has its own website where readers can go to get their news whenever they feel the need to. The paper also get many of its stories from user generated content, which is very important in convergence journalism. The have a section where users can send in photos and a and videos that they have taken from important events throughout town. The paper also offers podcasts and audio feed for all of you out there that prefer to hear rather than to see. The website also has many blogs where users can voice their opinions on matters that are important to the town. 

Other than the things that I already mentioned above there are not many other things that the Broomfield Enterprise is doing in relevance to convergence. It is a good paper that is very easy to use and their website is very user friendly as well. They rely heavily on the public to give them content to put in their stories. Everything said, the Broomfield Enterprise is a very respectable paper.

Convergence journalism by the Plano Star Courier Newspaper

So during my senior year of high school, I did an internship at a community paper that I had never heard of before called the Plano Star Courier. My internship advisor gave me this particular location when I told her that I wanted something in journalism because she said that students that she had put there had gotten a lot of things published, and she was right- the Plano Star was not the type of establishment that could really justify the kind of ego that would keep the interns down and doing the police blotter every day. To get things straight, I love the Courier like M. Night Shyamalan loves his first crappy video that he made with toy dinosaurs when he was in the sixth grade or whatever- my very beginnings, which were nonetheless crucial to my development as a writer, and were also kind of adorable. It wasn't as fast paced as a lot of more important papers were, but it was fulfilling work, and the editor in chief was a nice man who spoke with me personally on any sort of questions that I might have and gave me good stories. And it was helpful to them too, because it meant that they got more stories written without having to pay anyone. Because like all newspapers nationwide, they were- and are- experiencing steady reader losses. They did, however, try and jazz the joint up with a primitive website.

It's really not much. They have some of the same ads that they had on there when I was working there all those months ago. The first section you see is labeled 'news update', so that may be sort of an attempt at a news flash section that is easily accessible. The Plano Star has always had a small magazine that was published beside the newspaper, so they have already branched out in that direction. When I worked there, the vast majority of the office space was for people in advertising- how they made their money. The website is sort of evidence of that, with two rows of ads pushed together on the right side of the screen all the way from top to bottom. It's not a very pretty layout, but it's not confusing at all as to how to find the story that you are looking for. They have a few photo albums of  football games and the like, but I wonder if they have been updated recently. The Plano Star has not of yet branched out into the area of broadcast or even videotaping any breaking news to put onto the site. At least that's what I think until I scroll down to the very bottom of the page and find the not very prominently placed health story video. There are also polls, a news poll and a sports poll. That's an interesting feature for them to have on their site. While I look at this, something so naive and familiar, I feel a sense of pride in seeing that they have this much put together. I saw the very insides of this publication, and I had thought that I knew what it was capable of. They surpassed my expectations, at least. Still, the layout needs some work, even a better color scheme would be a valid endeavor to make the site more visually appealing. Still, they are utilizing convergence journalism to reach their audience from several angles, and for that, I give them credit.

The Good Ol' Daily American Republic

As most of you know I hail from a rather small town in southeast Missouri. I'm fairly certain that our local newspaper the, Daily American Republic, or as we Bluffians like to call it, the DAR. The DAR isn't much of a local newspaper. Sure, it has a daily edition, but the lazy suckers don't even publish a saturday edition. The paper literally takes about 5 minutes to read and thats only if you manage to find even one interesting article. Ads constitute the majority of the information in the newspaper. I sometimes had the feeling that the high school paper had more relevant news in it. 

But anyway I'm supposed to talk about how it converges with todays technology and what not. Well, thats easy. It doesn't. Not at all. Zippo. The paper doesn't have a real website. Sure, it has a URL but all that does is take you to a page where you can literally read the scanned version of the paper. Not very impressive. Plus they have to send you an email daily just so you can log on to read the paper. I had planned on reading it while at CoMo but its to much of a hassle to get that email daily. 

If ever you need an example of what not to do as a journalist just ask me for a copy of the DAR and it'll remind you very quickly of what not to do. I can't even put a picture of their logo on the blog because its not available on their website and I refuse to have to use google images. 

The Tulsa World

I was never a huge fan of Tulsa's newspaper, but after exploring their website, I have to give them props. The Tulsa World's website is very user-friendly and filled with various types of media (a.k.a, "convergence").

The first thing you see on the World's website is the weather and the latest headlines. Being from Oklahoma, I know how important continuous weather updates are, so this is definitely a plus. Beside each headline under the "Latest News" section there is a time, which shows the viewer when this news was posted. I think that's a great idea because it lets the reader know how current and up-to-date your website is. Right beneath the "Latest News" section is a spot that features videos and pictures. It's very user-friendly and allows the viewer to see their news, rather than read it. Just below that section are featured blogs and a calendar that allows you to view different events (i.e.: Sports, entertainment, business, education, government, etc.).

In the Spot section, which is the World's entertainment pull-out, the site could feature more videos. Understandably, this is a newspaper website, but the amount of text becomes overwhelming. One expects an entertainment section to be a little more tech-savvy and up-to-date. The section does feature a pop-out music player though, which is very convenient for those checking out concerts, etc. 

But, the world does offer sections strictly dedicated to both pictures and videos. Each section is incredibly easy to navigate and again, very user-friendly. This again gives users an alternative to written news. Overall, I'm very impressed by the World's website. It's obvious that they are gradually trying to converge their use of media and appeal to various viewers. 

Daily Herald Media Center

One of the local newspapers for the northwest suburbs of Chicago is the Daily Herald. It’s companion website (dailyherald.com) applies convergence journalism via the “Media Center.” Located on the right edge of the Daily Herald homepage, a small teaser for the Media Center links to a larger convergence media website, the Daily Herald’s Multimedia Center (http://www.dailyherald.com/multimedia/?category=9&type=video).

The simple design of the site serves it well. The design is clean and therefore allows the website’s visitors to easily locate what they want to view. Visitors can choose between video, slideshows, photo galleries, and audio. Categories on the right further divide what can be viewed including news on community, food, weather, health & fitness, sports, business, national, world, and travel. To the right of the central screen, the videos, photos and audio links are clearly arranged by date. You can easily choose what you want to see, and the teasers have the appropriate size picture.

The videos are short enough to keep you attention, yet most do not provide you with any helpful information. The slide shows and photo galleries on the other hand provided a better insight on certain stories like the ones for “NIU Shooting” coverage.

Overall I am impressed that my local paper is moving forward by implementing convergence media into their news website. Now the focus needs to be on presenting content that is valuable to the public in quality and relevance.

WCCO: Minnesota's Finest Example of Convergence

When I was looking for an example of convergence in a local station, I had three great choices to look at. KARE, KSTP, and WCCO are all television stations in Minneapolis and St. Paul that are taking steps to converge media into their online affiliate. The one station that stuck out beyond the other two, was WCCO. Not only are they the most popular station in the Twin Cities, but they are the oldest. WCCO has been affiliated with greater metro area for decades, all beginning with their first radio cast in 1922. Since then, WCCO has taken major steps to change the way Minnesotans receive and interpret the news. Their continued connection between the radio and television stations make a seamless connection for any listener/viewer. Not to mention their active role with both of the major newspapers of Twin Cities. Yet, with the change towards online media growing, WCCO is bringing all their outlets together to form a seamless web experience.

At it's beginning WCCO was one of the original radio stations in the state of Minnesota. Providing one of the first sources for many to get a taste of this new form of media. As time went on their reputation of a great news outlet expanded, controlling most of the listening population in the metropolitan area. This trend continued up until the formation of WCCO-TV, that went on air for the first time in 1949. Since then the two stations have worked hand in hand to deliver quality content to the citizens of Minnesota. This connection would be vital in taking the next step. With the birth of the internet age, WCCO had to revolutionize the way they delivered information in this new era of converging media. 

WCCO.com is a one stop source for information to Minnesotans. From this site they can access a world of news, and even get involved with the news process. The top of the screen is dedicated to the latest news that people care to see. If a story is failing, it gets bumped down farther. While either the hottest or most late-breaking stories stay at the top. The stories do not only come from the CBS-WCCO affiliate either. They manage to bring in stories from both of the major local papers, smaller city based papers, and national level publications. At the right of the site, views can see clips of recent stories aired on WCCO news. After viewing a segment, you can choose (If available) to hear the audio clip from the radio affiliate on the same story giving you possibly a different angle of what you just saw. This tradition of work between the radio and television outlets give a great example of how media can make a seamless convergence after years of being apart.

The most innovative part of this site, is the use of user accessible blogs. Here some of the lead anchors and reporters get a chance to comment on stories they have done, or just things in the news in general. If someone feels like they disagree with what the blogger said they can write a response to it. If the anchor or reporter feels like it is a valid response to the problem or question they brought up they will air it on television or on the radio. This is a great way to get the public involved and attract people to their all in one news outlet.

In the future, news stations will have to continue to evolve with the technology that is invented. While many news outlets are yet to even catch up to where it should be at this point, WCCO will most likely stay ahead of this curve. Producing new ways to deliver information, as well as ways to keep the public involved and active within the news process.

The Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune has taken various steps towards media convergence on their website. On their homepage, there of course are pictures that add to the overall value of the story. Also, they have a “Breaking News” slide show that goes through headlines of stories that have recently been released. They also have a video of the protest taking place in Chicago regarding Proposition 8. In sections such as National News, the Tribune has an option for viewers to scroll through videos that have made headlines throughout the week. In the sports section, there are photo galleries of the most recent Chicago athletic games as well as polls regarding whom to blame for the Bears loss against the Packers.

Another interesting part of the web site is under Blog- Editorials page, where you can find a calendar countdown titled “Your sales tax calendar”. The website also has a Video section, where you can watch top videos in Breaking News, Sports, Business, Features, National, and many others. Another great feature of this website is the “News Tools” section. This section allows frequent Tribune readers to receive breaking news, sports updates, or hot restaurant and events through a text message. This section also provides RSS feeds, and allows subscribers to set up their own “MyNews” page specifically designed for their interests.

This website does a great job of combining news, pictures, and video onto the website and it is done in a very convenient way. One thing that they could improve on is possibly providing more videos of interviews. 

Convergence and the Kansas City Star, what do they have in common?

Surprisingly little.

Alright, so we all know our way around convergence here, so there isn't much need to explain how the integration of video, pictures, and other gee whiz web 2.0 bells and whistles into online media constitutes con-ver-gance. Most of these features are still in their infancy and have yet to be used to their full potential. (Grandma can't use youtube.) So it should come as no suprise that many of the smaller market newspapers and tv stations don't have any of those new and shiny things on their websites.

The website I examined was the Kansas City Star's kansascity.com. The front page doesn't get the same treatment as some major paper like the New York Times or Washington Post who have a host of videos, slide shows, and discussion boards dedicated to making the news more accessable. The front page is essentailly the print version of the newspaper put into an electronic format. There are a few ads and a bit of new media content, such as the tracker keeping tabs on the current score of the Chiefs game. The are some video content, but it is hidden down near the bottom, next to section specific links to stories. The website is built on a vertical rather than horizontal style, pushing most of the content toward the bottom, where it is a bit harder to access and easy to miss. The side bars are used primarily for advertising on the right hand side and for newspaper sections on the left side. Oddly enough, the classified and the job search links are on top of links to feature stories and national headlines, perhaps to benefit Knight Ridder's partnership with careerbuilder.com. Overall, it's a kind of poor site with little media content, but Kansas City is a comprably small media market that doesn't get enough papers moving to necessitate spending more moey on hiring professionals that can design and run all the convergence content.

Convergence & The Bull

In St. Louis, MO, 93.7 The Bull is a very well known country radio station.  Whether it's in the car, in my bedroom, or playing throughout my house, I am constantly listening.  One of my favorite parts of the station is the 8 o'clock showdown.  The listener tunes in at 8 and hears two songs, then goes online to vote for his favorite.  The next night, the winner of the previous night will go up against a new artist and new song.

I have been to the website (www.thebullrocks.com) quite frequently.  It is very user friendly and has many different aspects to it.  The homepage resembles a news website.  It has a box with changing photos at the top, directly below the navigation bar.  The pictures link to events and contests usually regarding the country's top favorite artists.  There is an "On Air" link where one can listen on the computer to what 93.7 is playing on the radio and see the past 3 songs that were played.  The site also has links to photos, videos, and live performances.  They have the weather and an "In the News" link also.  It consists of different kinds of news stories, not just about country music.  They have national, sports, politics, entertainment, and many others.

The Bull uses many ways to get the attention of their listeners.  They play music, show videos and photos, and have written articles.  I really like how the website doesn't just focus on their radio station.  They give their listeners a place where they can go to get information on what's going on not just in the country music scene, but also national news regarding other topics.  The station's website caters to the viewer and combines many different types of media to provide their fans with the information they're looking for.