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.