NEW FORMAT
APME Update is taking on a new look this year. We recognize editors are busy and appreciate quick reads. We also want to do a better job of promoting the valuable resources and timely industry news on APME.com. With that in mind, this weekly Update e-mail will serve as more of an index to the regular updates on the APME website. Each week, Update will highlight content from APME committees that include readership, online and multimedia, credibility, and diversity, as well as contributions from the Associated Press Photo Managers. You can click on the links that interest you and pass on those that don't.

MAGAZINE STUFFED WITH IDEAS
The winter issue of APME News is out (also now available online in PDF format (www.apme.com/apmenews/) and it's loaded with great ideas. Highlights include:

• 12 fresh ideas to make your newspaper a "must read."

• What legendary newspaper editors would do differently if they were back in today's newsroom.

• Learn how "podcasting" can enrich your online content, energize your staff and inspire fun in the newsroom.

• Learn what one woman in upstate New York believes is the "essential news" readers want and need to know and how this strategy is making her new weekly newspaper a successful venture.

• An update on APME's FOI Roundtable Project in four cities and how you can engage a similar discussion in your community.

• Details on how one Florida newspaper is enjoying a significant gain in readership after shaking up the traditional formats and tone of its opinion page.

• AP's managing editor explains the news services efforts to monitor the parade of newsmakers who are showing up on 24/7 talk shows and news programs.

'LIBERATION AND REBIRTH' AT THE STAR TRIBUNE
What do you get when you mix the depth, explanatory power and authority of a major metropolitan newspaper with the immediate, interactive and ever-evolving power of the Internet, focused on one specific topic or issue?

That's a big question, and the answer is, well, The Big Question.

The Big Question is reporter Eric Black's "blog-on-steroids" where he offers a question, background, context, expert voices and real dialogue in reporting a story that attempts to answer — you guessed it — one big question. Here's how the site's introduction sums it up:

"The Big Question is a new experiment by the Star Tribune and StarTribune.com, one based on the belief that our reporting will become stronger and more relevant by inviting you, our readers, to join us in the pursuit."

"The idea is to combine the power of in-depth newspaper reporting with a kind of open microphone that enables readers to contribute online," Star Tribune Editor Anders Gyllenhaal explained in a recent column.

Black didn't know what to expect, but he knew he needed to try it. "I had no idea what to expect, and I still don't really know what the response is," Black said. "Do you score this by the number of people who add comments, by the number of hits on the main page, or by the quality of the discussion that ensues?

"This is all new. I've been a newspaper reporter for 32 years and this feels to me like liberation and rebirth."

You can see the Big Question at www.startribune.com/blogs/bigquestion

MAKING THE MOST OF THE MEDIUM
The Virginian-Pilot has seen the future and taken action, launching a video-only Web site named HamptonRoads.tv. The site features local and national video features, video advertising and is actively soliciting user-submitted video segments for publishing.

With broadband penetration continuing to grow, it makes sense for newspapers to get into the online video market. Other newspaper Web sites have included video in their standard Web offerings — successful initiatives include prep sports at the Tri-City Herald and daily newscasts at the Delaware and Roanoke newspaper sites — but this is the first stand-alone video initiative launched by a newspaper.

"Yes, the growth of broadband Internet access and its effect on video-viewing was a major factor in the decision to create HamptonRoads.tv," said Chris Kouba, Director of content and strategic development for Virginian-Pilot Interactive Media. "We started the strategic research for this project in spring 2004 when we noticed the effect that broadband was having on both TV viewing and Internet use. We drew up product plans in the fall and spent this year hiring and developing the product."

For staffing, the Virginian-Pilot reassigned a photo editor in the newsroom to be a full-time videographer. A content video producer was also hired to the online team, as well as a commercial video producer and video sales manager. The development was mostly done in-house, making the product all the more impressive.

To see how video is working on these early adopting newspaper sites, follow these links:

• Virginian-Pilot: www.hamptonroads.tv

• Tri-City Herald: www.tri-cityherald.com

• Delaware News Journal: www.delawareonline.com

• Roanoke Times: www.roanoke.com

Are you producing video on your Web site? Drop Mark Briggs a line at mark.briggs@thenewstribune.com

TAKING TIME FOR ONLINE
Audio slideshows have been appearing on more and more newspaper sites lately. But they're not all the same and, from an insider's perspective, the genesis and execution of these projects for traditional print publications is always interesting.

The York Dispatch takes a somewhat different approach. Where some dedicated Web staff is usually involved in these types of projects, the York paper is doing it with photographers and an AME for visuals, Randy Flaum.

Photographers initiate the projects, record all the audio and frequently edit it, too. Flaum also contributes to audio editing and develops the Web presentation. Sure, it takes time away from the print product, but it's worth it, according to Flaum.

"Motivation comes from the love of telling stories anyway we can," Flaum said.

Staff photographer John Pavoncello covered Hurricane Katrina, even maintaining a blog. Here's a slideshow from his work: http://w2.yorkdispatch.com/katrina_story/katrina.html

Staff photographer Bill Kalina developed this story on a childcare area for parents who visit loved ones locked up in our county prison: http://w2.yorkdispatch.com/prison_kids/kids_show.html

Pavoncello did another story on a local farmers market as it reached its 50th anniversary: http://w2.yorkdispatch.com/market_50/market2.html

And Pavoncello did one on a local Red Cross event that ran a few days before the event which honors local heroes (the audio was done by a local television station.): http://w2.yorkdispatch.com/heroes_design/heroes.html

How are you producing multimedia and Web-only content? Drop Mark Briggs a line at mark.briggs@thenewstribune.com.

IN-HOUSE CUSTOMIZATION
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer developed a slick, customized headline section to its Web site late last year. It lets users add content modules that appear on every page as they visit the Web site. Each module contains headlines from sections that users choose.

"The entire project took three to four weeks," said Lee Rozen, assistant managing editor, print and online production. "We are still seeing very few people who customize the modules, although it appears many are just making use of the default settings."

By default, the site displays modules of top AP news headlines, most read, most printed, most emailed and most commented headlines.

Check it out at www.seattlepi.com. And drop me a line if you have seen other cool applications on newspaper Web sites: mark.briggs@thenewstribune.com.

NEW YORK TIMES MEMO ON BLOGGING
While newspapers are not so new to blogging anymore, there is still plenty of uncertainty in newsrooms around the country as to what, exactly, print journalists should be doing with this new tool. A memo that was published online from the New York Times outlining their strategy contained a few salient points and is worth reading. Among them:

• "The point is, a blog is nothing more than a piece of technology."

• "There are costs; David Carr and Damon Darlin will be spending time they could be using to write newspaper articles. Their bosses have decided that's an advantageous tradeoff."

Read the memo: http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/003082.php

EDITOR FELLOWSHIPS IN EGYPT
The International Reporting Project is coordinating a two-week fellowship trip to Egypt for U.S. "gatekeeper" editors and producers interested in learning more about the country.

Gatekeepers are defined as senior journalists — executive editors, managing editors, broadcast producers, wire editors, editorial page editors, business editors, op-ed page editors and others — who help select editorial content. The IRP will take up to 12 U.S. editors on an all-expenses-paid fact-finding trip to Egypt from April 29 to May 12, 2006. You are invited to nominate yourself or another gatekeeper from your news organization's senior staff.

Deadline is February 10, 2006.

Contact:

International Reporting Project
The Johns Hopkins University – SAIS
1619 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036

Phone (202) 663-7761

Fax (202) 663-7762

E-mail: irp@jhu.edu

Web: http://www.internationalreportingproject.org

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