Herald Hires Online VP
By Brian Neill, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.
Sep. 2–BRADENTON — In response to the ever-increasing challenges of providing online news and information, Bradenton Herald Publisher Will Fleet has announced the addition of a new vice president of interactive media to the newspaper staff.
Former Sarasota Herald-Tribune Online Editor Jackie Luper will take the reins of a significant overhaul of the Herald’s Web site, Bradenton.com, that is designed to make content more accessible and entertaining for readers.
“The first thing that I would like to do is take the great product you have as far as the news is concerned and make it available online in a more easily navigable way,” said Luper, who will begin her duties Wednesday. “Right now, the site has a lot of great content but it’s a little hard to use. People get a little frustrated with Web sites.”
Luper said she also plans to make Bradenton.com more interactive by accepting video and written submissions from readers and adding more blogs, which are online journals and commentaries from reporters.
“We are going to be focusing on local community sites geared toward the different local communities,” Luper added. “For instance, the Palma Sola area will have its own site off Bradenton.com, and Lakewood Ranch would have its own site of Bradenton.com.
So it will be hyper-local Web sites.”
Prior to working for the Sarasota newspaper, Luper was the online editor for Government Executive Magazine.
Luper was a combat correspondent in the U.S. Marines from 1996 to 2000 and designed the first Web site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar.
She also served as a marketing director for a chain of area hotels owned by her family.
Luper lives in Palmetto with her husband, Jason, and 7-month-old son, Grant.
Fleet said he was eager to get Luper to work on making Bradenton.com a better Web site.
“Bradenton.com is already one of the most-visited Web sites in the region,” Fleet said. “Our goal is to make the site more user-friendly, informative and entertaining. We’re excited to have someone with Jackie’s energy and experience to help take us to the next level.”
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