New TL Site Will Debut With a Difference
By Jerry Lynott, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader
Mar. 28–WILKES-BARRE — A new Times Leader Web site that debuts Thursday will be noticeably different to readers.
Added features and improvements include faster updating of news, audio and video, and the opportunity for users to interact with the site.
The changes are a result of the newspaper severing ties with the online service provided by its former owner, Knight Ridder.
“Being privately owned gives us the opportunity to do what we want to do for this market,” said Richard L. Connor, Times Leader publisher and editor. Namely, local control allows for more flexibility in deciding what goes on the site and when.
“This is just the beginning of us being more competitive in other forms of media,” he said.
Rather than view the online site as a threat to the print version of the newspaper, Connor said he sees it “as an important piece of our future” and the greatest growth area for advertising dollars.
The site will be produced by Joe Soprano, online editor, and Lee Ann Orsheski, online producer.
It’s been in the works since December, said Kathy Schwartz, vice president of audience and new product development.
At first glance readers will notice technological as well as display changes, Schwartz said. But the main difference will be the fundamental one Connor pointed to.
“It’s locally controlled,” she said.
The staff will be able to put news on the site quickly for readers in text as well as audio and video formats.
Over time the site will change with technology, the demands of the competitive market and the audience.
“It’s called iteration,” Schwartz said.
Readers can expect to see breaking news on the site, Soprano’s “Mid-day Newsroom Note,” and an interactive calendar of events in which readers can add events and programs. In addition they can receive text alerts on their cell phones and receive an e-mail newsletter of daily headlines.
Readers can also purchase photo reprints from the site, Soprano said.
The focus on local content is one aspect of what makes a site successful, explained Randy Bennett, vice president of audience and new business development with the Newspaper Association of America in Arlington, Va.
“What newspapers are discovering is it’s not just about news,” Bennett said. Successful sites provide more comprehensive information about where the best bike trails are, where to eat and shop. They also allow for user participation because people want to feel like they are part of the process.
“Any information you want as a consumer in the local market should be available on the site,” Bennett said.
He reiterated a comment Connor also made, saying, “If newspapers don’t provide it, somebody else will.”
See for yourself
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Starting Thursday, visit the new Web site at www.timesleader.com [http://www.timesleader.com] and tell us what you think by responding to feedback@timesleader.com [mailto:feedback@timesleader.com].
Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at 829-7237.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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