The last few weeks have been quite busy here at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center. The whole station is involved in a new project called "The Information Center" we'd like to share with you.
WKYC has become the latest of the Gannett Broadcasting stations to convert to this company wide iniative - a whole new way of bringing news and information to our viewers and readers on-line.
Earlier this year, each staff member at WKYC was asked to consider joining groups that would be responsible for a component of our on-line presence. These duties would be in addition to an employee's regular duties as the tv industry enters a new reality of multi-tasking.We were not told which groups to join or how many to participate in. That decision was left to the individual who could join those that interested them most.
The response was tremendous and met with enthusiasm by most employees who realize they have a little time in their day to contribute to the station in non-traditional ways.
At each station, groups are formed with specific responsibilities. Part of the fun is naming our groups to reflect their mission. At some Gannett stations, like in Buffalo, groups take clever names likes "Phonies," "Flippers" and "Homies."
At WKYC, we chose more traditional group names including "Story Researcher," "Web Proofreader," "Community Calendar Editor," "Viewer e-Liaison," "Web Picture Editor," "Web Contributing Story Editor," "Social Media Pilot Group" and "Niche Web Site Contributor."
Each team meets regularly to come up with ideas for the execution of their team objectives. The training is all done by leaders of each team, who aren't appointed - but emerge into that role based on their experience. It's equal opportunity for all.
Let's a take a look at each of our Information Center groups:
Story Researcher - team members assist the news department in doing research for various news pieces or station projects.
Web Proofreader - our sleuths surf our own websites and blogs making sure information is accurate and that errors are pointed out and corrected as quickly as possible.
Community Calender Editor - these folks input information into our website that is sent to the station or that we are involved in. This gives larger database of events to offer our local audience.
Viewer e-Liaison - this important position directs the large amount of viewer emails we get to the appropriate department or person in a more timely manner so a reply can be sent as quickly as possible.
Web Picture Editor - these group memembers are responsible for taking the digital photos we get from viewers during severe weather or breaking news events and getting them onto the web as quickly as possible.
Web Contributing Story Editor - everyone is given the opportunity to submit ideas and work on stories that are then reviewed by the news department and published to any of our several websites.
Social Media Pilot Group - team members utilize social media platforms, like Facebook, to help promote station events and news stories and to interact with our audience directly in the community. They post videos, write their own profiles and interact with others online.
Niche Web Site Contributor - Because WKYC is creating new websites for the local community, this group works on developing blogs or websites like wkyc.com/outdoors, The Director's Cut Blog, Fair Weather Fans or North Coast Moms to name a couple.
As television continues to evolve on the internet as a distribution platform, these positions will become even more important as another way to connect with viewers and distribute information in non-traditional ways.
We'll have more on the Information Center in the coming months as it evolves here at WKYC.
