Missouri's e-paper

Here's what they're doing at the University of Missouri: a true e-paper.

Star editors, consider subscribing to this for ideas. Subscribe at: http://emprint.dns.overdrive.com/Register.asp.

Thanks to Bob Palermini at the LA Times for pointing out this site.

fewer print editions?

One interesting suggestion from a suburban editor said the Star should consider publishing fewer print editions - his reason being that ink on paper is no longer the best way to report breaking news. The Web site and radio station/podcast, on the other hand, would be updated several times each day.

Let's say the Star were to stop doing a paper edition on Fridays (traditionally our lowest-circulation day). Would this drive readers/listeners and advertisers to the Web, or would we simply lose most of our audience for a day? What if we did it on another weekday instead?

If we were to try this, maybe initially we'd load up online features and special ads one day a week, then promote it heavily in the paper, with flyers, on buses, whatever. Build that audience for a few weeks before pulling the plug on print that day?

Your thoughts?

As we get started ...

I'll be raising a lot of "what if" questions in these posts, and would encourage all of you to do the same. Don't panic if you see what looks like an incredibly stupid idea. It doesn't mean the Star is adopting it. This blog is just a collective thinking process where no idea is too lame to share.

Suggestions for improving the blog are most welcome.

Here's some background about the Star today: It is a 16,000-circulation campus newspaper, a Web site and an online radio station. All components are run completely by about 200 students and all are located in NIU's Campus Life Building. The Star covers news from NIU, DeKalb, Sycamore and surrounding areas. It subscribes to The Associated Press for non-local stories, photos and graphics.

Maria Krull and I are the only professional staffers - Maria as the business adviser and me as the news adviser. We also employ a graduate assistant, Deanna Cabinian, as NS Radio Station Manager. The editor in chief this year is Derek Wright.

The Star consistently wins national and state awards for reporting, photography, design, editing and its online entities. But, like so many other newspaper companies, we are concerned about declining readership and advertising revenues. Our Web site is in a period of transition and our radio station is still in the formative stages. So, we view this as an ideal time to talk about exactly what role those products should play in the Star's media presence.

Welcome

Hello! You found us. This blog will serve as a meeting room for conversation about the future of the Northern Star, the daily student newspaper, Web site and online radio station at Northern Illinois University. Students, alumni and others in the newspaper industry already have begun this conversation by answering our online questionnaire. Now we'll start posting some of the ideas we've gathered, along with a lot of questions that we can explore as a group. We look forward to your participation as we decide what exactly student media should look like in the coming years.

- Jim