Chapter 11: Converging with Other Emerging Media

There’s probably only one thing better than “converging” newspapers, television, and websites. This would be adding additional technology such as text messages, emails and really simple syndication (RSS) to receive the news.

CNN is a perfect example of what a news outlet can do when they combine technology to get the most information out to the public. CNN features a RSS feed opposite their website address to make it easy for their audience to have information delivered directly to them.

As many news organizations look to implement this feature or have already included this newer technology, some people even believe that all news will be viewed in this manner, omitting web pages completely, according to Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant and Douglas J. Fisher.

“The RSS technology allows any information to alert users when new information is available,” said Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

The same can be said for email alerts, however, the news provider has greater options with their variety and choice of topics as well as how long the content should be. Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher advise to know your audience well, as this technology is more custom picked and selective.

Text messaging or short-message systems (SMS) is considered ideal for breaking news stories due to the fact that almost all individuals can receive these messages instantly through their cell phones.

“Text messages interrupt conversation,” said Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher, therefore it must be used with news that warrants the interruption.

Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher also indicate that electronic billboards are being used to transmit news, as are radio broadcast data services (RBDS) and even Nintendo’s Wii video game system.

A key factor in utilizing all of these technologies to their greatest strengths, is to have the correct timing, emphasizes Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher. Knowing how RSS, email and texting works will enable news organizations to maximize efforts while establishing credibility for their organization.

“Know where your audience is, what they want and what they need to know,” said Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Chapter 10 Post: Adding (Multi) Media to the Web

These days, no news story or package is composed without using multiple media, or more commonly called multimedia.

The riots in Greece over the austerity measures is a great example, we see pictures, video and hear interviews through local stations and on the internet. The news stations also reach out to protesters with text and phone interviews, even Skype.

Each package the news station produces uses all this technology; video, sound and text. It represents using multiple medias to get the message and information out to the consumers and viewers, according to Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant and Douglas J. Fisher.

This concept works especially well when covering local events, as it can bring the community together by implementing different aspect with the help of multimedia.

“We now have the tools to bring (multi) media together in such a way as to transform seemingly mundane events into something meaningful,” said Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher focus on multimedia forms that include still images, sound, moving images, animation and graphics, interactives, and combinations of each.

Still images require a plan and plenty of preparation and when editing the photos. Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher advise to never work with the original image file. This can lead to a different restoration which can never be reversed once saved.

“Sound is extremely versatile and can be combined with any visual presentation,” said  Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Professional microphones and recorders should be used when recording, especially when producing a podcast. The same goes with video, and Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher suggest to keep the video’s short and to the point, roughly 20-30 seconds.

The key to good graphics is to make them interactive, building them together in a layered effect to connect them, indicated Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher. They also feel it’s best to have a section dedicated to “feedback” which allows direct interaction between the content provider and their audience.

“It’s important to remember that although the tools constantly change, the basic function-telling the story in the best way-will always remain,” said Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Chapter 5 Post from Broadcast to Internet: Repurposing Content

There will never be another time where the Internet ceases to exist. Like everything else, trends point to people increasingly getting their news from websites via the Internet.

The Census Bureau reported that in 2006, U.S. Internet readers would spend 195 hours on the web per year reading news. This would mark the first time for the increase of Internet news reading over newspaper reading. The focus for news stations now is to optimize their content for the Web, on the Web.

“At an age of convergence, audiences expect news on demand,” according to the text by Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant and Douglas J. Fisher and the media must be able to provide and meet these demands.

They are adamant that the key for superior news reporting comes with being able to identify a story and the various angles and then present them in the most ideal way to the viewers, by repurposing content.

“Repurposing is taking what has been produced for one medium and tailoring it for another,” says Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Most journalists today find themselves posting content to the Web and are therefore able to use a variety of unique tools to tell their story, such as text, still images, complete interviews and links to enrich their story, according to Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

“A key skill in this new journalism will be helping users navigate and make connections among all the parts of the story,” emphasizes Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Clean graphics, basic navigation tools and not too much clutter should be the focus on a broadcast story online. Using shells, uploading scripts as text files, keeping the length short, while encouraging the reader to become involved in the news need to be at the forefront says Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher.

Website management is an important issue, however, common sense works well here to establish proper guidelines and use of recent, relevant details of a story. The main goal is to give viewers a multitude of angles about a story in a variety of unique ways.

Experimental Station Links Low-Income Residents to Nutritious Food Choices

By Holly  Pennebaker and Maureen Foley

Audio slideshow, opening day of the 61st Street Farmer’s Market 2011.

Chicago military veteran Daniel Doyal first learned from a television commercial that he could use his LINK card at farmers markets throughout Chicago.

Doyal said, “At 81 years old, I don’t always have a lot of money. With LINK, its very easy and convenient, and every little bit helps.”

By participating with LINK assistance benefits, farmers markets have opened doors for healthy eating among people with low incomes.

Woodlawn neighborhood residents have been gifted with an oasis of healthy food choices in their usual “food desert” neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side. The not-for-profit Experimental Station partnered with volunteers to create a way for LINK card-holders to buy nutritious, affordable food like fruits and vegetables.

Photo by Holly Pennebaker

LINK cards are issued to people in Illinois who receive cash assistance benefits, known as food stamps. Farmers markets’ stations are now set up to accept LINK cards, which look and scan like a debit card. This year, locally grown produce can be sold to a LINK card-holder just like any other transaction.

Small convenience stores in “food deserts,” known as Chicago’s neighborhoods that lack full-service supermarkets, stock no healthy items. Instead, their selection is often limited to candy, chips, juice and soda. Research showed that some stores were unable to provide perishable food because their coolers were broken.

In last year’s pilot program of five markets, LINK sales reached $29,000 and tripled total market sales across Illinois. Blogger Linda Matlow of Chicago724 wrote that the 2010 pilot was one of the most successful efforts of its size in the country.

Experimental Station EBT Coordinator Corey Chatman received financial benefits growing up, and is passionate about maximizing access to fresh food.

Chatman recalled, “After I worked on the LINK program with the city for six months, it made me uniquely qualified to teach other farmers markets throughout the state how to actually implement a program.”

In response, a partnership of Experimental Station., the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services and the Mayor’s Office of Special Events nearly doubled the number of farmers markets accepting LINK cards in 2011 to 13.

The USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant was given to the 61^st Street Market last October, and was used to develop the program and add more locations, from which LINK card-holders could shop rather than from food desert convenience stops.

Chicago Public Schools Program Coordinator of Agricultural Sciences, Hospitality and Culinary Arts David Blackmon spoke with us on May 14, at the 61^st Street Farmers Market’s opening day.

Blackmon said, “Kids don’t know how to eat healthy, that’s why farmers markets are important and having them come down and learn what to do with beets, rutabagas and asparagus.”

According to Blackmon, the key is educating and empowering people of all ages to eat better. Once they see the value in nutritious food, they will buy the food. Blackmon holds healthy eating workshops that teach students in South Side elementary schools about nutrition. Adult cooking classes are also offered.

Chatman said he plans to promote healthy eating and open 50 to 60 more markets before next year. He continues to work with the City of Chicago to make this possible through funds and incentives.

Along with Dennis Ryan, who manages the 61^st Street Market, Chatman executed this program to initiate dietary choices among all Chicagoans, regardless of income.

Chatman said, “Our job was to get them hooked on the good food and they would keep coming back, and that’s what happened.”

Chatman believes technology was the barrier of LINK transactions, with no electric machines available in the markets’ outdoor setting.

Funding from the Department of Community Development allowed Electronic Benefit Transfer, an electronic system that allows transfer of government benefits. Each vendor station was equipped with electrical hookups to process LINK card sales.

In addition, LINK holders now check out with all other customers. Their transaction is processed like any other debit card sale, making their low-income status discreet.

The Wholesome Wave Foundation, a partnership-based program that supports nutrition for food desert communities, chipped in with their Double Value Coupon program. As Ryan explained, the grant doubles the value of LINK card funds for each LINK purchase.

The 61^st Street Farmers Market on the South Side opened on May 14 as a mix of people enjoyed their Spring shopping. Although rainy and unseasonably warm, about twenty shoppers sorted through fresh fruits, wholesome vegetables, homemade breads, organic eggs, and sweet treats.

Saturday’s shoppers were using a mixture of cash and LINK cards to buy their produce. The most popular buys included asparagus, tomatoes, cheeses, and whole-grain chocolate chip cookies.

Vendor Brian Ellis said, “People stop off to buy some of the produce as far as lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and things that automatically look fresh.”

A group of local farmers at the market said the LINK customers were saying how appreciative they are for the fresh food to be available, that they normally cannot get at their usual “mom-and-pop” grocery. Every customer was said to be very excited about the products they were buying.

Education provided at the market teaches people about health and the importance of nutrition. Demonstrations by Chef Charles Bagnerise show customers how the produce is grown, and how to prepare nutritious meals.

Bagnerise said, “I like to watch my weight as much as my health, it’s just healthy cooking and its good for your body, and I love fresh ingredients.”

Ryan ensures that fresh, sustainably grown produce is accessible to everyone on the south side, regardless of their financial means. The market accepted LINK cards from day one.

Ryan said, “We’re bringing literally the best we could possibly get, the same farmers that are on our street sell to Frontera Grill, Blackbird, The Publican, the best restaurants in the city.”

A marketing and outreach plan helps spread awareness of the 61^st Street Market. Ryan said he sees the best results from fliers, word-of-mouth and getting out in the south side communities.

Together, Ryan and Experimental Station are developing innovative means of making healthy food more accessible throughout South Side communities.

According to Chatman, if given a choice, nine times out of ten people will choose the healthier option, if it is within reach.

Ryan expressed that people have been overwhelmingly receptive to their team’s efforts. People have wanted to learn, participate in the market, become a vendor, and implement similar techniques in other markets.

Ryan said, “We’re here as a resource, and we’re here to help as many people as possible.”

Shopper Doyle also said, “LINK comes in very handy. I bought some wholesome produce and an upside-down pineapple cake and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”

A Guide to Chicago’s 2011 Farmers Markets

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SoundCloud Test on Hurricane Katrina

Many thanks from victims of Hurricane Katrina