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I recently struck up a conversation with a young man whose father had spent his career as a journalist at the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald and National Geographic. While his father had retired just as the economy began its plunge, he explained, both were still closely observing the newspaper industry. “Let me ask you something,” he said. “Have you ever seen newspapers change more in such a short …”
“No,” I said before he could even finish.
As we watched 758 “Best of GateHouse 2009” entries pour into the News & Interactive Division headquarters in Chicago, we saw newspapers saturated with fresh looks and creative new ways to tell stories. And it doesn’t take much trolling of our websites to see online news reports that are livelier and more engaging than ever before – and drifting further and further away from being a recap of this morning’s print product.
Yes, we’re a long way from the days of newspapers being inhabited by blocks of 20-inch stories, and websites that get our attention, say, about the time the last sports page is headed to the pressroom.
Certainly within GateHouse, 2009 was a year of enormous editorial change. The online content strategy was reset as trainers scattered across the country to help you customize the strategy in a way that makes sense for your market. Simultaneously, new online features were introduced, and a new website template began its rollout late in the year. Scores of print products were recontented and redesigned, and countless new, inventive products were launched all over GateHouse.
And here, on the pages of this “Best of GateHouse 2009” book, all of those efforts are on full display, as is that rare brand of resilience and determination to get the job done – no matter what the circumstances – that can only be found in a newsroom.
While we reflect on 2009, 2010 is just as full of change. Without a doubt, we continue to evolve for the better, with much more work ahead of us. But I couldn’t be more proud of all we have accomplished together.
My sincere “thank you” to all our newsrooms for their dedication, which even in the toughest of times continues to drive forward the quality of our journalism.
Brad Dennison
Vice President/News & Interactive Division
GateHouse Media Inc.
I recently struck up a conversation with a young man whose father had spent his career as a journalist at the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald and National Geographic. While his father had retired just as the economy began its plunge, he explained, both were still closely observing the newspaper industry. “Let me ask you something,” he said. “Have you ever seen newspapers change more in such a short …”
“No,” I said before he could even finish.
As we watched 758 “Best of GateHouse 2009” entries pour into the News & Interactive Division headquarters in Chicago, we saw newspapers saturated with fresh looks and creative new ways to tell stories. And it doesn’t take much trolling of our websites to see online news reports that are livelier and more engaging than ever before – and drifting further and further away from being a recap of this morning’s print product.
Yes, we’re a long way from the days of newspapers being inhabited by blocks of 20-inch stories, and websites that get our attention, say, about the time the last sports page is headed to the pressroom.
Certainly within GateHouse, 2009 was a year of enormous editorial change. The online content strategy was reset as trainers scattered across the country to help you customize the strategy in a way that makes sense for your market. Simultaneously, new online features were introduced, and a new website template began its rollout late in the year. Scores of print products were recontented and redesigned, and countless new, inventive products were launched all over GateHouse.
And here, on the pages of this “Best of GateHouse 2009” book, all of those efforts are on full display, as is that rare brand of resilience and determination to get the job done – no matter what the circumstances – that can only be found in a newsroom.
While we reflect on 2009, 2010 is just as full of change. Without a doubt, we continue to evolve for the better, with much more work ahead of us. But I couldn’t be more proud of all we have accomplished together.
My sincere “thank you” to all our newsrooms for their dedication, which even in the toughest of times continues to drive forward the quality of our journalism.
Brad Dennison
Vice President/News & Interactive Division
GateHouse Media Inc.
