KC Star Web site enters 21st century, doesn't break

I want to extend kudos to the Web staff of the Kansas City Star for the good looking facelift it recently gave to the paper's site, kansascity.com.

It was a long time coming. In fact, this is the first real significant improvement to the site since I started reading the Star online...in 1999. That year, I went to college and missed my hometown dearly. And with this Internet thing, I was able to stay up-to-date with the goings-on in KC.

Problem was, the Star's site didn't change after that. Sure, there was a tweak here and there, but what resulted was a jumble of content, with breaking news in a corner, surrounded by ads, links, headlines, ads, press releases, pop up ads and even ads that scrolled across the screen. Sections were hard to find, hidden on a sidebar that was difficult to navigate. The day's main headlines were way below the fold, about 3/4 of the way down the page.

They're still there, but with the Star's new layout, you can easily maneuver the site, thanks to section tabs at the top of the page. The Star has also done a nice job in growing its blog farm, with Sam Mellinger's Royals blog at the top of my list. Still, the Chiefs are king in Kansas City (despite their record), and the Star has a nice Chiefs blog (wish I could say more, but my interest in the Chiefs slowed after Elvis Grbac left. For real), Joe Posnanski's gospel, a cool metro blog, and even a community for pet owners. There are many more, as well.

I think its Varsity Zone blog is really cool. It gives stats, scores, photos and news for high schools in the area. It even allows readers to keep their own blogs about high school sports.

The Star's site is getting better. There's still work to do. There's just so much darn content on the front page. Personally, and I might be biased, but I enjoy a nice clean front page.

Also, a big thumbs up to the University Daily Kansan, which, despite the gripes I had with the paper as a student, has a sweet Web site, and just upgraded an already good product.

Biggest. Interview. Ever.

A few weeks ago I had the surprising opportunity to interview Ron Jeremy for a story I was doing for the Kansan. I was profiling Jody Maxwell, a 70s porn star from Kansas City (turns out she grew up in the same neighborhood as I). One of her former co-stars was porn god Ron Jeremy, and I somehow got the interview. Everyone I talked to for this story, part of the Kansan's annual "Sex on the Hill" supplement, was very nice and open. It's definitely the strangest story I've ever written, but perhaps the most fun, as well. Check it out HERE.

College media lagging behind

According to a new study, 91 percent of college newspapers have an online presence. I’ve gotta say, this seems like a low number, given the immediacy of the Web, the online culture of college students, and the ease in which an online presence can be created. Other mediums are much worse off: “36.3 percent for radio stations, 20.9 percent for television stations, 18.1 percent for magazines and 6 percent for yearbooks,” according to the study, conducted by researchers at James Madison University.

It’s fascinating to see how behind some of these outlets are (though, honestly, I’ve never heard of an online yearbook).

One of the things that attracted me to KU is its focus on multimedia. The University Daily Kansan has a great site, complete with RSS delivery, blogs and other community-oriented features. The local TV station, KUJH, brings the station to the people on the Internets; it includes podcasts and its own blog. Radio outlet KJHK (K-Jayhawk, get it? Yuck, yuck) streams online, though doesn’t break many barriers in its presentation or sevice.

I’ve only been here a week, so my experience is limited, but I can say that the media presence on campus trumps that of my beloved alma mater, Miami University. Granted, I was in Oxford a lifetime ago (sometimes it seems), but the Miami Student’s online presence is limited; I’ve long thought on OxBlog was in order…c’mon, it’s creative. MUTV, the student-run television station, has a deplorable site, but WMUB, the student-run NPR station, has a decent presence on the Web.

I’m told that Miami is increasing its emphasis on journalism. I hope so, especially since they’ve torn down Reid Hall , my freshman year home and named after Whitelaw Reid, who also founded the Miami chapter of my fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon (speaking of a weak Web presence). Reid, of course (?), was a famous journalist in his time, reporting from Gettysburg and later was the publisher of the New York Herald-Tribune.

Still, when you think about it, these “new” formats — blogging, podcasting, multimedia platforms — are essential. I don’t think college publications are hurting for readers or advertisers; college media is not facing the same problems as its professional counterparts (I don’t think; might make an interesting case study), so a robust Web presence is not an immediate concern.

In terms of media, it’s not a huge concern. But in terms of looking like the top tier educational outlet a university may claim to be, it’s a terriffic concern. Imagine a university without a Web site , or with a site that looks like it’s a Geocities production. You earn zero credibility. It’s just like companies that don’t have Web sites, like those I used to find on CareerBuilder looking for sports-minded players…those companies that had you tag along a sales associate as they trudge through suburban strip malls, hawking phone plans. S-H-A-D-Y.

“Why do I need to learn video?”

The study also says that a lot of young college journos decide their path in high school, shunning the emergence of new media. Like, duh. OMFG, say other bloggers. Kids, you’re sounding stodgy. Aren’t these young kids supposed to be up on all these new-fangled things? Video, audio, slideshows…these things make our product more robust, more “readable” and just plain better. Get with the program. I know I am.

Design: Key to harnessing the power of the Internets

The Bivings Report had a cool blog entry on the top 10 newspaper designs in all of the land. I’ve gotta say, the list looks pretty spot on. It gives props to the New York Times, Washington Post, USAT (I disagree on this one. It’s got a lot of social networking, but have you ever tried using the archive? Blah) and a number of smaller circ papers in major cities. Conspicuously absent: The Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times (I like the Bright One’s design), as well as the AJC, Miami Herald, and LAT. Wouldn’t you think these power players would be on the forefront of excellent design?

Many moons ago, I was inspired to start a blog all about newspaper Web design, something I know absolutely nothing about (it didn’t happen). But I know what looks good to me, and I know what I like as a reader. This was after a shooter went on a rampage in Kansas City, but I could hardly find any content on the Kansas City Star’s site. There was a quick write up, but no pictures or video; the TV sites did a pretty good job of providing updates, and Aaron Barnhardt, TV critic at the Star, was very complimentary of his news rivals. (NOTE: I can’t even find the story in a quick archive search)

I was flabbergasted that a paper like the Star was falling down on breaking the biggest story that had hit the area in years. Admittedly, the coverage in the following days was fantastic and will probably win some awards around here. But still, it confounded the problem of getting to content on the Star’s page (NOTE: MT has rolled out a new service, so maybe I can embed images…stay tuned). If you want to find what’s going in today’s paper, you’ve got to scroll about 3/4 down the page.

The top of the page is cluttered with ads and other content, including breaking news and blogs. But it’s not separated. It’s a blur of stuff, and it’s totally confusing. I know they could do much better job with the site, which has hardly changed since I started reading it online in 1999.

Now the Tribune’s new design is a step in the wrong direction, says the reader in me. Others wiser than I have blogged about this already. It’s got more interactive content, which is cool, but I think it’s hard to navigate. It’s a mirror image of the Orlando Sentinel’s site (and maybe other Tribune company papers?); I think it’s a step back from the stately, signature site that the Tribune formerly called its own. I still can’t stop reading it though.

Now that I’m fully entrenched in Lawrence, I’ve got to give props to the local Journal-World,
which has a great looking site that’s easy to navigate. The University Daily Kansan has a good site too, and one that trumps my beloved Miami Student (potential new topic: College media?). The paper is a quality one too. I picked up first copy today and was impressed at the breadth of stories in the 100-plus page edition. Nicely done for a college paper.