New goals, added media define the new semester for The Collegian

THE SEMESTER HAS begun and along with it, another run of The Collegian.

Over the years, Fresno State̢۪s student run newspaper has evolved and adapted according to each new staff and Editor in Chief̢۪s mission and goals.

And as the new Editor in Chief, I am proud to say that tradition of growth and evolution is not about to end.

But I would like to believe that The Collegian has not grown and changed simply because each staff wants to try something different when they take over the reins of running the paper.

I see the evolution of The Collegian as a reflection of the trends in the journalism industry.

The world of journalism is always changing, and changing rapidly to keep up with all the new ways audiences interact with the media.

Mass audiences these days are living in what I call a “get it now and get it fastâ€Â age. Audiences have so many ways to get their news and get it quickly, especially since all they have to do is go to a computer and log on to the Internet.

So why would audiences wait until the next day to read their news in the paper?

How is print journalism supposed to keep up with digital media?

The hot and controversial word right now in the industry is “convergence.â€Â

Hot, because it̢۪s what almost every medium is doing to keep up with audience demands. Newspapers, magazines and television stations all now frequently maintain websites, for 24-hour access to the news.

Controversial, because many in the industry are opposed to it and are not sure how to handle it.
Many don̢۪t realize that these days, reporters in every medium must go out and gather news, keeping video, audio, and print in their minds as they develop a story.

Being a broadcast major, I see the importance of convergence in keeping in touch with our audiences. That̢۪s why my goals are to continue the growth of The Collegian web site and its multimedia reporting.

The Collegian this coming semester will begin developing its news content with a more multimedia and interactive mentality. Our new mantra around the office is “Web site first.â€Â

Incoming news editor Kelly Lucus is working diligently to develop new means of bringing our audience the news that matters to Fresno State in ways besides those intended strictly for print.

Features, under the leadership of Paige Ricks, is geared toward becoming more of an arts and entertainment section.

Its goal is to keep audiences informed on what Fresno and the Central Valley has to offer entertainment-wise.

Returning sports editor Jimmy Graben is working with incoming sports co-editor Logan Hopkins on a podcast that can be accessed from our Web site, that will offer more in-depth game coverage and sports analysis.

This new endeavor will be known as The Collegian REDWAVE Podcast.

Mathew Gomes in Opinion is working on incorporating more editorials from The Collegian̢۪s staff to help establish a strong voice for our publication.

Multimedia editor Heather Billings is collaborating to create a Collegian newscast in which we will actually have a reporter on camera and collaborating to bring more in-depth news features to our Web site to compliment our coverage in the print edition.

So continue reading and picking up The Collegian to check out what new features we are incorporating as we adapt to our audience̢۪s need and demand for convergence.

Brandon Santiago is a senior at Fresno State majoring in mass communication and journalism with an emphasis in broadcast journalism.