|
|
writenews.com
|
Tuesday, August 6, 2002 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs NAA Honors Best Newspaper Websites The Edgie Awards winners were selected from 251 entries in eight categories, including Best Local Online Service, Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: News Event Coverage, Public Service, Best Classified Site and Best Advertiser Program. The full list of finalists is available online at The Digital Edge, NAA's site dedicated to online publishing analysis. Three sites received multiple awards. CJOnline, from The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, won for its coverage of the Kansas Legislature, its HawkZone sports site and an advertising program for a local casino. The Savannah (Ga.) Morning News took home Edgies for overall news presentation, real estate classifieds and overall excellence as a local online service. Washingtonpost.com, a multiple-award winner in 2001, received trophies for news, employment advertising and as the best local online service in large markets. The New Media Federation also recognizes a New Media Pioneer whose vision and willingness to mentor young leaders have propelled the industry forward. This year, the award was presented to Michael A. Silver, vice president/strategy and development, Tribune Interactive, Chicago. Silver helped Tribune Co. achieve enormous success in its editorial and business efforts. Silver has served in multiple roles at Tribune, including VP/editorial, marketing and development at Tribune Media Services, VP for new media at Tribune Broadcasting and Tribune Interactive general manager. Silver achieved industry acclaim for championing Tribune's investment in AOL, a $6 million expenditure in 1991 that turned out to be worth more than $1 billion. The 2002 Digital Edge Award Winners (The winners, their affiliated newspapers and select comments from Edgie judges appear below.) Best Local Online Service, Circulation less than 75,000 SavannahNOW Savannah (Ga.) Morning News Comments: SavannahNOW satisfies the cravings of Savannah, Ga., residents and visitors with a site that excels in all phases -- as a news provider, lifestyle guide and marketplace for cars, homes and employment opportunities. All communities should be so lucky to have as thorough an online guide to local living. Best Local Online Service, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 NewsOK.com The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, in partnership with KWTV News9 Comments: Convergence believers take note: NewsOK.com is quickly becoming the model for all others to follow. The online partnership between The Oklahoman and KWTV News9 goes beyond expectations of intermingled text and video news clips to deliver an interactive crime tracker, highly functional classified verticals and extensive entertainment listings. Best Local Online Service, Circulation more than 250,000 Mywashingtonpost.com The Washington Post Comments: Offered as a personalized version of the core site, mywashingtonpost.com fulfills online readers' desires to create a tailor-made news and entertainment resource. Audience traffic logs show that about 80 percent of visitors to washingtonpost.com live outside of the D.C. metropolitan area, but one would never suspect as much after visiting this all-inclusive cyber guide to the area. Best News Presentation, Circulation less than 75,000 SavannahNOW Savannah (Ga.) Morning News Comments: The site's news coverage and emphasis on intuitive navigation speeds the visitor's path to vital information. SavannahNOW won the "Best News Site" trophy in its circulation category during last year's Edgie Awards. Best News Presentation, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 Pilot Online The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk Comments: The commitment to breaking news permeates every page of Pilot Online. Fortified by the support of The Virginian-Pilot newsroom, the site's editors appear to be daring visitors to click the "refresh" button and not find something new. Best News Presentation, Circulation more than 250,000 Washingtonpost.com The Washington Post Comments: During one of the most exciting and challenging years for online news operations, washingtonpost.com once again elevated itself above all others. For the third year in a row, the site impressed Edgie judges with its incisive news analysis, aggressive posting of print reporters' pre- deadline articles and dedication to online-only multimedia coverage. Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: News Event Coverage, Circulation less than 75,000 Kansas Legislature - CJOnline The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal Comments: No filibusters were required to select this Edgie entry, a premium example of the Web's ability to broaden the scope of political coverage. Visitors can track bills in real-time using database technology. The Topeka Capital-Journal's legislative writers provide Web-only articles and audio clips from their interviews, and politicians submit weekly diaries. Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: News Event Coverage, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 62 Days from Ground Zero - RecordOnline.com The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y. Judge said: Restricted by resources but determined to document the effects of Sept. 11 on its small-town communities, The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., developed this simple, moving site. It pays tribute to the more than 60 area residents who lost their lives during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and to the heroes of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: News Event Coverage, Circulation over 250,000 America at War - Washingtonpost.com The Washington Post Comments: An impassioned mission that began just minutes after the first plane struck the World Trade Center continues to this day. Washingtonpost.com's approach to the most notorious acts of violence in generations encompasses constantly updated articles from print reporters, streaming audio and video, photo galleries and more than 180 hours of "Live Online" discussions about the terror attacks and all facets of the U.S. response. Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: Features/Enterprise, Circulation less than 75,000 Ultimate Twain Guide - Hannibal.net The Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post Comments: Hannibal.net spins the concept of a "super-niche site" into Edgie gold with its online ode to favorite son Mark Twain. Even the most nit- picky Twain enthusiast will make new discoveries among the site's collection of downloadable transcripts of books, essays, letters and speeches, photographic tours and maps of Hannibal, Mo., multimedia games, and a daily quote. Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: Features/Enterprise, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 Ballouville - ctnow.com The Hartford Courant Comments: Strengthened by its ties to The Hartford Courant and a local television station owned by parent company Tribune Co., ctnow.com meticulously profiles the proud residents of one of Connecticut's poorest neighborhoods, Ballouville. Most Innovative Use of Digital Media: Features/Enterprise, Circulation more than 250,000 Witness to an Epidemic: AIDS in the Caribbean - Sun-Sentinel.com South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale Judge said: Sun-Sentinel.com's emotionally compelling Web documentary received the most votes of an entry across all three circulation categories. The victory rewards the concept of cross-department teamwork, as the news graphics department received a major assist from the online, multimedia, photo, Metro, editing and radio staffs. Best Vertical Site, Circulation less than 75,000 HawkZone - CJOnline The Topeka (Kan.) Capital Journal Best Vertical Site, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 Packer Insider - Journal Interactive Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Comments: Packer Insider confirms that online audiences will pay for exclusive, premium content that covers a topic better than any other publication, online or off. More than 7,500 Green Bay Packers fans depend on the site for updated news, post-game analysis, access to columnists, draft analysis and chats with Packer Insider experts. Best Vertical Site, Circulation more than 250,000 Metromix - Tribune Interactive Chicago Tribune Comments: During the past year, Metromix solidified its reputation as the ultimate resource for Web users in search of dining, drinking, clubbing, and arts and entertainment options in greater Chicago. Metromix was voted "Best Regional or City Guide" in the 2001 Edgie competition. Best Classified Site, Circulation less than 75,000 SavannahNOW Home Finder Savannah (Ga.) Morning News Comments: Programmed for maximum utility and swift navigation, SavannahNOW's real estate vertical delivers a dream package of sale and rental listings. The site serves homebuyers and renters with detailed information about Savannah's neighborhoods, schools and economy, and offers prime advertising space to area brokers and Realtors through cross-media sales packages. Best Classified Site, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 Motorway - Los Angeles Newspaper Group The Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif. Comments: Motorway.com presents an entertaining marketplace designed for new and used-car buyers and auto enthusiasts. Visitors find all of the critical services -- model-by-model comparisons, access to local dealers' inventory, and financing and insurance information -- plus car reviews, daily automotive news and utilities such as driving directions. Best Classified Site, Circulation more than 250,000 WashingtonJobs.com - washingtonpost.com The Washington Post Comments: The true test of online recruitment services comes when the labor market tightens. During a tumultuous year for employment advertising, WashingtonJobs.com, a repeat winner from 2001, continued to meet the needs of its customers with resume-management features and virtual career fairs for job-seekers, and customized resume databases, applicant pre-screening and a suite of e-commerce tools for employers. Best Advertiser Program, Circulation less than 75,000 Harrah's Casino - CJOnline The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal Comments: CJOnline.com delivered promotions for Harrah's Prairie Band Casino to online football and baseball fans throughout Missouri and Kansas. The casino's marketing messages appeared in e-mail newsletters, in-print promotions, and Palm Pilot and mobile phone versions of CJOnline's pro sports sites. Jackpot! Best Advertiser Program, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 Avada Online Hearing Test - Cox Ohio Publishing Dayton Daily News Comments: Now this is an ad you definitely couldn't find in the newspaper: an online hearing test sponsored by a local company, Avada Audiology & Hearing Care. The program reached almost 100,000 unique users during a three-month period and generated four-digit online revenue for Cox Ohio Publishing. Best Advertiser Program, Circulation more than 250,000 Miller Brewing Company Microsites - latimes.com Los Angeles Times Comments: Latimes.com created more than an advertising campaign for Miller. It developed outstanding entertainment and dining guides for Miller's target markets, the Latino and gay and lesbian communities in Southern California. Public Service, Circulation less than 75,000 Waterfront Renaissance Project - HeraldNet The Herald, Everett, Wash. Judge said: Timed to coincide with a major redevelopment project in Everett, Wash., this exceptional example of community-service journalism gave residents the chance to construct their own version of the city's waterfront areas using interactive technology. One judge referred to the Waterfront Renaissance Project as "one of the best sites I've seen in ages." Public Service, Circulation 75,000 to 250,000 Poisoned: Rhode Island's Lead-Poisoning Crisis - projo.com The Providence (R.I.) Journal Comments: This examination of the devastating effects of lead poisoning was developed to serve a local and national audience. Judges praised the project's use of features that are unique to the 'Net, such as an online chat with reporter and photographer, and map of lead-poisoning locations in each of the state's communities produced from a state department of health database. Public Service, Circulation more than 250,000 Erin's Race - Cleveland.com The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Comments: Cleveland.com did more than present the story of Erin Jones, a police offer whose life -- and pregnancy -- were hurled into a crisis when she was diagnosed with cancer. It transformed itself from a local site into a digital support center for Erin's family and a source of education and inspiration for a community of concerned Web users.
Click here to return to the homepage of The Write NewsTM Click here to subscribe to our free weekly edition.  www.writenews.com Copyright © 1997-2007 by Writers Write, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
