The evolution of the media landscape has introduced tremendous change in recent years as to when, where and how local readers access news.
At the Vernon Morning Star, we have positioned ourselves to adapt to those changes and make use of new technology to serve our readers better.
Looking back over a decade ago, newspapers grasped the Internet like a shiny new toy and began uploading stories and pictures onto it. We also began to open our stories to the interactivity and felt, “Ah, we’re digital.”
But then the shiny new toy got bigger and bigger and started advancing to be faster and faster, because consumers demanded more.
As that revolution in our industry continues, we have adapted to the improved technology.
Today, from a newspaper that had a website, the Vernon Morning Star is now a multimedia entity with an increased focus of staff resources and story content on a digital platform, while still being fully dedicated to delivering a traditional newspaper which remains an iconic part of our community.
There has been a shift in readership as a generation that grew up with digital devices and embraced social media has moved into adulthood.
More people have and will be accessing news and information from mobile devices than ever before. The average smartphone user picks up their phone 150 times a day - once every nine minutes.
While for many it has replaced the need to read a newspaper, it has also made desktop and laptop computers for personal use increasingly obsolete.
It has been a game changer in our lives, with the reality of that impact continuing to be felt in new ways today.
So in keeping with that change, today we introduce our new website - the VernonMorningStar.com - to bring you the news, information and advertising in the way you want it, whether it is on your mobile phone, tablet or other form of technology.
And yes, the traditional newspaper format will continue to be published to a significant audience who still like the idea of holding a newspaper in their hands in a quiet moment and perusing it for local news and advertising.
“Providing great digital content is a must for any media outlet these days, and a more comprehensive and up-to-the-minute website is an exciting and welcome addition to The Morning Star’s coverage of what matters to the residents of the North Okanagan,” said Morning Star editor Glenn Mitchell.
“The same dependable coverage of news, sports, entertainment, lifestyles and more that’s delivered to your door three times a week now also comes in a brighter, bolder, more vital web format, complete with videos and enhanced coverage from the Black Press team of newspapers.”
To add to our reliable print product we have upgraded our website to be more readily responsive to any device, with all our stories, pictures and videos providing the same news learning experience no matter what device you receive it on.
Our new website has an updated look, better organized layout and is easy to navigate.
Our new digital platform also has meant our editorial departments have had to change their way of thinking, to give you what you have demonstrated you want—the news when you want it, where you want it, how you want it.
We are no longer a community newspaper with a deadline or two a week. We are now effectively a 24/7 news providing resource.
Our digital platform gives us the ability to deliver the news to you within minutes of it happening, more than just words and stories but also with images available through a concurrent video channel called BPTV (Black Press TV), bringing video content to all devices and platforms.
As well, the Vernon Morning Star will continue to reach out to various social media channel audiences through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
For advertisers, our digital technology gives local businesses a massive reach. Advertisers will be able to put their ads across thousands of sites and target ideal customers based on age, gender, location, home address and even native language.
They can also target audiences based on what those audiences are doing via search history, online content consumption, transactions, browsing behaviour and clicks.
Through the online version of the Vernon Morning Star you will be able to read the stories that make our region so great to live in. You can see, in photos and videos, the people and events that make the lives of our local communities vibrant and dynamic.
You can interact with those stories and you can help shape the stories that get told with easier access to sending our news team story tips, story ideas and photos using the online form accessed via our website.
So while the media landscape is changing, it’s still about telling you about what, where, why, when and who is creating news in our community. Now, you’ll be able to get more of it, and get it sooner - all in the palm of your hand.
Make the vernonmorningstar.com your home page now and send us your best news tips, videos and photos to newstips@vernonmorningstar.com anytime.