Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Ups and downs of web traffic
This chart shows how page views at theorion.com have waxed and waned over the past couple of years, since the site went to a WordPress format and independent web hosting in the fall of 2013.
As expected, the summer months mark the low spots because students are the paper's primary audience and they're not around then. Also, no new content is usually posted from June to the middle of August, so visitors quickly learn there's nothing new to see.
And as I have explained several times in this blog, breaking news on the website is the biggest driver of traffic. Consequently, big news in September to November 2014 shows up as the big bump in the middle of the chart.
What's not immediately clear here is how much traffic improved the second year. The average number of page views per month for Sept. 2013 to August 2014 was 402,825. For July 2014 to June 2015 that number was 621,637.
The biggest area of concern for me is the way traffic tailed off last spring. I think the cumulative effect of having few strong news stories on the site spring semester reversed the trend of better and better numbers from month to month. There are lots of reasons for this, and getting it fixed should be the top priority for the new editors coming on board this fall.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Can You Compete? Hearst National Championships
I don't usually copy and paste material from elsewhere in this blog, but the Hearst contest is a terrific opportunity for students to show their best work to an audience of professional judges, add something significant to their resumes and even pick up a chunk of cash (as you'll see below).
Students in Chico State's Journalism and PR Department are eligible for the contest, and I promise to make an extra effort next year to urge Orion students compete.
Here's the Hearst Foundation's news release announcing this year's winners:
San Francisco – Winning college journalists in the National Writing, Photojournalism, Broadcast News and Multimedia Championships have been announced by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program.
The Hearst Championships are the culmination of the 2014 - 2015 Journalism Awards Program, which are held in 108 member colleges and universities of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication with accredited undergraduate journalism programs.
From June 1 through June 4, 29 finalists – all winners from the 14 monthly competitions – participated in the 55th annual Hearst Championships in San Francisco. where they demonstrated their writing, photography, radio, television and multimedia skills in rigorous on-the-spot assignments. The assignments were chosen by media professionals who judged the finalists’ work throughout the year and at the Championships. Winners were announced during the final awards ceremony on June 4th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. The following are the first, second and third-place winners and the scholarships they received:
NATIONAL WRITING CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Samantha Schmidt, Indiana University, $5,000 award
Second Place, Cody Stavenhagen, Oklahoma State University, $4,000 award
Third Place, Hannah Fleace, Indiana University, $3,000 award
NATIONAL PHOTOJOURNALISM CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Carolyn Van Houten, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, $5,000 award
Second Place, Andrew Renneisen, Syracuse University, $4,000 award
Third Place, Leah Klafczynski, Kent State University, $3,000 award
NATIONAL RADIO BROADCAST NEWS CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Charles J. Shelton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, $5,000 award
Second Place, Madelyn Beck, University of Montana, $4,000 award
Third Place, Parth Shah, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, $3,000 award
NATIONAL TELEVISION BROADCAST NEWS CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Megan Thompson, Arizona State University, $5,000 award
Second Place, Susanna Black, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,, $4,000 award
Third Place, Landon Miller, University of Nevada, Reno, $3,000 award
NATIONAL MULTIMEDIA CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Adam Wolffbrandt, Western Kentucky University, $5,000 award
Second Place, Erin Patrick O’Connor, Arizona State University, $4,000 award
Third Place, Emily Rhyne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, $3,000 award
Finalists in the Championship are:
Five finalists in the Writing Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships
(listed in alphabetical order):
Emilie Eaton, Arizona State University
Evan Hoopfer, Indiana University
Megan Jula, Indiana University
Michael Majchrowicz, Indiana University
Faiz Siddiqui, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The $1,000 Award for Best Reporting Technique went to Samantha Schmidt, Indiana University.
The Article of the Year Award of $1,000 went to Hannah Fleace, Indiana University.
Three finalists in the Photojournalism Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships
(listed in alphabetical order):
Callaghan O'Hare, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Timothy Tai, University of Missouri
Zachary Wittman, Central Michigan University
The $1,000 Award for Best Single Photograph went to Timothy Tai, University of Missouri;
and the Best Portfolio Award of $1,000 also went to Andrew Renneisen, Syracuse University.
Those awards were selected from the semi-final portfolios.
Two finalists in the Radio Broadcast News Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):
Logan Heley, University of Southern California
James Torrez, University of Florida
The $1,000 Award for Best Use of Radio For News Coverage went to Charles J. Shelton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Two finalists in the Television Broadcast News Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):
Jeremy Harris, Brigham Young University
Anastassia Olmos, University of Southern California
The Best Use of Television For News Coverage Award of $1,000 went to Megan Thompson, Arizona State University. Those awards were selected from the monthly entries.
Two finalists in the Multimedia Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):
Jessica Boehm, Arizona State University
Katie Meek, Western Kentucky University
The $1,000 Award for Best Multimedia Story of the Year went to Emily Rhyne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, which was selected from the monthly competition entries.
The writing judges were: Arthur Brisbane, retired Editor and Corporate Executive, Knight Ridder Newspapers; Nicole Carroll, Vice President/News and Executive Editor, The Arizona Republic; and Mike Leary, Senior Vice President and Editor, San Antonio Express-News.
The photojournalism judges were: Sue Morrow, Assistant Multimedia Director,Sacramento Bee, CA; Jakub Mosur, Freelance Photographer, San Francisco, CA; Kenneth Irby, Senior Faculty, Director of Community Relations & Diversity Programs, The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, FL.
The broadcast news judges were: Marci Burdick, Senior Vice President of Broadcasting, Schurz Communications, Inc., Michawaka, IN; Harvey Nagler, Vice President, Radio, CBS News, New York, NY; and Fred Young, retired Senior Vice President of News, Hearst Television Inc., Yardley, PA.
The Multimedia Judges were: Tiffany Campbell, Managing Editor, Digital, WBUR 90.9, Arlington, VA; Sue Morrow, Assistant Multimedia Director, Sacramento Bee, CA; Kate O’Brian, President, Al Jazeera America, New York, NY.
The William Randolph Hearst Foundation was established by its namesake in 1948 under California non-profit laws, exclusively for educational and charitable purposes. Since then, the Hearst Foundations have contributed nearly 1 billion dollars to numerous educational programs, health and medical care, human services and the arts in every state.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to foster journalism education through scholarships for outstanding college students. Since its inception, the program has distributed more than $12 million in scholarships and grants for the very best work by student journalists.
Students in Chico State's Journalism and PR Department are eligible for the contest, and I promise to make an extra effort next year to urge Orion students compete.
Here's the Hearst Foundation's news release announcing this year's winners:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Francisco – Winning college journalists in the National Writing, Photojournalism, Broadcast News and Multimedia Championships have been announced by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program.
The Hearst Championships are the culmination of the 2014 - 2015 Journalism Awards Program, which are held in 108 member colleges and universities of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication with accredited undergraduate journalism programs.
From June 1 through June 4, 29 finalists – all winners from the 14 monthly competitions – participated in the 55th annual Hearst Championships in San Francisco. where they demonstrated their writing, photography, radio, television and multimedia skills in rigorous on-the-spot assignments. The assignments were chosen by media professionals who judged the finalists’ work throughout the year and at the Championships. Winners were announced during the final awards ceremony on June 4th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. The following are the first, second and third-place winners and the scholarships they received:
NATIONAL WRITING CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Samantha Schmidt, Indiana University, $5,000 award
Second Place, Cody Stavenhagen, Oklahoma State University, $4,000 award
Third Place, Hannah Fleace, Indiana University, $3,000 award
NATIONAL PHOTOJOURNALISM CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Carolyn Van Houten, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, $5,000 award
Second Place, Andrew Renneisen, Syracuse University, $4,000 award
Third Place, Leah Klafczynski, Kent State University, $3,000 award
NATIONAL RADIO BROADCAST NEWS CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Charles J. Shelton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, $5,000 award
Second Place, Madelyn Beck, University of Montana, $4,000 award
Third Place, Parth Shah, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, $3,000 award
NATIONAL TELEVISION BROADCAST NEWS CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Megan Thompson, Arizona State University, $5,000 award
Second Place, Susanna Black, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,, $4,000 award
Third Place, Landon Miller, University of Nevada, Reno, $3,000 award
NATIONAL MULTIMEDIA CHAMPIONSHIP
First Place, Adam Wolffbrandt, Western Kentucky University, $5,000 award
Second Place, Erin Patrick O’Connor, Arizona State University, $4,000 award
Third Place, Emily Rhyne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, $3,000 award
Finalists in the Championship are:
Five finalists in the Writing Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships
(listed in alphabetical order):
Emilie Eaton, Arizona State University
Evan Hoopfer, Indiana University
Megan Jula, Indiana University
Michael Majchrowicz, Indiana University
Faiz Siddiqui, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The $1,000 Award for Best Reporting Technique went to Samantha Schmidt, Indiana University.
The Article of the Year Award of $1,000 went to Hannah Fleace, Indiana University.
Three finalists in the Photojournalism Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships
(listed in alphabetical order):
Callaghan O'Hare, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Timothy Tai, University of Missouri
Zachary Wittman, Central Michigan University
The $1,000 Award for Best Single Photograph went to Timothy Tai, University of Missouri;
and the Best Portfolio Award of $1,000 also went to Andrew Renneisen, Syracuse University.
Those awards were selected from the semi-final portfolios.
Two finalists in the Radio Broadcast News Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):
Logan Heley, University of Southern California
James Torrez, University of Florida
The $1,000 Award for Best Use of Radio For News Coverage went to Charles J. Shelton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Two finalists in the Television Broadcast News Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):
Jeremy Harris, Brigham Young University
Anastassia Olmos, University of Southern California
The Best Use of Television For News Coverage Award of $1,000 went to Megan Thompson, Arizona State University. Those awards were selected from the monthly entries.
Two finalists in the Multimedia Championship, who will each receive $1,500 scholarships (listed in alphabetical order):
Jessica Boehm, Arizona State University
Katie Meek, Western Kentucky University
The $1,000 Award for Best Multimedia Story of the Year went to Emily Rhyne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, which was selected from the monthly competition entries.
The writing judges were: Arthur Brisbane, retired Editor and Corporate Executive, Knight Ridder Newspapers; Nicole Carroll, Vice President/News and Executive Editor, The Arizona Republic; and Mike Leary, Senior Vice President and Editor, San Antonio Express-News.
The photojournalism judges were: Sue Morrow, Assistant Multimedia Director,Sacramento Bee, CA; Jakub Mosur, Freelance Photographer, San Francisco, CA; Kenneth Irby, Senior Faculty, Director of Community Relations & Diversity Programs, The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, FL.
The broadcast news judges were: Marci Burdick, Senior Vice President of Broadcasting, Schurz Communications, Inc., Michawaka, IN; Harvey Nagler, Vice President, Radio, CBS News, New York, NY; and Fred Young, retired Senior Vice President of News, Hearst Television Inc., Yardley, PA.
The Multimedia Judges were: Tiffany Campbell, Managing Editor, Digital, WBUR 90.9, Arlington, VA; Sue Morrow, Assistant Multimedia Director, Sacramento Bee, CA; Kate O’Brian, President, Al Jazeera America, New York, NY.
The William Randolph Hearst Foundation was established by its namesake in 1948 under California non-profit laws, exclusively for educational and charitable purposes. Since then, the Hearst Foundations have contributed nearly 1 billion dollars to numerous educational programs, health and medical care, human services and the arts in every state.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to foster journalism education through scholarships for outstanding college students. Since its inception, the program has distributed more than $12 million in scholarships and grants for the very best work by student journalists.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
The Power of Hip-Hop
Something interesting popped up when I was looking over theorion.com traffic numbers for May. The busiest day of the month was the 24th, long after most students had cleared out of Chico and the editors had posted a note that no new stories would be posted until August.
Curious, I navigated to the website and noticed a special section about Hip-Hop had been posted a few days before. Then I noticed something else: The section showed up several times in the list of "outside sources" sites.
That means that people who had found their way to theorion.com to read about Hip-Hop had stuck around to view more content on the website. It's likely they enjoyed the writing and reporting in the special section and wanted to see what else The Orion had to offer. And THAT'S good for everyone.
The other numbers for May were pretty much what you'd expect. With students leaving campus after the second week of the month, numbers overall were down. You can read them if you click on the graphic below.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
A few photos from the end-of-semester awards
This spring's Orion staff gathered in O'Connell Hall on Wednesday evening for the end-of-semester awards ceremony. Here are a few photos from the party.
 |
| The editors announce this semester's awards |
 |
| The video staff mugs for the camera |
 |
| George Johnston was named Rookie of the Year and winner of The Orion Award |
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Keeping the Breaking News Team Busy
Because my paper had a group of continuous news reporters at Normandale Community College while I was adviser there and The Orion has a breaking news team, I had some thoughts I passed along:
• If you haven't already, purchase a portable police scanner that's passed from one reporter to the next.
• The breaking news editor who supervises the G-A reporters should make sure they have work to do on their shifts. He or she should keep a physical or electronic basket of story ideas that can be worked or at least started during a short shift. These should include news releases that need additional reporting, phone tips, calendar-specific stories, etc.
• Emphasize news briefs over 12-inch text stories. They get higher readership and keep your website fresh. And they can be completed, edited and posted on a short shift.
• Encourage reporters to grab a camera or use their phones to shoot people at campus events that happen during their shifts.
• Let them make extra calls on someone else's story -- breaking or not -- for a share of the byline.
• If you don't already have a beat system, start one. Shift time can be used to make those phone calls or office visits. If you do have beats, encourage your editors to brainstorm to expand the number and variety.
• Encourage reporters to grab a camera or use their phones to shoot people at campus events that happen during their shifts.
• Let them make extra calls on someone else's story -- breaking or not -- for a share of the byline.
• If you don't already have a beat system, start one. Shift time can be used to make those phone calls or office visits. If you do have beats, encourage your editors to brainstorm to expand the number and variety.
Maybe this should be part of the job description for The Orion's breaking news editor?
Saturday, May 9, 2015
1st in writing, 2nd in general excellence in CNPA contest
 |
| The California Newspaper Publishers Association on Saturday announced the winners of its Better Newspapers Contest. |
Friday, May 8, 2015
What This Week's Numbers Tell Us
The analytics provided by BlueHost, the web-hosting service for theorion.com, for the first week of May tell an interesting tale if you know how to read the numbers.
Traffic overall has settling in to a pattern that's been true most of spring semester. Here's what it looks like:
Extrapolating, that would put page views for May at about 471,700, a little slower than the first four months of this year.
What visitors are looking at helps explain why.
The top three stories for traffic so far this month are:
Study Break: Tom DeLonge "To The Stars" album review - 2,937 page views
Senior Spotlight: Entrepreneur creates app to to transform how people donate - 1,816 views
Chico state faculty, staff hit the ground running - 1,172 views
Not a news story in the bunch.
But it's not as if people aren't looking for news. Right up there with the top stories are visits to the News section page on the website: 1,233 views. That tells me people continue to come to theorion.com looking for news (rather than primarily being sent there through social media, which is the case for most news sites), they're just not finding what they're looking for.
And that, friends, needs to get fixed, or they won't keep coming back.
Traffic overall has settling in to a pattern that's been true most of spring semester. Here's what it looks like:
Extrapolating, that would put page views for May at about 471,700, a little slower than the first four months of this year.
What visitors are looking at helps explain why.
The top three stories for traffic so far this month are:
Study Break: Tom DeLonge "To The Stars" album review - 2,937 page views
Senior Spotlight: Entrepreneur creates app to to transform how people donate - 1,816 views
Chico state faculty, staff hit the ground running - 1,172 views
Not a news story in the bunch.
But it's not as if people aren't looking for news. Right up there with the top stories are visits to the News section page on the website: 1,233 views. That tells me people continue to come to theorion.com looking for news (rather than primarily being sent there through social media, which is the case for most news sites), they're just not finding what they're looking for.
And that, friends, needs to get fixed, or they won't keep coming back.
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