Tim Turner, Digital Media Manager for the Kokomo Perspective, Kokomo, IN was recognized by Editor & Publisher in their April edition. The magazine's special report "25 under 35" spotlighted 25 young men and women under the age of 35 who are leading the way in today's world of digital journalism.
Turner manages the newspaper's website (kokomoperspective.com) and is also a full time reporter. His daily priority for the website is making it as content rich as possible and not just with articles and photographs. Video, streaming audio, live blogs and other interactive features have increased website traffic dramatically. Before Turner took over the site, it was averaging around 1,000 unique visitors a month but now draws over 27,000. The additional readership also results in added online revenue - over $9,600 in February alone.
The biggest hurdle Turner sees for his newspaper today is staying agile. "We have to be willing to change and adapt on a monthly, weekly and even daily basis. We have to be able to change the way we deliver content, what content we deliver, and how we monetize that content. We have to have the technology in place to make those changes".
The Kokomo Perspective uses TownNews.com's BLOX content management system. "It's a great system and allows me the freedom to create and implement new ideas," says Turner. One successful idea included online coverage of a local basketball game. During the game play-by-play audio was streamed on the website, real time blogging was set up for reader commenting, photos were added throughout the game and sponsorships were pre-sold for the event.
Marc Filby, Director of Client Services for TownNews.com said, "We enjoy working with Tim. He knows the software's potential and utilizes that to implement his ideas".
The staff at TownNews.com congratulates Tim on his accomplishments.
