Convergence Case Study: Topeka Capital-Journal

Primary partners The Topeka Capital-Journal – 60,000 daily, 67,000 Sunday CJ Online – More than 170,000 unique page views daily WIBW Radio – AM station with news/sports format 94 Country – FM station with country music format KSNT-TV – Channel 27, NBC affiliate in Topeka. Nielsen DMA 138. Ownership Morris Communications owns The Capital-Journal, CJ Online, WIBW-AM Radio and 94 Country-FM; Emmis Broadcasting owns KSNT. Structure The Capital-Journal and CJ Online are located in downtown Topeka, WIBW-AM and 94 Country-FM are about five miles away and KSNT is about 15 minutes away on Highway 24. The Capital-Journal has a broadcast studio on its top floor where reporters can tape their radio broadcasts for transmission to WIBW-AM Radio. Driving forces behind partnerships John Fish, publisher, Capital-Journal; Gary McNair, general manager, KSNT. Making it happen Will Kennedy, executive editor, Capital-Journal; Jim Debth, new media director, CJ Online; Corey Shoup, managing editor, CJ Online; Kevin Pope, station manager, KSNT; and Liz Montano, news director, WIBW-AM Radio.

What they do
News projects are organized to fit the best interests of each medium. Each newsroom considers itself a newsgathering operation and uses all media forms to distribute information: online, newspaper, television and radio.

For example, Capital-Journal reporters did in-depth profiles on the candidates for governor and attorney general before the August primary. The profiles ran on Sundays and Mondays in the newspaper, but the writers appeared on KSNT-TV on Saturday and Sunday nights preceding the publication of the articles, and on Sunday and Monday mornings on WIBW-AM radio to discuss the stories. Broadcasting those segments before they were printed promoted the articles that followed in The Capital-Journal.

In addition, audio and visual are gathered and shared among the partners. CJ Online benefits by using video from KSNT and audio from WIBW. WIBW benefits from audio that Capital-Journal print reporters gather at news events. CJ Online also employs a full-time videographer and KSNT occasionally uses his video.

CJOnline has a reporter in the newsroom who writes stories for both the newspaper and online. He makes sure that breaking stories, mainly police and fire events, are online before most residents get to their jobs each morning.

Capital-Journal writers and photographers also produce in-depth work that appears in greater volume online than it does in the printed editions.

Reporters and editors also work on short, fast versions of breaking news stories online well in advance of print edition deadlines. Those stories are then updated and lengthened for the newspaper.

The partners promote themselves as “Topeka’s Total Convergence Team.”

Strategic focus
All the partners hope to build and extend the reach of their brand, and grow revenue, through a combination of news initiatives, cross promotion, and community projects.

Keys to making the partnership work

Be systematic about finding the right partner
When Publisher John Fish decided to create a partnership with a local television station, working with consultant James K. Gentry, he launched an in-depth process to identify a number of criteria with which to assess a potential partner. Ultimately, the Capital-Journal’s “Futures Committee,” which consisted of 12 employees from five different departments, decided to examine 57 characteristics in categories of “top management,” “basics” and “financial.”

“Top management” included items such as levels of trust with top management, ad staff ethics, company priorities, etc. “Basics” included ratings today and past, demographic coverage, recent awards, etc. “Financial” included advertising management quality and credibility, prior convergence efforts, ad revenues, etc.

Make the partnership a strategic priority
Developing partnerships with WIBW-AM and a television station were priorities for Fish from early in his time in Topeka. After KSNT was selected, General Manager Gary McNair joined Fish in pushing to make the partnerships work as much as possible.

Make sure everyone knows this is management’s top priority
Fish, then McNair, were clear to their staffs from the beginning about the importance of the partnerships.

If the partners are not in the same building, put an emphasis on communication
The Capital-Journal, KSNT and WIBW all exchange news budgets via e-mail daily. This serves as a news-tip service. Each partner is allowed liberal use of what appears on the websites. Additionally, Capital-Journal editors send “convergence headlines” to the radio and televisions stations, which they then broadcast as teasers to those stories in the next morning’s newspaper.

When special projects are being contemplated, they usually begin with a series of meetings among the partners. Scheduling for the project’s start, story ideas and other plans are mapped out.

Not being selfish
When a project is planned, the partners don’t fret over when it goes to print, or when broadcast gets a first shot at it. They look at what makes sense for each medium and follow that path.

Training
When Capital-Journal reporters did their in-depth profiles, KSNT provided a talent coach who helped prepare the print reporters for their broadcast appearances.

Routine converged activities

The partners share budgets and stories daily. Capital-Journal editors send convergence headlines that radio and television tease to promote the next day’s newspaper. Editors routinely use print reefers to the electronic media and the electronic media reefer to the newspaper.

The Capital-Journal uses television’s weather anchor, Bruce Jones, in its daily weather package and promotes his nightly appearances on the news. Jones also writes a weekly column for a special agriculture publication, Farm and Auction, which is published by the Capital-Journal and delivered to about 20,000 homes each week. Radio’s farm expert, Kelly Lentz, also writes a weekly column for Farm and Auction. The partners use a KSNT report on a most-wanted fugitive. Radio sportscaster Greg Sharpe writes a weekly college football column in the Capital-Journal.

The partners also select a high school football and basketball game to feature. This Game of the Week package has been sold to a major sponsor the last two years and includes house ads each week promoting the game, live broadcast of the game on WIBW, live pre-game and post-game coverage from KSNT, sponsorship of a special three-minute video highlights package on CJOnline’s Prep Zone site Friday night immediately after the game, and other elements.

One sports newsperson from each partner makes picks of the week for high school football. Capital-Journal sports writers routinely appear on WIBW radio sports talk.

Capital-Journal reporters regularly appear on television and radio. Pete Goering, C-J columnist, does short sports commentary break-ins for commuters during drive time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reporters Alicia Henrikson and Mike Hall phone in breaking news for radio following county commission and city council meetings. Political and government reporters Jim McLean and Chris Grenz frequently appear on television analyzing Statehouse and political stories. Audio and video are collected and shared by all media. All of these radio reports/shows are promoted three times a week in the Capital-Journal through house ads.

Noteworthy examples

The partners are especially proud of this year’s election coverage. Each partner shared in the expanded coverage driven by The Capital-Journal’s newsroom that included polling, focus groups and in-depth profiles. All of the partners shared in the cost of the project.

A project late in 2001 focused on the prevalence of methamphetamine labs in the area.

An ongoing project examines Signal 13 calls (officer needs assistance).

One special community initiative was the Jefferson Awards, a national program designed to recognize outstanding volunteerism in the community. The partners sold a major sponsor for the awards and organized an extensive six-week campaign promoting volunteerism and soliciting nominations. One of the local winners was named one of five national winners at the annual ceremony in Washington, D.C. The partners received more than 200 nominations in what national organizers called the most successful first-year program ever.

The partners also organized an emergency blood drive to assist with a dwindling blood supply in the area in 2001. After just a week of heavy promotion from all the partners, the city had its largest blood drive in history.

One of the more ambitious projects was the sale of a major advertising contract to the largest furniture store in the city. Management and advertising representatives met numerous times, including five times with the advertiser, to secure a $300,000 contract.