Wayne-Wilson News Leader Now Online

The Wayne-Wilson News Leader is the weekly newspaper for Fremont, NC and surrounding areas.  The News Leader speaks on the local issues that may not be addressed by larger media outlets in the area. 

 

The paper is mailed to subscribers on Wednesday of each week and copies hit local newsstands each Thursday.  About two years ago the News Leader decided to expand its distribution by posting the content of the weekly paper each weekend on www.newsleadernow.com. 

 

At $0.75 per copy the paper operates on a tight budget. 

 

Audience

The Wayne-Wilson News Leader serves the towns of Fremont (2000 census listed population at 1463), Pikeville (2000 census listed population at 719), Eureka (2000 census listed population at 244), Stantonsburg (2000 census listed population at 754), northern Wayne and southern Wilson Counties.  Newsleadernow.com’s audience is made up of hardworking educators and blue-collar workers that are information seekers.

 

Content

Information posted on Newsleadernow.com mirrors the content that can be found in the most recent addition of the printed paper.  The News Leader staff keeps its articles simple and straightforward, while writing about community events and issues.

 

Organization

Newsleadernow.com is divided into three columns.  The outside columns are used for sidebars that contain hyperlinks to headline stories and sections of the newspaper not listed on the horizontal navigation bar at that the top of the homepage. Headline stories are listed on the left sidebar and contact information and weather bug are on the right sidebar.  The center column is consumed with mark your calendar announcements and the major headline story for the addition.

 

Navigation

The site has a horizontal navigation bar across the top that directs viewers to the different sections of the paper.  The site also has a vertical sidebar on the left-side that has hyperlinks to headline news articles.  Basically the entire content of the site is easily accessible from the homepage.

 

 

Recommendations

Newsleadernow.com was a great idea and helps bring the communities it serves into the Age of the Internet.  However I have several suggestions that will help the site and compliment the printed paper.

•  Adding some interactive features like editorial blogs and discussion boards will provide participate journalism, which could increase the number of repeat visitors. These features would help get the target audience more involved in the content of the site and make it more appealing to its target audience by speaking direct to their interests.
• Consider changing the domain name so the Wayne-Wilson News Leader is easier to find on the Internet.  The preferred domain of www.newsleader.com is taken by Staunton, VA’s News Leader.  Domain names, like www.waynewilsonnews.com or www.newsleaderweekly.com  are closer to the name of the newspaper.
• The Wayne-Wilson News Leader should redesign the homepage. They could start by expanding the page width, to utilize more space. Mixing up the layout will help viewers differentiate the different sections of the site, while giving the site more of a professional appearance. This can be done by implementing box elements that separate the sections of the paper.   As illustrated in the template below.
• A redesign of the photo gallery would make it more user-friendly.  All photos should be enlarged to a size were viewers can see photos in full detail.  The photo gallery should have navigation that will allow the audience to maneuver around the photo gallery in any pattern he or she chooses and still have the functionality to return to other pages.
• “About Us”, “Keyword Search” and “Request a Subscription” are key elements that aid in attracting business and need to be positioned on the top navigation bar or near the top of the page so they are highly visible and easily accessible.  By placing “The Request a Subscription” in a prime location, readers interested in the printed version can subscribe and have the paper mailed to them weekly. 
• A “Breaking News” section would add value to the site. Adding this feature would alert local residents of breaking news in their immediate area.  Features like this would attract traffic to the site for information other than what can be found in the paper and in return can be utilized to increase interest in the printed paper.  

The News Leader’s website does a good job of providing its target audience with an online presence that speaks to its localized news needs.  However a few designs changes and added features would help the paper better fulfill its mission, “We are a good newspaper, but that is not good enough. We want to be the best.”