Fairchild takes the next step in the progression of news delivery Published Jan. 11, 2007 By Senior Airman Christie Putz 92nd Air Refueling Wing public affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- By April 1, the way Fairchild Airmen and the community receive their base news will take on a new twist with a shift from the traditional base newspaper to a solely electronic product. All Fairchild news will be found on the base public Web site, http://public.fairchild.amc.af.mil/. "This new format will allow the public affairs office to continuously push information to our audiences with daily updates," said Capt. Jason McCree, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs chief. "Our reach multiplies with access to people who have deployed or relocated, are on leave, and even family and community members." The change in formats is part of an Air Force-wide plan to bring Air Force communication up to speed with current readership trends, as well as poised for future developments. According to Air Force readership surveys, the number of readers who read every issue of their base newspapers has dropped from 57 percent in 1994 to 38 percent in 2004. A Fairchild readership survey conducted the summer of 2006 revealed the same trend, but also that most Airmen would not be opposed to an electronic version. More than 60 percent of responders said they would read Fairchild news electronically, and another 20 percent said they were undecided. "I think it's a great thing" said Staff Sgt. Tia Whalen, 92nd ARW Command Post information manager. "You don't have to go hunting for a paper because you can access it from anywhere, and it saves paper." Another advantage the new format offers is the ability to incorporate several types of media into one location. Users will soon be able to access a variety of information about the base, view videos and listen to sound-bytes, all within a couple clicks of their mouse. Additional research is being done into the possibility of including the Commander's Access Channel on the Web site. "The possibilities of what we can do are endless," Captain McCree said. "By making this change we are taking advantage of advances in technology to best spread the wing message and tell the Air Force story." A three-phase approach will help ease the transition from the printed product to the dedicated online news service, via the base public Web site. Starting now through early February, the public Web site will augment the newspaper with additional content. A weekly column in the newspaper, on the far left of the front page, will give headlines and descriptions of content found exclusively on the Web. Otherwise, the newspaper will remain largely the same. During this phase, Public Affairs will begin sending out a Fairchild news service e-mail with links to individual articles on the Web. This will go out once a week to all base personnel as well as anyone else who requests a subscription. Mid-February begins the second phase, running through the end of March. In this phase, the newspaper will become secondary to the Web site. The online news service will continue, and selected weekly content - briefs, movie listings, wing calendar, MVP, etc. - will be added to the Web site and removed from the newspaper. The last printed edition will be March 30. By April 1, the beginning of the final phase, the public Web site will contain all relevant material from the printed newspaper, with many updates made daily. The electronic news service will increase to twice a week to push the most current information out to readers. "Our goal is to inform and educate our audiences," the captain said. "By centralizing all of the base's information and news in one location, easily accessible by the vast majority, we feel we are best attaining that goal." The Web site will contain feedback links, allowing users to send in questions and concerns from the base readership. Public Affairs will respond to the inquiries and make content modifications as required. The e-mail news service will be transmitted via "Fairchild All" distribution list. However, news can be delivered to personal e-mail addresses of Airmen, their families and retirees by sending an e-mail to 92arw.pa@fairchild.af.mil from the account to which they are requesting a subscription.
