Great news! Community Connection-Port Arthur will publish Feb. 16 and will be mailed to more than 24,000 households in Port Arthur, including the communities of Port Acres and Sabine Pass.
It wasn't too long ago that our friend Dwight Wagner came into the newsroom carrying a copy of Community Connection-Mid-County. He was polite but very firm, in that school principal sort of way, when he asked me why there wasn't a Port Arthur version of the popular monthly hyperlocal newspaper. I told him to be patient, it was coming. We are inventing new products to connect and inform our communities and we had to test the waters first and see if it was safe to swim.
Community Connection-Mid-County has been a tremendous success, both in terms of advertising and readership. I've received numerous calls from people asking about the publication. People are hungry for news and information about their community and this free newspaper packed with news that directly affects them comes right to their mailbox.
So, Port Arthur people, get ready. Community Connection is coming your way soon.
Next watch for news about Community Connection coming to your Web browser.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Where are all those people going?
Saturday in the newsroom is a different pace. It’s slow. It’s quiet. The phone’s not for me. It’s nothing like sunrise to midnight during the week, when news in all its forms is calling, e-mailing, tweeting, faxing. You name it and someone has something important to give to the newspaper. It’s why most of us work here. Always bustling. Never dull.
But Saturdays are an opportunity to catch up on all those things that there just isn’t time for during the week. So that’s what I was doing when I decided a cafe mocha from Starbucks would be just about perfect. The Starbucks in Target is about four blocks away. I knew from the beginning that proximity this close to a Starbucks was going to test my willpower, of which I have none.
But I had just enough left on a birthday gift card from my sister to have a mocha on this Saturday so it was off to Target for me. I take a path that puts me into the mall parking lot on the theater side. There I spy a line of cars snaking around the mall to the left, on the outer rim of the parking lot, disappearing into the distance near the new Holiday Inn Express.
I have to zig and zag through the mall parking lot to avoid getting into that line to who knows where. It reminded me of those lines for ice and water after Hurricane Rita, blocks and block long of people patiently waiting, inching toward the goal. In this line people were cordial at intersections, no breaking or honking. They let me slip through and take the right to get to Target without so much as a raised fist for breaking in, then breaking out, of their queue.
Craning my neck to see the destination of the line while walking through the parking lot, I could tell they were bypassing the hotel and continuing along the edge of the parking lot, now parallel with U.S. 69.
Well first things first, so into Starbucks I went to get my mocha. The coffee girl had me fixed up quick as always, yes whipped cream. So now back to the car to find the reason for this anaconda of a line. I angled across from Target toward Penney’s, looking for the end of the line. And there is was, where they were all going. It was the Shred It and Forget It truck.
All these people had documents that needed to be shredded and disposed of. Whew. A mile-long line of cars of people willing to take that trouble to avoid identity theft. The Better Business Bureau, which sponsors the shred it event, can be sure they are offering a service people want.
Now, if I can just get myself and my mocha back through that mass of people and resume my Saturday at the office.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
But Saturdays are an opportunity to catch up on all those things that there just isn’t time for during the week. So that’s what I was doing when I decided a cafe mocha from Starbucks would be just about perfect. The Starbucks in Target is about four blocks away. I knew from the beginning that proximity this close to a Starbucks was going to test my willpower, of which I have none.
But I had just enough left on a birthday gift card from my sister to have a mocha on this Saturday so it was off to Target for me. I take a path that puts me into the mall parking lot on the theater side. There I spy a line of cars snaking around the mall to the left, on the outer rim of the parking lot, disappearing into the distance near the new Holiday Inn Express.
I have to zig and zag through the mall parking lot to avoid getting into that line to who knows where. It reminded me of those lines for ice and water after Hurricane Rita, blocks and block long of people patiently waiting, inching toward the goal. In this line people were cordial at intersections, no breaking or honking. They let me slip through and take the right to get to Target without so much as a raised fist for breaking in, then breaking out, of their queue.
Craning my neck to see the destination of the line while walking through the parking lot, I could tell they were bypassing the hotel and continuing along the edge of the parking lot, now parallel with U.S. 69.
Well first things first, so into Starbucks I went to get my mocha. The coffee girl had me fixed up quick as always, yes whipped cream. So now back to the car to find the reason for this anaconda of a line. I angled across from Target toward Penney’s, looking for the end of the line. And there is was, where they were all going. It was the Shred It and Forget It truck.
All these people had documents that needed to be shredded and disposed of. Whew. A mile-long line of cars of people willing to take that trouble to avoid identity theft. The Better Business Bureau, which sponsors the shred it event, can be sure they are offering a service people want.
Now, if I can just get myself and my mocha back through that mass of people and resume my Saturday at the office.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Other ways to deliver the news
People reading this blog entry online are probably familiar with many of the ways news is being delivered these days. Those reading it in the newspaper, maybe not so much.
One fun way for news to be delivered in short little bursts, known as tweets, is Twitter. The Port Arthur News has long had a Twitter account — @panews (the at sign is how Twitter accounts are addressed) — and all the stories that are posted on panews.com are “tweeted.” The tweet consists of a headline and a link back to the story on the Web page. So anyone who receives the breaking news on Twitter — such as “Pat Knight, son of legendary basketball coach Bob Knight, hired by Lamar University” — can go with one click to the Web page and read the entire story.
That’s the way lots of people are getting their news these days. They “follow” various people and news organizations. They scroll through the tweets on their smart phones. Once they find something that interests them, such as the headline about the new coach at Lamar, they click on the link and read the full story.
Twitter is also being used to provide live coverage of events. We did our first live coverage, complete with photos, on Wednesday from the Port Arthur Public School Foundation’s State of the School Luncheon. Anyone who was following @rogercowles, and I know at least my sons and a few other people were, received real time reports from the event, including photos of the student jazz band that performed. They were excellent, by the way.
Follow us on Twitter @panews for instant delivery of the headlines on panews.com. Follow @rogercowles and I’ll report on events I attend. We are encouraging (read that gently requiring) other reporters to dabble in the new media too.
If Twitter or other new media are not your regular way of getting news yet, you may be surprised by how it begins to sneak into your life. We’ll be out there in cyberspace with your news whenever you’re ready.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
One fun way for news to be delivered in short little bursts, known as tweets, is Twitter. The Port Arthur News has long had a Twitter account — @panews (the at sign is how Twitter accounts are addressed) — and all the stories that are posted on panews.com are “tweeted.” The tweet consists of a headline and a link back to the story on the Web page. So anyone who receives the breaking news on Twitter — such as “Pat Knight, son of legendary basketball coach Bob Knight, hired by Lamar University” — can go with one click to the Web page and read the entire story.
That’s the way lots of people are getting their news these days. They “follow” various people and news organizations. They scroll through the tweets on their smart phones. Once they find something that interests them, such as the headline about the new coach at Lamar, they click on the link and read the full story.
Twitter is also being used to provide live coverage of events. We did our first live coverage, complete with photos, on Wednesday from the Port Arthur Public School Foundation’s State of the School Luncheon. Anyone who was following @rogercowles, and I know at least my sons and a few other people were, received real time reports from the event, including photos of the student jazz band that performed. They were excellent, by the way.
Follow us on Twitter @panews for instant delivery of the headlines on panews.com. Follow @rogercowles and I’ll report on events I attend. We are encouraging (read that gently requiring) other reporters to dabble in the new media too.
If Twitter or other new media are not your regular way of getting news yet, you may be surprised by how it begins to sneak into your life. We’ll be out there in cyberspace with your news whenever you’re ready.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Video returns to panews.com
If you are a close follower of panews.com you may have noticed today the return of video. Reporter Darragh Doiron shot video at the farewell reception for Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce President Mary Ann Reid.
We have featured video on panews.com in some previous instances, most notably after hurricane Rita and Ike. Now, with a new investment in some up-to-date equipment, the news staff is excited to add video to the news platforms through which we can keep you informed of the events in South and Mid-Jefferson County.
Officer Antoine, the Port Arthur traffic control cop who keeps everyone in town under the speed limit — or else — will be in the dunking booth Friday at a Relay for Life fundraiser at FivePoint Credit Union. That’s some video we can’t wait to get.
• • •
The voting in the poll about what kind of news you are interested in was proceeding at a fine pace. When I checked this morning, though, it was back to four votes being cast. Hmmmm. Don’t know what that’s about.
But the four new votes were following the pattern of the previous about 20 votes. Investigative reporting and police news stand out as almost everyone’s choice for news. Stories and pictures about local people were in the next group. Coverage of city councils and school boards was doing better than I expected. I’m very encouraged to see that most of the people answering the poll were interested in what was happening with their local governments.
Go ahead and cast your vote if you haven’t already. Even if the machine purges all the votes and starts over again, I keep close enough watch to have a good idea of what the readers are saying. And we really are interested in what you have to say about what is in your newspaper. Our news staff will be talking about it when we decide what to cover.
See you in the newsroom.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
We have featured video on panews.com in some previous instances, most notably after hurricane Rita and Ike. Now, with a new investment in some up-to-date equipment, the news staff is excited to add video to the news platforms through which we can keep you informed of the events in South and Mid-Jefferson County.
Officer Antoine, the Port Arthur traffic control cop who keeps everyone in town under the speed limit — or else — will be in the dunking booth Friday at a Relay for Life fundraiser at FivePoint Credit Union. That’s some video we can’t wait to get.
• • •
The voting in the poll about what kind of news you are interested in was proceeding at a fine pace. When I checked this morning, though, it was back to four votes being cast. Hmmmm. Don’t know what that’s about.
But the four new votes were following the pattern of the previous about 20 votes. Investigative reporting and police news stand out as almost everyone’s choice for news. Stories and pictures about local people were in the next group. Coverage of city councils and school boards was doing better than I expected. I’m very encouraged to see that most of the people answering the poll were interested in what was happening with their local governments.
Go ahead and cast your vote if you haven’t already. Even if the machine purges all the votes and starts over again, I keep close enough watch to have a good idea of what the readers are saying. And we really are interested in what you have to say about what is in your newspaper. Our news staff will be talking about it when we decide what to cover.
See you in the newsroom.
Roger Cowles is editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tell us what you want us to cover
Gone are the days of newspaper editors sitting in a smoke-filled office deciding what stories people needed to know about, which ones you get to read. These days you, our readers, have choices. You get news from the newspaper, of course, but also online from multiple sources in the Golden Triangle, from radio, from TV, maybe even from the barber.
At the right of this entry is a poll with a bunch of subjects for stories in your newspaper or on your Web page. There are other subject that weren’t included and we encourage you to let us know in the comments section what you want to read. You are invited to vote for one or more types of news. Our staff will use the information we gather from this to plan our coverage of Mid- and South Jefferson County.
This won’t be the last time we ask what you want us to write about for you. We’re looking forward to finding out what you have to say.
Window to the Newsroom is written by Roger Cowles, editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact Cowles at rcowles@panews.com.
At the right of this entry is a poll with a bunch of subjects for stories in your newspaper or on your Web page. There are other subject that weren’t included and we encourage you to let us know in the comments section what you want to read. You are invited to vote for one or more types of news. Our staff will use the information we gather from this to plan our coverage of Mid- and South Jefferson County.
This won’t be the last time we ask what you want us to write about for you. We’re looking forward to finding out what you have to say.
Window to the Newsroom is written by Roger Cowles, editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact Cowles at rcowles@panews.com.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Open government in a social media age
Imagine Tom Henderson, 83, Position 8 council member for Port Arthur, up in his council chair while the mayor is speaking, thumbs flying over the keyboard of his smart phone. Could Henderson be putting together by text a secret coalition of council members to ram through a pet project at the very moment the mayor is speaking against it?
That example may be a little far fetched, and I hope Councilman Henderson will excuse my use of an image of him wildly texting to get a point across. But the issue, if you think about it, is real. Open meetings laws are designed to protect the public from back room deals on issues of public interest and funded with public money.
Whenever a quorum of a governmental body gets together and talks about public business, a notice of a meeting must be posted and the topics they will discuss must be listed. Open government one of the main things that makes our democracy different from the democracy in, say, Iran.
But what if Councilmember A texts a group consisting of Councilmembers B, C, and D and lobbies for an issue? Or what if he puts on his FaceBook his arguments for a project, and has his status set so only other council members can see it? A lot of issues relating to doing the public’s business in the open can come up with the new technology available to elected officials.
A bill by Rep. Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi would ament the Texas Open Meetings Act to make it an offense to transmit an electronic message during a public meeting, according the a report by the Associated Press. Hear that, Tom? Hunter was apparently involved in a “spat” during a city council meeting involving two members texting each other.
The Texas Legislature, if they’re not too busy dealing with the non issue of sanctuary cities or making unconstitutional abortion laws, should do something to protect the public’s ability to stay informed about the business of the governments we pay for. Maybe we should text our representatives about that.
Window to the Newsroom is written by Roger Cowles, editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
That example may be a little far fetched, and I hope Councilman Henderson will excuse my use of an image of him wildly texting to get a point across. But the issue, if you think about it, is real. Open meetings laws are designed to protect the public from back room deals on issues of public interest and funded with public money.
Whenever a quorum of a governmental body gets together and talks about public business, a notice of a meeting must be posted and the topics they will discuss must be listed. Open government one of the main things that makes our democracy different from the democracy in, say, Iran.
But what if Councilmember A texts a group consisting of Councilmembers B, C, and D and lobbies for an issue? Or what if he puts on his FaceBook his arguments for a project, and has his status set so only other council members can see it? A lot of issues relating to doing the public’s business in the open can come up with the new technology available to elected officials.
A bill by Rep. Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi would ament the Texas Open Meetings Act to make it an offense to transmit an electronic message during a public meeting, according the a report by the Associated Press. Hear that, Tom? Hunter was apparently involved in a “spat” during a city council meeting involving two members texting each other.
The Texas Legislature, if they’re not too busy dealing with the non issue of sanctuary cities or making unconstitutional abortion laws, should do something to protect the public’s ability to stay informed about the business of the governments we pay for. Maybe we should text our representatives about that.
Window to the Newsroom is written by Roger Cowles, editor of The Port Arthur News. Contact him at rcowles@panews.com.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Welcome to Window to the Newsroom
Welcome to Window to the newsroom, a blog through which we can have a conversation about The Port Arthur News and panews.com.
The news business is changing at a fast pace and through this blog we hope to keep you informed of how the changes are affecting your source of community news and also to learn from you how we can better serve your needs.
You may not know it, but we’ve been paying attention to how you get your news these days. Some of you still like your trusty newspaper, your longtime friend of ink on paper. You can carry it with you to wherever you may be going. You can tear the crossword out and stuff it in your shirt pocket to work later while you are waiting get the oil changed in your car.
But others of you, we know, hit the floor running in the morning and may only catch a glimpse of the headlines before you are out the door, taking the kids to school, heading to work or doing a million and three other things that seem to fill our days. Once at the office you, like millions of other Americans, may catch a glimpse of two or three online news sites. Maybe you check Yahoo news, or TMZ or some other national site. Then perhaps you scan panews.com for the news about the school board meeting or the city council.
Or maybe you saw the ad for panews.com/mobile in the newspaper and have it bookmarked on your smart phone. Mobile devices, including tablets, are the fastest growing category of online audience at panews.com and most other websites. It’s amazing how these new devices have changed the way people get their news — and how they want to get their news.
That’s why it is important to us to have this conversation with you about your news. If you are changing the way you want your news delivered, we need to be listening so we can offer you the news you need in the way you prefer.
Reporters will still write stories, though we may have to learn to get to the point a little quicker. Photographers will still take photographs, though the camera may also shoot video. Editors will still worry about spelling and style.
We’ll still deliver your paper on time every day with something for everyone, but we’ll also put it on the web for you, tweet it to you and post it on FaceBook for you.
The topics to be addressed on this blog will range from how decisions are made in the newsroom to new products that may be coming your way. We look forward to addressing concerns you express and implementing ideas you toss out.
Once, again, welcome to the Window. We’ll be looking out at you while you are looking in at us.
Window to the Newsroom is written by Roger Cowles, editor of The Port Artur News. Contact Cowles at rcowles@panews.com.
The news business is changing at a fast pace and through this blog we hope to keep you informed of how the changes are affecting your source of community news and also to learn from you how we can better serve your needs.
You may not know it, but we’ve been paying attention to how you get your news these days. Some of you still like your trusty newspaper, your longtime friend of ink on paper. You can carry it with you to wherever you may be going. You can tear the crossword out and stuff it in your shirt pocket to work later while you are waiting get the oil changed in your car.
But others of you, we know, hit the floor running in the morning and may only catch a glimpse of the headlines before you are out the door, taking the kids to school, heading to work or doing a million and three other things that seem to fill our days. Once at the office you, like millions of other Americans, may catch a glimpse of two or three online news sites. Maybe you check Yahoo news, or TMZ or some other national site. Then perhaps you scan panews.com for the news about the school board meeting or the city council.
Or maybe you saw the ad for panews.com/mobile in the newspaper and have it bookmarked on your smart phone. Mobile devices, including tablets, are the fastest growing category of online audience at panews.com and most other websites. It’s amazing how these new devices have changed the way people get their news — and how they want to get their news.
That’s why it is important to us to have this conversation with you about your news. If you are changing the way you want your news delivered, we need to be listening so we can offer you the news you need in the way you prefer.
Reporters will still write stories, though we may have to learn to get to the point a little quicker. Photographers will still take photographs, though the camera may also shoot video. Editors will still worry about spelling and style.
We’ll still deliver your paper on time every day with something for everyone, but we’ll also put it on the web for you, tweet it to you and post it on FaceBook for you.
The topics to be addressed on this blog will range from how decisions are made in the newsroom to new products that may be coming your way. We look forward to addressing concerns you express and implementing ideas you toss out.
Once, again, welcome to the Window. We’ll be looking out at you while you are looking in at us.
Window to the Newsroom is written by Roger Cowles, editor of The Port Artur News. Contact Cowles at rcowles@panews.com.
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