September 24, 2010

Cheshire Home Invasion Trial Front And Center

The Hayes trial has the full attention of Connecticut residents. CT1 Media is bringing it to them on every platform and unlike any other media company in the market. Courant Reporters Alaine Griffin and Helen Ubinas have been tweeting and providing web updates at breakneck pace to bring our online audience a virtual real-time account of the dramatic testimony at the trial. FOX CT Reporters Laurie Perez (who also tweets), Jim Altman and George Colli are also providing strong television coverage. And the addition of video packages to the online presentation has been critical. We also were first – online and News at 4 p.m. – to post and air the compelling surveillance video of Jennifer Petit at the bank as well as the 911 call thanks to the hard work of the web and TV staff.

Read more on the start of the trial on courant.com.





The Truth About Those Political Campaign Ads

CT1 Media has launched a new political series exploring the veracity of campaign ads – Claim Check – on all platforms. Courant Reporter Matt Kauffman’s piece on Linda McMahons’ latest anti-Blumenthal missive was translated into television by FOX CT Anchor Alison Morris.

See it online at courant.com.





Visuals Enhance Stories Across All Platforms

Great multi-platform visual work on several fronts this week: Courant Photographer Michael McAndrews shot stills for the paper, a photo gallery for the web and video for the morning newscast at the unveiling of the new High Rollers bowling alley at Foxwoods. And Courant Photographer Bettina Hansen’s online photo gallery of the “Little Monsters” outside the Lady Gaga concert was extraordinary. Her shots of the concert were used in print and on air as well.

See the photo gallery.

September 10, 2010

Making The Most Of A Good Story
FOX CT Videographer Jenn Bernstein located key characters in one of the more interesting stories to emerge on August 26 – a man charged with encouraging an 8-year-old to unleash a string of curses for a YouTube video. Bernstein made the most of it. She cut a package for the News at 4 p.m., recut it for the News at 10 p.m., filed a story for the web and newspaper and pulled a frame grab to run in the B section of the August 27 edition of The Courant.

Read about it on courant.com.






Story Develops Out Of Tragedy
An unusual story that surfaced early in the day on August 26 turned into a popular online piece and a good TV segment as well. Courant Reporter Christine Dempsey wrote the tragic story of a dementia patient who left a nursing home, fell out of his wheelchair, hit his head and died. The story generated strong traffic online for two days, while FOX CT Reporter Narmeen Choudhury transitioned the story into an interesting TV piece.

See the story on courant.com.






Getting Ready For Earl
FOX CT meteorologists Joe Furey and Garett Argianas provided continuous updates to the web for our large online hurricane audience to keep up with the latest on Earl as it barreled toward the Northeast. Breaking News Editor Steve Busemeyer also pulled together an online photo gallery featuring archival photos of hurricanes Gloria and Bob, which did well for several days on the web.

Check out the photo gallery on courant.com.

Follow the story on courant.com.

September 3, 2010

FOX CT Launches 4 p.m. Newscast

On August 23, FOX CT added a new one-hour newscast to its lineup. The show puts our cross-media capabilities on display with Courant reporters delivering local news, web producers checking in with the latest online stories, comments from readers and viewers via the web and Facebook, entertainment content developed by The Courant’s features staff, a video segment shot by Courant photo staff, and more. The newscast also features a number of innovative video approaches, including a filmstrip-style segment on national news and a calendar segment. Employees from all platforms worked together over the last several months to prepare for the show’s launch.

Read about the launch on courant.com.

See the photo gallery.



A Soldier Dies

Sad news broke on the morning of August 24 when a Glastonbury native was killed in Afghanistan while serving the last couple of weeks of his tour. Excellent coordination and execution came from Connecticut’s Newsroom to get the best information and images out to the public as quickly as possible. FOX CT Assignment Editor Joe Wenzel first posted the confirmed information online. He then worked closely with Courant Breaking News Editor Steve Busemeyer to develop the story for all platforms while Courant Photographer Rich Messina hustled to the Glastonbury Public Library to gather images of the soldier from his high school yearbook, which helped build the online package. FOX CT Reporter Jim Altman and Courant Reporter Shawn Beals teamed up for a powerful interview with the family, getting the text and video up quickly. By 3 p.m., the story had generated 6,000 local visits with the number still climbing.

Read the story on courant.com.





On The Road…

The Cars.com “On The Road” TV show recently aired its fourth episode. The show, which was shown on FOX CT and WCCT on August 21 and 22 and is produced by the CT1 Media Creative Services Group, featured a trip to a car show, information on how police catch speeders, new car reviews, “Drive Smart Tips” from Jim MacPherson and more. The creative services group promoted the show in print, on air and online. “On The Road” is a great vehicle for local car dealers who want more exposure in the marketplace; CT1 Media account executives continue to sell into the show.