Latest of many changes for student-run media at Berry
Miranda Heyman, COM 250 Reporter
MOUNT BERRY, Ga. — Viking Fusion will move from a content management system to a WordPress platform sometime next semester, said Allie Pritchett, executive director and a senior Communication student.
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Allie Pritchett, executive director of
Viking Fusion
Photo by Leigh Hadaway
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The WordPress-driven site will be only the latest iteration of what has been an ever-changing TV broadcast- and videography-centric student publication. As a TV station, the student-run media entity was known as TV-10, then TV-55, residing on channel 55 on the campus cable dial. When the organization switched to videography, it became Viking Vision, before changing to Viking Fusion and adding multimedia in 2007.
The switch to Viking Fusion in 2007 when seemingly all media outlets were adding online, according to Steven Hames, the adviser to Viking Fusion and the department of Communication’s technology specialist. He said the switch has been essential.
Online is “only limited by what we can do in our imagination and with our technology,” he said.
In addition to its own content, Viking Fusion is the online home for the Campus Carrier newspaper.
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Avery Boulware, editor-in-chief of the
Campus Carrier
Photo by Bailey Albertson
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“Print is our no. 1 goal,” said Avery Boulware, editor-in-chief of the Campus Carrier. She said because Fusion has a sophisticated web presence, it doesn’t make sense for the newspaper to duplicate efforts and have to maintain a website, as well.
The Carrier had its own site for 10 years, until the year no students stepped up to run it, said Kevin Kleine, student publications adviser and a senior lecturer in Communication.
Handling digital duties for the Carrier is Kaitlan Koehler, online editor for the newspaper and the only staff focused on digital. She said keeping up with files, who took what photos, and which stories are to be published also online is like herding cats.
Related links on Student Media going digital: