Base adopts new news-delivery method in 2007 Published Nov. 22, 2006 By Public Affairs Minot Air Force Base MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The base newspaper, a long-standing Minot Air Force Base tradition, will go away at the end of the year and be replaced by a new commercially printed product as, in light of Air Force restructuring and a high-ops deployment tempo, changes are being made to the way people get base news - from print to on line. "Our Air Force is transforming itself at all levels and in all areas," said Col. Eldon Woodie, 5th Bomb Wing commander. "Information is one of those areas." Overall, the change is two-fold. One, the base public affairs office, which currently produces the Northern Star, will shift its focus for base news/information delivery to the World Wide Web via the Minot AFB public Web site. Meanwhile, BHG Inc., which currently publishes the Northern Star, will continue to provide a newspaper to Minot AFB. "This doesn't mean our PA mission to keep people informed is going away," said Maj. Elizabeth Ortiz, chief of Minot AFB Public Affairs. "It means we'll be disseminating news and information in a new way. Our mission is as critical to Airman morale and readiness as ever. The only thing changing is the delivery." Both the base PA office and BHG, which is based out of Garrison, are committed to making the transition as transparent as possible to base readers. After the typical two-week holiday break, a newspaper will be delivered to base facilities and housing Jan. 5, 2007. "We thoroughly enjoy publishing the base newspaper and are pleased to continue to maintain that role as well as our association with the base. We recognize that many people still rely heavily on the printed word and we intend to grow the base newspaper into a community weekly newspaper serving base families and interested readers," said Mike Gackle, BHG president. "We think this an excellent opportunity to provide a product which offers news about the region and its products and services. We'll work closely with PA to provide our readers with news from the Web as well as solid content they won't find anywhere else." While still in the planning stages, the new product - which will not be called the Northern Star - will enable more community outreach between the base and outlying communities. "This new newspaper will make the base even more a part of the terrific community we're in, allowing us to learn more about our neighbors," Colonel Woodie said. "In addition, it will tie in other military organizations like the North Dakota National Guard." Since it will no longer be an Air Force publication though, Minot AFB Public Affairs will not retain editorial license for its content. "We have such a great working relationship with our publisher, paper production will still be a collaborative effort here," Major Ortiz said. "However, it's important for people to understand we in PA will no longer have the final say on what goes in the paper." To leverage technology, news and information normally found in the Northern Star will be available on the Minot AFB public Web site starting in January 2007. The base PA staff will post articles and photos daily or near-daily rather than waiting for the paper to be delivered each week. "How people get their information has changed dramatically," said Senior Airman Danny Monahan, Northern Star editor. "It's time for us to start moving in this direction and use the base Web site to our advantage. Otherwise we may be missing our target audience." According to an Air Force newspaper working group, base newspaper production entails around 40 man-hours per week in page design/layout and approval. "For public affairs, the base paper is its sortie generation," said Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan, NCOIC of the base PA office. "We've gotten used to deadlines and putting out a paper every week." With the 800-strong PA career field absorbing a 200-person reduction, newspaper production revealed an area for work savings - especially in light of Web-based technology. Eliminating a weekly product would allow PA staffs to produce more and timelier news coverage, the group concluded. "Electronic delivery of news and information will provide a number of benefits, including timelier content and a more dynamic Web site," Sergeant Tiernan said. Minot AFB's newspaper has enjoyed a long and proud history. Prior to being called the Northern Star, it was called The Sentry. Before that, it was the Jet Gazette. "We're sad in a nostalgic way to see the Air Force newspaper tradition go away," Major Ortiz said. "At the same time, we're excited about all the possibilities Web-based news delivery offers, as well as the opportunity to be more integrated into northern North Dakota. We're confident the base populace will reap huge rewards in terms of news and information."