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Friday, August 8, 2008
WASHINGTONPOST.COM DOMINATES EPPY AWARDS Honors Given In 18 Categories To News Sites
by Len Muscarella
The 4th Annual EPpy Awards competition for interactive newspapers was dominated by washingtonpost.com, which was the judges' choice in four of the 18 award categories. In addition, Chris Jennewein of Knight Ridder New Media became the inaugural winner of the Outstanding Individual Achievement EPpy.
The awards, which were presented at a gala dinner Friday night at the 1999 Interactive Newspapers Conference, recognize the best of class in newspaper-sponsored and news-oriented Internet services worldwide.
Washingtonpost.com received honors as the Best Overall U.S. Newspaper Online Service with a circulation of greater than 100,000. It also won in the categories of Best News Section, Best Classified Section, and Best Design. Judges applauded the Post's site for breadth of local or national information, suggesting that this is perhaps the best major metropolitan newspaper Web site in the U.S. And, one of the only online newspapers that makes yesterday's edition available as well.
The site takes full advantage of the Internet to serve both its national and local audiences. A newly redesigned home page (http://www.washingtonpost.com) makes for easy navigation through a wealth of offerings, starting, of course, with news. There are links not only to the hottest stories, but to a vast array of other features, including business, sports, entertainment, live discussions with newsmakers, and that old newspaper staple, classified ads. Plus, newsweek.com, the Web site for The Washington Post Co.'s Newsweek magazine, and its eBLAST Internet guide are only a click away.
The site's outstanding presentation of everything from serious journalism to interactive features and fun facts has attracted more and more loyal users throughout the past year. Site traffic grew 155% from January to September 1998, logging more than 75 million page views in September.
El Nuevo Herald Digital was awarded Best Overall U.S. Newspaper Online Service with a circulation under 100,000. Judges said that this site is a fine example of a high-quality Web site produced by a small staff (only two full-time producers, with help from others on the Herald Online content staff) leveraged by strong automation tools. The site is the only Spanish-language daily online newspaper site in the United States and has attracted a growing audience.
Judges said El Nuevo Herald does a great job of serving the Latin community, in both Florida and around the world, as well as bringing in Latin advertisers. Since launch in December 1996, the site has grown to more than 1 million page views per month. In addition to coverage from the staffs of El Nuevo Herald and The Miami Herald, the site offers an active online discussion area, Charla Digital.
Jennewein was honored for his more than a decade of leadership in the development of interactive newspapering, beginning at the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, and then with Mercury Center (San Jose Mercury News) before assuming his current position with Knight Ridder in 1996.
Other noteworthy winners include: CNet News.com, which won an unprecedented third straight EPpy Award in the category of Best Non-Newspaper Online News Service; Brigham Young University, which won the first-ever award for Best College Newspaper Online Service; andWinetoday.com, which won the award for the Best Use of Interactivity.
"In many ways, the 1999 Awards were our best ever," said D. Colin Phillips, publisher of the Editor & Publisher Co. of New York, which sponsors the awards. "The competition was the strongest we have ever seen."
The 1999 competition was the culmination of four years of growth for the EPpy Awards that has mirrored the meteoric rise of the Internet as a channel for disseminating information and conducting business. Nearly 400 entries were nominated for 1999 EPpy Awards, in 18 categories.
In 1996, the first year of the competition, there were fewer than 60 entries. "When we started, there were so few papers with Internet services that we didn't even want to have an entry fee, for fear that it would discourage participation," said Steve Outing, who worked with E&P to launch the awards. As the industry has grown, so have the EPpy Awards. In 1998, the competition was expanded to 14 categories and was given its current name, The EPpy Awards. Then in 1999, the awards expanded to 18 categories and the Individual Achievement Award.
Thirty judges, all industry experts, worked diligently from October through December to evaluate the entries in the 1999 awards, in two rounds of judging.
1999 EPpy Winners and Finalists (Winners in bold)
Best Overall U.S. Newspaper Online Service, circ. Over 100K
The New York Times on the Web, http://www.nytimes.com
startribune.com (McClatchy), http://www.startribune.com washingtonpost.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com
Best Overall U.S. Newspaper Online Service, circ. Under 100K
Christian Science Monitor?s Electronic Edition, http://www.csmonitor.com El Nuevo Herald Digital, http://www.elherald.com
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat Online, http://www.pressdemo.com
Best Overall U.S. Newspaper Online Service — Weekly, Community, Free & Alternative The Chronicle of Higher Education — Academe Today, http://chronicle.com
Orlando Weekly, http://www.orlandoweekly.com
San Francisco Bay Guardian, http://www.sfbg.com
Best Overall non-U.S. Newspaper Online Service
FT.com, http://www.ft.com
Jerusalem Post Internet Edition, http://www.jpost.com La Nacion Line, http://www.lanacion.com
Best Non-Newspaper Online News Service CNET News.com, http://www.news.com
MSNBC.com, http://MSNBC.com
Wired News, http://www.wired.com
Best College Newspaper Online Service
Kentucky Kernel (University of Kentucky), http://www.kykernel.com NewsNet (Brigham Young University),http://www.newsnet.byu.edu
The State News (Michigan State University), http://www.statenews.com
Best Promotion of a Newspaper Online Service
The Boston Globe's boston.com, http://www.boston.com
Chicago Tribune Classified Products, http://chicagotribune.com Metromix, http://metromix.com
Best News Section in a Newspaper Online Service
Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/news
The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com washingtonpost.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com
Best Sports Section in a Newspaper Online Service Austin360.com, http://www.austin360.com
Internet Chicago Tribune, http://chicagotribune.com/sports
Sun-Sentinel, http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports
Best Business Section in a Newspaper Online Service Maine Business Online, http://www.mainebusiness.com
Mercury Center, http://www.mercurycenter.com/gmsv
washingtonpost.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/front.htm
Best Entertainment Section in a Newspaper Online Service Calendar Live!, http://www.calendarlive.com
New York Today, http://www.nytoday.com
washingtonpost.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com/style
Best Special Section in a Newspaper Online Service
Fog of War, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/fogofwar/splash.htm
The Path to Peace, http://www.irish-times.com/irish-times/special/Peace/index.htm Microsoft Trial, http://www.mercurycenter.com/business/microsoft/trial
Best Classified Section in a Newspaper Online Service
Autosource-Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/HOME/CLASS/AUTO
Real Classifieds, http://www.realcities.com/classifieds washingtonpost.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/classifieds/careerpost/front.htm
Best Community Publishing Effort in a Newspaper Online Service New Jersey Online, http://www.nj.com/cc
Sunline, http://www.charlotte-florida.com
toronto.com, http://www.toronto.com
Best Directory Application in a Newspaper Online Service
kansascity.com, http://www.kansascity.com School Guide, http://www.seattletimes.com/schoolguide
toronto.com, http://www.toronto.com
Best Design of a Newspaper Online Service
The Chronicle of Higher Education — Academe Today, http://chronicle.com
The New York Times on the Web, http://www.nytimes.com washingtonpost.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com
Best Use of Interactivity in a Newspaper Online Service
InsideDenver.com, http://InsideDenver.com
Sunline, http://www.charlotte-florida.com Winetoday.com, http://www.winetoday.com
Best Shopping Application in a Newspaper Online Service
HomeZone — Improvenet, http://www.startribune.com/homezone
New York Today, http://www.nytoday.com Sunline, http://www.charlotte-realtors.comThe EPpy Awards are managed by Len Muscarella, managing director of Interactive Media Associates Inc. (IMA), of Parsippany, N.J. IMA specializes in the planning, development, and marketing of new media services. Since founding IMA in 1985, Muscarella has worked with senior management to develop media businesses in online, the Internet, and interactive television.
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