Independent.com Nominated as Best Weekly Website
Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek Nominate This Site as One of Best in Country
On Tuesday, April 29, Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek magazines announced that Independent.com is nominated as one of the best weekly-affiliated websites in the country. The announcement came as the magazine rolled out its 13th annual slate of nominees for the EPpy Awards, one of the publishing industry’s most prestigious honors for websites run by newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television broadcasters. (Read the article here.)
Independent.com – which re-launched in April 2007 and publishes numerous daily stories that aren’t ever printed in the weekly, ink-stained version of The Santa Barbara Independent – is up against two other websites: The Brooklyn Paper, which is focused, of course, on Brooklyn in New York City; and Wicked Local Somerville, which serves the Boston ‘burb of Somerville. The winner will be announced on May 15 during a luncheon in Las Vegas at the Editor & Publisher/Mediaweek Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show.
“There are no secrets to publishing, either online or in print, so I’m thrilled the hard work and commitment of our web team has been recognized on a national level,” said publisher Randy Campbell, a major force behind the re-development of Independent.com. “It’s an exciting time for newspapers. I believe the structure of our site and our company’s vision and talent are well-suited to take advantage of emerging opportunities and challenges.”
Campbell was also adamant about spreading praise around the office. “The strides we’ve taken since last April – creating 500 to 600 stories a month and becoming Santa Barbara’s most visited website with over 160,000 visitors each month – wouldn’t exist without the project leaders: Matt Kettmann as editor, Robert LeBlanc as webmaster, Mike Gahagan as production assistant, Drew Mackie as web editor, Chris Meagher as lead reporter, and Rachel Weight as listings editor,” he explained. “But the efforts within our news organization are across the board, and you see all of our writers contributing on a daily basis.”
