WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii -- A new year and a new look. Hopefully, readers have noticed tweaks in design beginning in this edition of the Hawaii Army Weekly newspaper.
The editorial staff has wanted to freshen the look of the HAW and its companion site at www.hawaiiarmyweekly.com, for some time. This year became the launch year.
"The HAW staff is excited to bring you, our reader, new, updated designs that are fresh and innovative, and that relate to our core audience of young, junior Soldiers," said Vickey Mouzé, managing editor. "Newspaper and web design are like any other type of design; what was new five or 10 years ago is no longer new. It was time to update our look."
Some newspapers are redesigned to lure a larger subscriber base and greater revenues. However, HAW changes were made for the reader's sake.
"The HAW is now easier to read and has a unified feel with the new selection of fonts, graphics and other visual elements enlivening the paper," said Nicole Gilmore, graphic designer for HAW.
"We realize that the reading habits of our audience are changing," Mouzé added. "We're competing with all things digital: text messaging, Twitter and online news sites."
Since hosts of media compete for the reader's attention, the USAG-HI Public Affairs Office uses all its available venues -- including five social media sites, the garrison and HAW websites, the post TV2 cable access channel, electronic community bulletins and town hall meetings -- to reach and engage Army Hawaii community members.
Military newspapers are published by commercial entities, and they are called civilian enterprise publications. They serve as an information tool for a military commander -- which is the reason why a post newspaper is delivered to every resident in military family housing in USAG-HI.
The HAW publishes stories received from 15 tenant organizations and other contributors. However, the editorial staff is regularly challenged to publish current "news."
The operational tempo, deploying units and severe personnel constraints often challenge timeliness, but the editorial staff and USAG-HI PAO hope the weekly newspaper serves a vital function for Soldiers, families, civilians, retirees and the surrounding communities that comprise HAW's audience.
Updating the print and website design aims to make the reader's leisurely reviews that much more enjoyable.
See the new looks, provide feedback and get information at www.hawaiiarmyweekly.com and www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil.
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