Forum Communications Co. taking newsgathering to new heights

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Jim Manney (left), Forum Communications video manager, and Chris Dorsey, Forum Communications director of multimedia accounts and digital advertising, show the quadcopter, a remote-control aircraft, or drone, that was used for fly-over flood coverage. Photo by Rylee Nelson

By Rylee Nelson
Forum News Service

FARGO, N.D. – Forum Communications Co. has enlisted new aerial perspectives to provide its readers and viewers with over-the-top coverage of the 2013 Red River Valley flood.
Fly-over video captured by way of a remote-control aircraft, or drone, shows the swelling river from a unique angle. This unique approach to reporting the big story is now catching national attention.
In the past few years, high-definition, durable cameras have become increasingly available. And while the use of drones has been somewhat controversial in fields such as law enforcement, the devices are being used in a variety of ways — by outdoorsmen, extreme sports enthusiasts, and in this case, by news gatherers.
Chris Dorsey, director of multimedia accounts and digital advertising for Forum Communications, has been flying his quadcopter, mounted with a GoPro, high-definition video camera, to provide a unique view of the flooding. The idea began from a personal interest of Dorsey’s to simply fly remote-control aircraft. From there, he and Jim Manney, Forum Communications video manager, put together a plan to use the aerial machine for video on InforumTV.com, a video-focused news website owned by Forum Communications.
“The whole idea stems from the idea to take our viewers to a place they have never been. A place they couldn’t go,” Manney said.

Jim Manney (left), Forum Communications video manager, and Chris Dorsey, Forum Communications director of multimedia accounts and digital advertising, demonstrate the quadcopter, a remote-control aircraft, or drone, that was used for fly-over flood coverage. Photo by Rylee Nelson

The rather small idea has gained big attention from national audiences this week. Even the Weather Channel commented on how neat the idea was, Dorsey noted. Several national media outlets have contacted Dorsey and Manney to use the video in their own broadcasts.
For Dorsey and Manney, it’s a matter how far they can go to bringing new and unique perspectives to viewers.
“Video is such a huge part of where we are going … it is information for the public. This is evident in our investment in InforumTV,” Dorsey said, noting that the quadcopter may be used for other story coverage in the future, such as the Fargo Marathon or even a RedHawks baseball game.
Still, Dorsey and Manney say they are well aware of their boundaries when it comes to the use of the personal aircraft. To begin flying the device, they had to be in contact with the FAA to make sure they were following drone law. They also say they want to respect people’s privacy. You won’t find them flying over anyone’s fence.
Video of the Red River flooding is available on www.inforumtv.com.

Rylee Nelson is a Forum News Service reporter stationed in Fargo. He can be reached at rnelson@forumcomm.com.

InforumTV.com is owned by Forum Communications Co. Forum Communications is a multimedia information company based in Fargo, and owns dozens of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Forum Communications Co. announces 2013 Forum Forward class

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FARGO, N.D. - Forum Communications Co. has named its Forum Forward class for 2013, company officials announced Friday. This year’s class is comprised of eight individuals, salespeople, reporters, editors and multimedia producers from all over the company’s geographic footprint.

Forum Forward is an internal company leadership program created in 2009 to broaden the leadership skills of the dedicated employees across Forum Communications Co.and to build the company’s next generation of leaders.

This year’s class includes:

Jon Buller, director of finance for the Duluth News Tribune

- Applicant: Jon Buller, Director of Finance, Duluth News Tribune

Phil Frebault, director of advertising for Rivertowns Newspaper Group

Mentor: Phil Frebault, Advertising Director, RiverTown Multimedia

Leah Kastner, supervisor, FCC Media Planning

- Applicant: Leah Kastner, Media Planning Supervisor, Digital

Kirsten Stromsodt, deputy editor of The Forum

Mentor: Kirsten Stromsodt, Deputy Editor, The Forum

Greg Locnikar, customer service representative, Forum Communications Printing-Fargo

- Applicant: Gregory Locnikar, Customer Service Representative, FCP-Fargo

Chris Dorsey, FCC director digital and major accounts sales

Mentor: Chris Dorsey, Director Digital & Major Accounts, Forum Communications Company

Lori Weber Menke, multimedia manager at the Grand Forks Herald

- Applicant: Lori Weber Menke, Multimedia Manager, Grand Forks Herald

Rob Horken, general manager at WDAY TV

Mentor: Rob Horken, General Manager, WDAZ-TV

Jeff Nelson, news director at WDAY TV

- Applicant: Jeff Nelson, News Director, WDAY TV

Mary Jo Hotzler, director of the Forum News Service

Mentor: Mary Jo Hotzler, Director, Forum News Service

Dave Roepke, news editor at The Forum

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Jon Clites, regional sales manager at WDAY

Applicant: Dave Roepke, News Editor, The Forum
Mentor: Jon Clites, Regional Sales Manager, WDAY

Kevin Smith, advertising director at the West Central Tribune

- Applicant: Kevin Smith, Director of Advertising, West Central Tribune

Roger Sievers, multimedia producer for the Rivertowns Newspaper Group

Mentor: Roger Sievers, Multimedia Producer, RiverTown Multimedia

John Svingen, advertising director at The Pioneer of Bemidji, Minn.

- Applicant: John Svingen, Director of Advertising, The Bemidji Pioneer

Carmen Wallander, customer service manager at Forum Communications Printing-Fargo

Mentor: Carmen Wallander, Customer Service Manager, FCP-Fargo

Each year, FCC employees have the opportunity to apply for Forum Forward and company executives choose the finalists who undergo a year of site visits, leadership studies and mentoring. Each graduate is assigned a mentor from inside the company, someone who has demonstrated leadership and the ability to help build the skills of their employees. The class then spends a year traveling to various FCCsites and learning from respected leaders in all aspects of the company’s ventures.

Forum Communications Co. is a multimedia information company based in Fargo, N.D. Forum Communicationsowns dozens of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Matt Cory named next editor of The Pioneer of Bemidji, Minn.

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Matt Cory was named the next editor of The Pioneer of Bemidji, Minn. He replaces exiting Editor Steve Wagner who was recently named the editor of the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald.

By Justin Glawe

BEMIDJI, Minn. – In a media landscape rapidly changing as outlets and reporters, editors and publishers try to keep up, deadlines are by the minute and priorities are sometimes judged by the second.
Matt Cory, named Wednesday as editor of The Pioneer, has been witness to the sea change still transforming the industry, and it’s a challenge he’s willing to meet.
“As newspapers have learned in the last 10 years, or so, and really ratcheted up in the last five, we have to be a lot of different things to different people,” Cory said. “You want to cover the big stories but you want to tell the stories of individual people within the community as well.”
For the last 19 years, Cory, 42, has been with the Grand Forks Herald in myriad roles. Stints as a reporter in news and sports, time spent policing grammar, style and spelling as copy editor and several years as night and city editor round out a resume soaked in newspaper ink.
“We are fortunate to hire an editor of Matt Cory’s skills and experience,” said Pioneer Publisher Dennis Doeden. “Matt has a passion for newspapers, and I am excited to add him to our leadership team in Bemidji. Matt brings experience as a reporter, editor, page designer and manager to our newsroom. He understands the newspaper’s responsibility in our community.”
Cory will bring a wife and two children with him to Bemidji when he takes over in mid-April. A third child attends college in Nebraska. Cory will replace Steve Wagner, editor since October 2011. Wagner was named the Herald’s editor March 8.
A native of East Grand Forks, Cory attended the University of North Dakota. UND holds his heart in hockey, but Cory said he prefers basketball of the maroon and gold variety.
“It’s kind of like coming home for me in a way,” Cory said, looking ahead to starting his third decade in newspapers at The Pioneer. “I’m excited about being back in Minnesota full-time.”
And while the future of the print product – already reduced in size, circulation and days-printed elsewhere around the country remains to be seen – the future of newspapers as institutions of truth is as imperative as ever.
“Newspapers will always be a vital link in the process of communication,” Cory said. “I’ve heard the saying that radio had the immediacy, television had the video and newspapers had the whole story. Well, now we have to do all three. And that’s a challenge we have to face every day.”

Justin Glawe is a reporter at The Pioneer.

The Pioneer is owned by Forum Communications Co. Forum Communications is a multimedia information company based in Fargo, and owns dozens of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Monke named managing editor at The Dickinson Press; Byrd promoted to news editor

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Dustin Monke has been named the managing editor of The Dickinson Press in Dickinson, N.D.

By Bryan Horwath

DICKINSON, N.D. – The Dickinson Press didn’t go far in its search for a managing editor.
Calling his promotion a “dream come true,” Press Sports Editor Dustin Monke has been tapped to lead the newspaper’s entire newsroom.
“I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life and in my career,” Monke said. “I’m ready to tackle the challenges that come with being the managing editor of a newspaper. We hope to continue to provide southwest North Dakota with the excellent coverage that The Dickinson Press has been known for, while also improving in some facets of how we present readers the news both in print and online.”
Monke, a 2002 graduate of New England (N.D.) High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2006. He worked for Forum Communications Co., which owns The Dickinson Press, as a sports clerk and sports reporting intern at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead while in school.
After a brief stint as editor of The Herald in New England, where he got his start as a reporter while still in high school, Monke was hired to head up the Press sports department in July 2006 and won multiple awards for his work.

Klark Byrd has been promoted to news editor at The Dickinson Press.

Also ascending to a new role at The Press is Klark Byrd, who will be news editor. He started at The Press in 2011 as a copy editor.
Monke replaces Jennifer McBride, who left the newspaper in February to take an editor position in her home state of Wisconsin.

Bryan Horwath is a reporter at The Dickinson Press.

The Dickinson Press is owned by Forum Communications Co. Forum Communications is a multimedia information company based in Fargo, and owns dozens of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Forum News Service adds veteran copy editor

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Mike Florio has been hired as a copy editor for the Forum News Service.

FARGO, N.D. – The Forum News Service has added a veteran copy editor to its ranks to bolster the unit’s ability to produce, edit and distribute news, company officials have announced.

Mike Florio joined the staff earlier this month and has been tasked with evening and night editing duties for the new service. Florio worked last in Kentucky where he was a copy editor at the Daily News in Bowling Green for four years. Prior to that, Florio spent 10 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a copy editor, a position that focused on news but also involved some work in sports.

Earlier in his career, Florio worked as a copy editor for The News-Times in Danbury, Conn., and for The Express-Times in Easton, Pa. He received his journalism degree from Penn State.

Mary Jo Hotzler, director of the Forum News Service

“We’re pleased to have hired someone with Mike’s copy editing experience,” said Forum News Service Director Mary Jo Hotzler. “Mike’s position will add to our talent level and help us to produce even more high-quality news that we can provide to our internal and external clients.”

Forum Communications Co. launched the news service in January 2012 to distribute content to news organizations in the Upper Midwest. Hotzler was named director of the service in February 2013.

“Forum Communications is committed to the growth of our news service and that takes talented people like Mike,” Hotzler said. “We will continue to invest in the people and resources necessary to be a complete regional wire service.”

The Forum News Service is owned by Forum Communications Co.  Forum Communications is a multimedia information company based in Fargo, and owns dozens of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.