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FCC employees host ‘Living with Water’ community discussion

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Forum Communications Co. employees (at the front of the room) from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and WDAY-TV in Fargo host a discussion on the company's month's long multimedia reporting project known as "Living with Water." The Sunday (Feb. 19) discussion was held as a part of Concoridia College's Communiversity lifelong learning program.

Forum Communications Co. employees from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and WDAY-TV in Fargo hosted a community discussion Sunday (Feb. 19) in Moorhead, Minn., regarding the company’s “Living with Water” multimedia reporting project. The discussion was held as part of Concordia College’s F/M Communiversity Program which offers non-credit, educational, cultural and social opportunities for those interested in lifelong learning.

Forum Editor Matthew Von Pinnon moderated the panel discussion, and Forum reporters Kristen Daum, Marino Eccher and Patrick Springer offered their insights on what they learned during their months of research and writing on water topics, including flooding, diversion, and dam issues along the Missouri, Red and Sheyenne Rivers, along with ongoing concerns in the Devils Lake basin.

WDAY-TV metereologist John Wheeler discussed how weather patterns have played a role in water surplus and drought conditions.

Beginning last fall, FCC reporters from multiple locations – including Dickinson, Grand Forks and Jamestown, N.D.; Detroit Lakes, Minn.; and Mitchell, S.D. – undertook the “Living with Water” project, a multimedia reporting project involving print, broadcast and digital platforms, to build an understanding about water and its impacts on the lives of people in the Dakotas and Minnesota, including ways in which our uses of water impact other regions and how their uses impact us. Topics have included: coping with record-breaking flooding, demands for higher quality water and ways in which we ensure an adequate supply for the future.

The stories published five consecutive Sundays in The Forum, the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, The Dickinson (N.D.) Press, The Jamestown (N.D.) Sun and The Daily Republic in Mitchell, S.D., and will culminate this coming Sunday (Feb. 26). The stories also are being shared on WDAY-TV in Fargo, WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks and online at http://water.areavoices.com.

Forum Communications Co. hosts ‘transformation’ conference for newsroom executives

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FCC Vice President for Newspapers Steve McLister addresses a room full of publishers, general managers, news directors and editors during Forum Communication Co.'s recent two-day newsroom management conference in Fargo.

FARGO, N.D. – More than 60 Forum Communications Co. executives, publishers and editors attended a two-day conference focused on the transformation of the company’s newsroom personnel. The annual gathering held here Wednesday and Thursday served as a training opportunity and a time for discussion among the company’s newsroom managers about the future of collecting and disseminating information.

The event was organized and led by FCC President Lloyd Case to discuss recommendations by The Forum Forward Innovation Committee.  The committee is chaired by Mary Jo Hotzler, and members include; Kirsten Stromsodt, Aaron Becher, and Jenny Porter.

There were also sessions that focused on legal update training, the future of the company’s content management system, fostering community content development, social media and future digital content business strategies.

Other speakers included Steve Johnson of the Vogel Law firm in Fargo, Vice President for Interactive Paul Amundson, Vice President for Newspapers Steve McLister, Product Development Manager Chris Welle, Digital Content Development Director Tracy Briggs, Project Manager Zac Echola and Digital Content Operations Manager Devlyn Brooks.

The attendees of the conference held at the Holiday Inn also participated in social activities that allowed colleagues who may work hundreds of miles apart all year round the time to exchange professional ideas and to get to know one another face to face.

“We have hundreds of journalists working in sites across four states,” Vice President McLister said. “It’s valuable to periodically bring those professionals together so that they can share best practices and bounce ideas off one another. It speaks to the company’s commitment to develop highly trained newsroom professionals to serve the millions of consumers of our broadcast, digital, mobile and printed information products.”

Conference attendees listen to a discussion on the future of the industry.

Forum Communications Co. is a multimedia company headquartered in Fargo, N.D. The company publishes nine daily newspapers and 24 other newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. The company also has television, interactive and printing divisions.

News management meets

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Editors, News Directors, and Publishers from Forum Communications Company’s newspapers and broadcast stations met this week in Fargo.

The group discussed ways to continue to leverage the vast resources of the company’s news gathering ability.

Much of the discussion centered around empowering the “community” to contribute content through the Area Voices social media platform.