Internet and print media connect Hanscom to larger Air Force

  • Published
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom Air Force Base is home to a vibrant community of professionals and their families. The base newspaper and public website help keep base residents and employees informed about local events but they also connect the Hanscom community to the larger Air Force. For this reason, the 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs office encourages community members to contribute news stories and story ideas to these media.

Hanscom's public website, www.hanscom.af.mil, is maintained by the Public Affairs office. According to Sarah Olaciregui, 66th Air Base Group chief of civic outreach, "The website reaches a large audience and makes Hanscom news available to the rest of the Air Force."

The news stories on the website are published through the Air Force Public Information Management System (AFPIMS), Ms. Olaciregui said. This system makes Hanscom's news articles available for use on other Air Force and government websites. "Sometimes articles written by or about our personnel get published at the Air Force or Department of Defense level," she said. "It lets the rest of the Air Force know about significant news happening locally."

Since October of 2006 Air Force officials have focused on electronic media, such as the Hanscom public website, as the primary distribution method for local and national Air Force news. But many of the articles published on the website are also printed in Hanscom's weekly newspaper, The Hansconian.

As a result of the emphasis on electronic media, The Hansconian, like many other Air Force print media, was turned over to a commercial publisher in 2007. Now produced by Community Newspaper Company (CNC), The Hansconian is financed using advertising revenue generated by the paper. It is distributed on Fridays free of charge to individuals affiliated with the base.

Although the Public Affairs office no longer controls the layout and content of The Hansconian, it works closely with CNC to provide content tailored to Hanscom, Ms. Olaciregui said. "Many of the newspaper's stories come from members of the Hanscom community, and not just Public Affairs. If they are appropriate for our audience and we have enough space, we are happy to accept articles and story ideas from other members of the Hanscom community as well."

"We are particularly interested in base-level news that the rest of the Air Force might want to know about," she said. Events suitable for coverage in the newspaper and online include major contract actions, command-level awards and changes of command or reorganizations at the group level or higher. Most political editorials, group membership solicitation or opinion pieces are not suitable for Hanscom news media.

Notices of Permanent Changes of Station, births and deaths of former employees not currently working on Hanscom are also unsuitable for base media. But Air Force members and Department of Defense civilians may submit notices of these and other events for publication in their hometown newspapers using the hometown news release form on the Hanscom public website.

Individuals who are unsure whether a story idea is suitable for publication should contact the Public Affairs office by e-mailing hanscom.hansconian@hanscom.af.mil or calling 781-377-4467. Submissions should be received no later than close of business on Friday for publication in the following Friday's paper and will be edited to meet appropriate style guidelines. Because the base does not own the paper and because space constraints and Air Force guidelines must be met, the Public Affairs office cannot guarantee publication of every submission. Story ideas and suggestions for event coverage should be submitted one to two weeks before the event.

Classified ads, with the exception of ads for commercial gain, may be placed in The Hansconian free of charge by anyone affiliated with the base. The deadline for classified ads is Wednesday at 5 p.m. for publication in the following Friday's edition. Ads may be placed by telephone at 1-800-894-5141.

For Electronic Systems Center (ESC) mission news, the Public Affairs office publishes The Integrator, a weekly electronic newsletter. The Integrator is tailored to the acquisition and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) communities, though it often contains more general base and center-wide information. It also ties ESC's geographically separated units together and gives decision makers at the center a snapshot of external media articles covering acquisition and C4ISR news.

Hanscom members may subscribe to The Integrator by e-mailing Kevin.Gilmartin@hanscom.af.mil with 'new Integrator subscription' in the subject line.