PA shop to focus on Web news, commercial publisher to produce Hansconian

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  Hanscom, like the rest of the Air Force, is streamlining the way it does business by utilizing Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiatives to overcome reductions in manpower and budget resources; one such area that will soon change is the base newspaper, the Hansconian. 

On Sept. 28, the 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office personnel will produce their final issue of the Hansconian, transitioning like many other Air Force bases to a Web-based information delivery system. 

For those readers who enjoy getting their base news from a printed product, Community Newspapers Company, the current publisher of the Hansconian, has decided to continue producing a printed product with a base tie on their own. The first issue of the independently produced Hansconian will be distributed Oct. 5. 

"As our public affairs team gets smaller, the transition from a hard copy product to a Web-based news delivery system will ensure that we are able to effectively communicate with our internal and external audiences in a timely manner," said Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing commander. 

"This change will save approximately 16 to 20 hours per week in the layout and design of the paper for our PA staff allowing them to focus more time writing articles and keeping our public Web site up to date with news and information," Colonel Schluckebier said. 

The Web-based news service can be found on the Hanscom public Web site at www.hanscom.af.mil. There readers will find the most current news, photos and base information. Hanscom migrated its public Web site to the new Air Force format in December 2006. 

"A Web-based information-delivery system provides a number of benefits," said Brig. Gen. Michelle Johnson, director of Air Force Public Affairs. Among the benefits: posting news releases in real time; providing access to home-station news from deployed locations and using the same delivery system at home and while deployed. 

The 66 ABW PA staff will continue to take submissions for articles to post on the public Web. 

"We are counting on units to work with us to highlight their people and their missions so we can continue to tell the Air Force story," said 1st Lt. Lisa Spilinek, 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs, chief of Internal Information. Additionally, some of the content that will appear on the Public Web may still find its way into the new, independently produced Hansconian. To help cover base news, the publisher will be able to pull content from Hanscom's public Web site to run in the new Hansconian. 

"In our discussions with Community Newspapers Company, they said their intent is to produce a printed newspaper that looks very much like the current product," Lieutenant Spilinek said. 

For questions or additional information, contact the 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office at (781) 377-5027 or (781) 377-4467. To submit story suggestions, e-mail Hanscom.Hansconian@hanscom.af.mil.