LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 60

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60 SYNOD REPORTS

the country. However, we think the magazine is better now than it
was then.

Witness District Editions:

Thirteen of the Synod’s 35 districts choose to have their
monthly district news “stitched-in,” or published within, the body
of the national Lutheran Witness. Participating districts include In-
diana, lowa West, Kansas, Mid-South, Minnesota North, Min-
nesota South, North Dakota, North Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Rocky
Mountain, South Dakota, Southern Illinois, and Texas.

Working closely with district editors and CPH, BCS staffer
Carla Dubbelde each month lays out, edits, and proofreads these
supplements, which can range from as few as four to as many as
24 pages (most are eight). She also works each quarter with the
Synod’s Ministry to the Armed Forces in producing “So Help Me,
God”—what used to be the “district edition” of Armed Forces Min-
istry—mailed with “Portals of Prayer.”

The BCS is grateful for the “stitched-in” program, for by their par-
ticipation, districts make it easier and more economical for their peo-
ple to receive the national Witness. Similarly, the districts benefit,
too—not only by BCS editing services but also by savings in postage.

Reporter:

Reporter goes each month to some 32,000 professional church
workers and congregational lay leaders.

A major enhancement to Reporter during the past triennium
was the advent of a monthly “commentary” column, which almost
immediately became one of the best-read components in the news-
paper.

Another notable development is the impressive increase in the
number of “inserts” placed in Reporter by boards, commissions,
and other groups. Some months, as many as three four-page inserts
“piggyback” in the newspaper. We are able to offer these inserts in
full color, having taken Reporter itself to full color during the past
triennium. It is gratifying that many in the Synod apparently con-
sider Reporter an effective vehicle for “getting the word out” about
their ministries.

Costs for Reporter are kept reasonable by a small staff, constant
monitoring of printing and paper costs, and aggressive efforts to
sell advertising.

We have more to say about Reporter, and the Witness as well,
in the final section of this report.

The Witness and Reporter Web Sites:

After much planning and effort, a completely redesigned and

vastly improved Lutheran Witness Web site debuted in March’

2007. The new site, a far cry from the static PDF file that consti-
tuted the old site (the old site amounting to nothing more than an
electronic photograph of that month’s issue), offers select contents
of the current issue, the full contents of past issues, and a number of
interactive elements, including a search engine by category for
archived issues.

Surfers can take weekly polls, post comments to message
boards, send e-cards, use and contribute to an image library, and
take part in special events like online author interviews.

It is our very plausible hope that, each month, the new site will
garner tens of thousands of “hits” for story downloads and other
activities (even the old site had enjoyed as many as 40,000 hits in a
given month). The new site is an integral, symbiotic companion to
the print version of the magazine.

Meanwhile, the wholly redesigned Reporter Online was
launched this past spring. Again,:as with the Witness site, consid-
erable research went into the planning and execution of the revised
Reporter Online, including a comprehensive online survey to gauge
users’ preferences on how the new site should look and act. More
than 1,000 professional church workers took part in this survey.

2007 Convention Workbook

Reporter Online offers more news and full-color photos than
the monthly print Reporter and is the Synod’s most complete
source of news relating to our church body. At this writing (early
March), Reporter Online carries some 40 stories in the categories
of “Top News,” “More News,” “People,” “Events,” and “Re-
sources” —plus “Official Notices” (such as LCMS convention in-
formation and positions available) and “Letters to the Editor.”

News stories are posted to Reporter Online every week, and
“Top News” stories usually appear here before anywhere else—in-
cluding the print Reporter and other e-news delivery sources.

The new Reporter Online is less boxy and static. It looks more
like the CNN or Fox News sites with its increased number of sto-
ries, better color and graphics, and more links to interactive pur-
suits like polls, message boards and forums, and video-streamed
interviews and supplemental news footage.

E-News:

Each month, BCS staffers research and prepare far more news
stories than can appear in the print version of Reporter. In fact,
there have been months where just two staffers—Reporter Manag-
ing Editor Joe Isenhower Jr. and staff writer Paula Schlueter
Ross—produced as many as 50 stories between them. This is
tremendous output, especially when one considers that these
staffers are handling other day-to-day duties, as well.

Stories not printed in Reporter are posted, as described
previously, on Reporter Online. Another online news source,
“LCMSNews,” is one of the Synod’s largest subscription-based
electronic newsletters. Many secular newspaper, magazine, news-
service, and Webzine journalists rely on “LCMSNews” as their pri-
mary source of information on LCMS news and views.

E-news also includes the electronic newsletter known as
“LCMS Notes,” put out by the department’s public affairs and
media relations desk. “LCMS Notes” is tailor-made for worthwhile
items that need to go out fast but which don’t necessarily fit under
the umbrella of “hard news.” Calls to action on key Congressional
votes or court decisions, reminders about TV shows or movies of
special interest to LCMS members, statements by LCMS special-
ists on particular developments in our culture, or word of LCMS
personalities making news are examples of items sent via “LCMS
Notes.” Often these items are placed, as well, on the home page of
the Synod’s Web site.

Public Affairs and Media Relations:

This critical branch of LCMS Communications, headed by
Vicki Biggs, strives mainly to promote the missions, ministries, and
positions of the Synod to the outside world, but it does much more
than that.

Other functions include helping LCMS program boards and
commissions publicize their ministries within the church itself;
managing special projects and events (such as product launches),
devising communication and marketing plans for LCMS entities;
arranging interviews between the media and LCMS leaders; assist-
ing Synod officers with their communications needs; and working
with districts, schools, and congregations in dealing with crises or
seriously negative news stories.

Offering an exhaustive list of every press release issued, every
quote provided, every statement prepared, every interview arranged,
every ministry promoted, every placement gained, every plan devised,
every campaign executed, and every Synod personage or entity
helped in some way by Public Affairs and Media Relations during
the past triennium would beggar the space available here.

Suffice to say that Public Affairs works to put the best face on
the Synod in the eyes of many publics—secular, religious, busi-
ness, government, and our own membership. It seeks to cast the
Synod as a major player on America’s religious stage—a great
church body with a lot going on and much to say.