By June Mathews
TRUSSVILLE – When Congressman Gary Palmer sat down for an on-camera chat with Trussville Tribune Publisher Scott Buttram last Monday, not only was the 6th District afforded an opportunity to hear an up-to-the-minute report from its representative in Washington, the moment also created a bit of history for the newspaper. Over the course of an hour, as the two discussed healthcare, the economy and other issues of interest to Palmer’s constituents, the Tribune quietly took another step forward into the high-tech depths of the digital media world.
“I don’t know that this was an interview we could have landed five years ago,” said Buttram, “but Congressman Palmer has demonstrated a strong desire to stay in touch with his constituency, and we’re in a unique position to help.
“It goes back to the vision we’ve had from the beginning of this multimedia journey: It doesn’t matter that we’re a small-town newspaper in Trussville, Alabama. The capability to livestream gives Congressman Palmer or anybody else in our studio a worldwide voice and makes the Tribune more of a player on the state and national media scene.
Publisher Scott Buttram sits down for an on-camera chat with Congressman Gary Palmer in the Tribune’s multimedia studio.
Trussville Tribune photo
The journey to which Buttram refers began during the latter half of 2014, when he and multimedia partners Dennis Washington and Pat Smith started formulating the idea of an in-house studio. They knew that while the print component would remain the frontispiece of the newspaper industry for the time being, the digital aspects of online communication and social media could no longer be ignored.
“Digital media is something we’ve embraced in a big way and will continue to embrace for a long time to come,” Buttram said. “Al.com is now working to expand their digital media, so it’s spreading to the surrounding communities. And since it’s something that can be so mutually beneficial, we want to help in any way we can.”
As to the “Ask the Congressman” segment in particular, Washington cited it as a prime example of the openness and immediacy of today’s online digital coverage compared to other forms of news media.
“I think the interview provided consumers with a better way to digest information about their elected officials,” he said. “Why better? Because it was unfiltered. Instead of a reporter only sharing a few quotes or a few soundbites, the consumer can now see answers to questions in context, unfiltered.”
Future plans for the Tribune studio call for more “Ask the Congressman” programs, as well as similar sessions with other government and community leaders.
“This is something we feel would bring a new level of communication to the table,” Washington said.
So what’s next on the Tribune’s digital frontier? No one is yet prepared to say.
“We have no idea what’s next,” said Buttram, “and we don’t know where the ceiling is. I’m sure there is one. We just don’t know where it is yet. The bottom line to me is, we’ve never had more opportunities, and now is the time to take advantage of them.”
