Assistant Editor
Dateline Downtown has been the University of Houston-Downtown’s student-run newspaper for many years. The 2014-2015 school year at UHD will be much different for Dateline, as Editor-In-Chief Theodore Shull and Assistant Editor Juan Hernandez prepare to take Dateline to the next level of online presence and deep into the podcast world.
Over the course of the new school year, the Dateline will feature stories relating to UHD events, activities, and just about everything that is happening around campus. In an age where technology remains dominant, a bigger online presence and a podcast makes a lot of sense for a newspaper to stay relevant in 2014 and beyond. The online presence format will feature stories that serve as “teasers” in print issues, and will often feature stories that did not make print.
Podcasts have been the latest trend of delivering audio content to people worldwide, and it makes perfect sense to have a podcast that serves a purpose to UHD’s community. The podcast format will launch with 1 episode after each issue is released, with a 30-minute length that will eventually be extended to 1 hour in the future. Additionally, a monthly interview with UHD’s SGA President John Locke will also follow each podcast episode at the same length, totaling to 2 episodes per issue. The format of the podcast will serve as commentary between Theodore and Juan, covering tidbits from each section’s stories that have been published on both print and online editions of the newspaper. Interviews will also be the basis of the podcast, as relevant issues that can be presented within the stories can be discussed with individuals who are experts or have more knowledge in a specific field or topic that is being addressed.
Dateline Downtown serves to promote and advertise everything UHD and the goals set by Ted and Juan will have listeners and readers become more engaged and involved within the UHD community, and have an opportunity to have a voice as students.