Although many things might have changed since you left the Northern Star, staffers remained committed to building upon the successes accomplished by Star alumni throughout the years.
After a successful debut last fall, NS*Radio, the Star's online radio station, will continue to grow this fall. Radio staffers are preparing for new a programming lineup in the fall, as well as additional live broadcasts from Huskie sports events. If you haven't listened yet, log on to www.nsradio.com to hear what the buzz is all about.
The print and online versions of the Northern Star remain committed, as always, to giving readers news they need and being a community watchdog. To help us do that, we've made several cosmetic changes.
Roughly four years since a previous redesign, staffers last fall unveiled a fresh, new look for the Northern Star. Geared toward providing news to the NIU community in a concise, visually appealing manner, editors and managers set out to liven up the newspaper's design and content. This fall, staffers will continue to build on the Star's redesign, utilizing visual elements that were never available to the Star before. A new contract with the Associated Press - which began over the summer - now gives the Star access to photos and graphics that grace the pages of many professional newspapers around the world.
Since last spring, staffers no longer have needed to worry about paste-downs and frustrating wax machines. Staff members now submit the Star electronically every night in PDF format, giving the newspaper a crisper, even more refreshed look than it had before.
This summer, the Star's photo staff transformed the morgue (a.k.a. the archives library) into a functioning photo studio. Equipped with new lighting and photo equipment, the studio will be used for photo illustrations and portraits that will complement the Star's use of digital photography.
The Star office also underwent several significant face-lifts this past semester. Old, dusty chairs were replaced by new ones - giving virtually the entire office a unified and brighter look. Old design desks were replaced with newer, modern workstations, and several older computers were exchanged for faster, more reliable machines.
As the Star continues to grow and change, staffers will return this fall committed to changing the Star for the better and building upon the foundation set by Star alumni.