Watertown Times continues to make upgrades to technology

Labor Day weekend 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Times operation at 260 Washington St. In 1962, when the Times family moved into the completed newspaper plant an opportunity was provided to employ all the modern conveniences available in the 1960s.

World news was delivered over leased copper telephone lines to a teletype machine using a teletype tape, which sped along at 66 words a minute. This tape was later inserted into typesetting machines in composing and the type was automatically set. A photofax machine supplied pictures from all over the world within hours or even minutes of news events. In temperature-controlled photographic facilities, a picture could be hurried through the printing process in 15 minutes, ready for engraving and subsequent use in the newspaper.

Before the advent of email, an operator manned a busy switchboard taking approximately 430 incoming and outgoing calls a day for the Times business and news operations.

News stories, as well as display and classified advertising copy, were “speeded to the composing room by a modern overheard conveyor system” and deposited at a central desk. It was then distributed to operators who worked one of the 19 typesetting machines that produced anywhere from seven to 15 lines of type per minute. This used 3,000 pounds of type metal a day.

From there, it was off to the stereotyping room where curved metal plates were cast from a mold of each page of type made in composing. The last mechanical process in publishing the daily newspaper was the printing press.

From the pressroom, finished newspapers were delivered by wire conveyor to the mailroom for distribution to subscribers. The move to Washington Street allowed not only more room for distribution, but the introduction of labor-saving devices, like a string bundling machine and an addressograph which could stamp out mailing lists.

Now fast-forward to 2011, where technology is not just a convenience but a fact of life. Copy editors and reporters use a remote virtual desktop infrastructure, or VDI, via high-speed Internet connections to work in the “cloud.” Using Saxotech Mediaware Software for service, the Times is afforded a flexible model for computing resources with a reduction in capital and administrative expenses and an accelerated “time-to-value” launch of new applications and features.

The move to cloud-based computing enables real time, Web-first news reporting, essentially extending the existing information technology infrastructure with no upfront investment in servers or software licensing.

This innovative move touches almost every aspect of the newspaper’s production. With a segregated high-speed fiber network provided by the Development Authority of the North County, the Times not only has the bandwidth available for successful cloud computing applications, but also has saved money with the implementation of Voice over Internet Protocol.

Voice over IP technology uses an existing wide area network to provide unified telephonic communications for all employees. All incoming calls are answered by an auto attendant in Watertown, which can automatically route calls to all north country bureaus.

Employees can receive telephone messages in their email inbox and a personal assistant option allows out-of-office personnel to have their calls instantly delivered to any land line or cell phone. To further reduce telecommunication costs, DID, or direct inward dial, and four-digit dialing to all bureaus in Jefferson and Saint Lawrence counties has been implemented.

In its latest incarnation, the Associated Press and related wire service feeds are no longer received via separate satellites at bureau offices, but are also cloud based. They are constantly uploading into the Mediaware center for immediate access for web or print publishing.

In the 1960s it was slick to be able to produce a photo for print in 15 minutes. Now, our staff can shoot and upload digital photos and videos from any location at any time for immediate exposure to readers via the Internet.

Laptops, 4G Wifi units, iPads and smartphones are some of the latest devices staff members use to produce the newspaper.

No longer does a story go through composing and stereotype. From the Mediaware center, finished pages are sent electronically to Rasterized Image Processors and on to Windows-based computer-to-plate servers where a laser creates a press-ready metal plate, completely eliminating the expense of film.

The WDT is certainly no stranger to how technology has dramatically changed the processes for news reporting, dissemination and accessibility.

The newspaper is not the only way the Times prides itself on providing coverage of news, sports and community events. Embracing social media, readers can visit our website at www.watertowndailytimes.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for all the “News for Today, History for Tomorrow” in Northern New York.