October 5, 2004
Rob Curley presents 'Wizard of Ahhhs'

Rob Curley
Director of New Media/Convergence Lawrence Journal-World/6News/World Online Newspaper Association of America's 2001 Internet Pioneer of the Year

Wizards of Ahhhs How one of the most sought-after Web teams in the world landed in Kansas Tuesday, October 5, 2004 Webb Auditorium 10 a.m. to noon Open to the Campus

<

Rob Curley is Director of New Media for The World Company and the leader of World Online, the Internet division of the Lawrence Journal-World. In his role as Director of New Media, he leads the company's converged operations for the combined news gathering staffs of the Lawrence Journal-World, 6News television station and World Online. He came to the Lawrence-based media company after a two-year stint as the Director of New Media at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He previously was the Manager of Content Development for Morris Digital Works, and had been with Morris Communications since 1996.

Curley's team has developed the national newspaper Web site of the year as named by either the Newspaper Association of America or Editor & Publisher magazine every year since 1998.

In May of 2003, Editor & Publisher magazine and Mediaweek magazine named three sites built under Curley's direction as the top media sites on the Internet. The Lawrence Journal-World won four international EPpy awards at the ceremonies, more than any other media company. In February of 2002, E&P named The Capital-Journal's site as the best online newspaper in the country, as well as the best specialized news site in the nation. In July of 2002 Curley's Topeka team won four national Digital Edge awards from the NAA, and became the first newspaper in the association's history to be a finalist in every category it was eligible to enter.

In January of 2003, Curley's team repeated the feat, this time as the Lawrence Journal-World was the only newspaper in the country to be a national finalist in every category at the NAA's online awards, with the operation's KUsports.com site eventually being named best sports site in the nation. In 2004, the NAA named Lawrence.com the best entertainment site in the nation.

In 2003 and 2004, the online division of the Journal-World again gained international attention as the Lawrence.com Web site became a weekly alternative paper produced completely by the company's Internet staff. The publication is called Lawrence.com Deadwood Edition.

"If there's an edge to be on, he's on it or over it." - Peter Zollman, Advanced Interactive Media Group, L.L.C.

"It's very striking-your online team is one or two thinking steps ahead of the rest of the competition." - Janice Castro, 2003 EPpy judge.

The Lawrence Journal-World is easily the most converged news operation in North America, and one of the most converged in the world. - Stephen Quinn, Ball State University

The Lawrence.com crew has done what every gray-beard publisher in American has wanted to do for decades: Serve the college audience. I don't know of anyone else who has done it so successfully -- with compelling content and design and, more than anything, credibility with this impossible-to-reachaudience. - Jeff Jarvis, Newhouse Newspapers

I've often described Rob Curley as the most hated man in new media. Why? Because he and the people he works with at the Lawrence Journal-World are so far out in front of the media pack in their use of interactive databases, multimedia, novel approaches to online storytelling, and every other form of Web publishing it leaves the rest of us green with envy. If you want to see what great online journalism will be in the future, check out what the Lawrence Journal-Worldis doing today. - Paul Grabowicz, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

"No matter how nerdy you think he might be, he's nerdier than that." - Rob Curley

(* Photo courtesy of http://www.robcurley.com)