In Pryor, not all Websters are youngsters

Rocklahoma, Country Fever, high school sports, breaking news - there's a lot to look at in Pryor, Okla.

Rick Lepper of Muskogee Phoenix and I made a stop in Pryor on our CNHI Mo Jo 2008 Summer Tour, where a small staff was wondering how to work multimedia into their Web site and their daily routine.

Staff reporter Sommer Woodward is championing multimedia at The Daily Times. Well before lunch, Sommer and her colleagues had a rock festival slideshow on The Daily Times' Web site. Sommer took The Daily Times' new video camera and tripod to the library to ask the librarian how she planned to spend the library's portion of a proposed multi-project $10 million bond extension - a multi-year commitment that will take Pryor voter approval.

Editor Kathy Parker updates The Daily Times' Website each morning, with spot news during the day and to update readers between Friday morning's deadline and the next edition on Sunday.

And while many look at the Web as a way to reach young readers, Kathy took a different path recently. The newspaper sponsors a Cowboy of the Year award - big news in this ranching country. When the winner was selected on a Friday afternoon, Kathy published the information on The Daily Times' Web site. The alternative would have been to hold the winner's name until Sunday's edition.

"They had to go find a young person to find it for them or they had to go to the library to find a computer, but those old cowboys went looking for it," Kathy said.