The Communicator (IPFW)
| File:Tcom.jpg | |
| Type | Student newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | IPSN Inc. |
| Publisher | Matt McClure |
| Editor | Kristan Mensch |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Fort Wayne, Indiana USA |
| Official website | ipfwcommunicator.org |
The Communicator, a 5,000 weekly circulation, is the student newspaper of IPFW (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne). IPFW has over 14,000 full and part-time students and has grown considerably over the past ten years. The Communicator itself has changed by leaps and bounds in the past several years. In Spring 2005, editor Andrew Welfle instituted a major redesign involving the use of the font Frutiger for major headlines and borderless, clean designs, favoring a thin rule line instead of boxes.
Contents |
[edit] Basic Stats
- Publishing house: Kendallville Publishing Company
- Publishing software: Adobe InDesign running on Apple iMacs
- President of IPSN Inc. board of directors (The Communicator's parent organization): Tracy Warner
[edit] Features
The paper, as previously mentioned, has undergone many changes since the turn of the millennium with many different editors. The paper has changed in size and become much smaller and compact. The sections have mostly stayed the same, with Student Life being added and subtracted many times over the years. Major changes include the implementation of "Arts & Entertainment" as a replacement to "Features" during the summer of 2003 and the addition of the "News & Politics" section (formerly known as "Politics & Money").
The paper, in coordination with CollegeHoopsNet, broke a national story in 2005 when the school hired Dane Fife as its head basketball coach, making him the youngest coach currently at a Division I level. The story broke on the paper's website.
In the spring of 2006, the paper made news by printing the controversial cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. They were one of the few American papers to do such at the time and just the fourth college newspaper in the country to do so.
In the fall of 2009, the Communicator introduced a weekly sports article called "The Fish Picks vs. Pea Predictions" written by Lucas Fisher (a.k.a. The Fish) and Logan Pea. The article consists of Lucas and Logan choosing the best games of the week and picking/predicting a winner and why they will win. In the first year, both The Fish and Pea finished with records of 82-78 and in the second year, they tied again going 128-117. This weekly article is one of the most popular in the Communicator.
In February 2010, the Communicator website was completely redesigned by former Web Editor Craig Lloyd and sees hundreds of page views weekly. Craig also produced a weekly audio podcast series called "The CommuniCast" from April 2010 to April 2011. It was first hosted by Craig and contributing writer Alex Axthelm, in which they discussed the week in technology. Later on, new hosts Preston Patillo and Lindsay Sprunger took the reins and added various other topics on top of technology, making it a broader niche podcast for listeners.
[edit] Highly Notable Awards (since 2004)
- 2011 Online Pacemaker Finalist - Associated Collegiate Press
- 2007 Division II Newspaper of the Year - Indiana Collegiate Press Association
- 2006 Best of Show Honorable Mention - Associated Collegiate Press
- 2006 Division II Newspaper of the Year Runner-Up - Indiana Collegiate Press Association
- 2006 Advertising Newspaper of the Year Runner-Up - Indiana Collegiate Press Association
- 2004 Nick Altman, Cartoon/Illustration Honorable Mention - Columbia Scholastic Press Association
- 2004 Eugene Harding and Dan Vance, Single Subject Black & White Honorable Mention - Columbia Scholastic Press Association
[edit] Notable alumni
- Former IPFW Director of Alumni Relations Jennifer Bosk helped establish the paper in 1969.
- United States Congressman Mark Souder
- Tony Laux, former Sports Editor, died from a fall in Puerto Rico in 2004 while a manager for the IPFW men's volleyball team
[edit] Editors in chief (2002 - Present)
- Kristan Mensch: Fall 2011–Present
- Kelly McLendon: Fall 2010 - Spring 2011
- Aaron Greene: Fall 2009 - Spring 2010
- Said El-Dajani: Fall 2008 - Spring 2009
- Jessie Ruckman: Fall 2007 - Spring 2008
- Jenna Lauber: Spring 2007
- Tracy Kerns: Fall 2006
- Brianna Belford: Spring 2006
- Anthony Maurer: Fall 2005
- Andrew Welfle: Spring 2005
- Scott M. Lawson: Fall 2003 - Fall 2004
- Dan Vance: Summer 2003
- Renee Thompson: Spring 2003
- Kathy Delagrange: Spring 2002 - Fall 2002
[edit] See also
Mastodon Minutes News, a weekly television news show at IPFW
