Size doesn’t matter as newspapers both big and small are being forced to navigate through rough economic waters.

But resource-pinched smaller papers find it more challenging to adapt quickly in an online environment.

The answer, at least for the Aiken (S.C.) Standard, is cross-training and software from a single vendor that can perform multiple functions, said Tim O’Briant, news director. “Layout folks handle CTP, prepress duties and updating the Web site.”

The Standard (daily, 16,496; Sunday, 15,950) employs one full-time person who handles content coordination, posting and scheduling of ads.

The newspaper uses MediaSpan Online Services’ suite of hosting modules to run and handle running its Web site. The software meshes with the paper’s IQue editorial app, from MOS’ sister company, MediaSpan Media Software.

The integration makes posting seamless, O’Briant said. Once editors deem an article ready for posting, the software does the rest. “All the FTP work is done in the background by Mediaspan’s Transporter (app) and the site is built with MediaSpan templates, employing saved searches that display material in proper categories relatively automatically.”

By employing the software, the Standard has been able to keep a tight rein on Web development costs.

MediaSpan’s software is also used to manage user access. The paper makes its local news content available as a premium service. The vendor’s Access Control module lets the Standard create accounts for users and also oversees verification and billing.

“We use their PDF edition to generate an e-paper daily and all the other news feeds and such come directly from our IQue server, used by reporters and editors,” he said.

Getting help from vendors

The Washington (N.C.) Daily News also looked to application developers to anchor its Web efforts. The newspaper (daily, 8,842; Sunday, 8,954) tapped TownNews.com to coordinate the creation of its e-edition, said Lawrence Keech, special projects manager.

Lawrence Keech

“The e-edition allows us to sell online subscriptions, and the viewers get the entire paper they would’ve bought out of a rack or home delivery subscription,” he said.

The e-edition is helpful for subscribers who ordinarily receive their paper through mail but want to read the paper immediately online.

The Daily News makes its e-edition available free of charge to current subscribers; 85 percent of people reading the paper online are also print subscribers, Keech said. More than 150 other readers signed up to receive the e-edition exclusively.

Readers dropping their print subscriptions for digital ones led the Daily News to change how it compensated carriers concerned they would lose money, he said.

“They were concerned that if a subscriber moved to the online edition how would they get credit,” Keech said. “What we did was charge the same price for online delivery as for home delivery and the carrier still receives credit for that person.”

The paper’s coverage area is a little more than 7,000 square miles and it has six staff writers in the newsroom to cover print and online news.

The number of new residents moving to the area is compelling the Daily News to boost its online coverage, Keech said.

 “We have seen a lot development over the last five years, a lot of snow birds moving in and they came down with expectations of the newspaper,” he said.

Competition from other media outlets is another factor pushing the paper to bring in more online features.

“We’ve had a local television station pushing their online presence heavily between their classified and video home tour feature,” Keech said.

With that in mind, the paper plans on adding video content to its Web site, initially in the advertising section with home tours and clips featuring historic sites.