LJWorld.com / World Company opens doors on News Center

Archive for Friday, September 28, 2001

J-W Staff Reports

September 28, 2001

The World Company is starting a new venture in a newly renovated building and wants the public to share in the milestone.

The News Center at 645 N.H. is now in operation and serves as the combined offices for the news staffs of the Journal-World, 6News and World Online. A public open house will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The public is invited to an open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the News Center, 645 N.H. The center is home to the news operations of the Journal-World, 6News and World Online.

The former post office at Seventh and New Hampshire streets has been renovated in a manner that pays homage to the history of the building, The World Company and Lawrence. Many original materials were preserved in the building that was vacated by the post office in 1965. Historical photos of the city, Kansas University, Haskell Indian Nations University and Baker University have been enlarged to be displayed around the building, along with some of the top photography that has appeared in the Journal-World in recent years.

The News Center allows the news gathering operations of 6News, World Online and the Journal-World to be united under one roof. This type of multimedia "convergence" is being tried out in several parts of the country, and the World Company is excited about the opportunities it presents, said Dolph C. Simons Jr., editor and publisher of the Journal-World and president of The World Company board.

- About the building

"We think this combined news operation can produce a superior news product for the Lawrence area," Simons said. "Our goal is to use a variety of media to give our readers and viewers the best possible news coverage every day."

News Center staff will be on hand at the open house to give tours. The public is asked to enter the building from the Seventh Street entrance. A handicapped accessible entrance is available at the back of the building on New Hampshire Street.