The funeral ended more than a week of media attention on the southern Wisconsin village of Orfordville, Neal’s hometown. While I’ve covered soldiers’ funerals before, I’ve never reported on a military death so fresh. It’s our job, but I don’t think any journalist truly wants to be there.

On a tip, WISC-TV broke the news late on a Thursday afternoon, and the boss immediately sent me on a one-hour drive to Orfordville for reaction.

When I got there, I learned that Neal had died less than 24 hours earlier in Afghanistan, the result of a roadside bomb. The freshness of the news made my challenge greater — I was also working alone.

Neal’s Facebook profile indicated he worked at a bar in town, so I started there. The bar’s owner said he didn’t feel comfortable talking to me, which didn’t surprise me. But after several minutes of convincing him of his importance to my story, he finally agreed to do an interview.

Finished with that, I headed to the high school next. By this point, it was about 6 p.m. and all the door to the district office was locked But after knocking a few times, a woman peered out at me, wondering what I could possibly want. For her to call the superintendent, I said.

The superintendent agreed to meet me at the school, and told me about Neal’s time as a star wrestler and an honors student.

I needed video, and decided to tie the varsity baseball game happening nearby into the story. It was the only thing I could think of.

But the sight of the News 3 camera sent groans through the grandstand. One man came up to me and said, “Take your show someplace else. There’s family here.” I explained that it was my job to be there and how I hoped to honor Neal’s life. But the man and others didn’t agree.

I quickly got a few more shots and got back on the road for Madison and our station. By this point, one of our photographers had been freed from another assignment and edited my stories for 9 and 10 p.m. By the time I went home, I was exhausted — more so mentally than physically.

Here’s the story:

I’ve covered plenty of stories where I’m not wanted. Most of the time, the targets are politicians or alleged wrongdoers, and I’m more than happy to shove a microphone in their faces and force them to answer questions.

But this was different.

The takeaway from this story is a lesson similar to the quote, “What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular.” We’re doing a service to the community and, along with the critics, there were probably a number of people that night who silently appreciated my coverage. Unfortunately, journalists often have to get through without hearing “thanks” from those people.

As an addendum, I returned to Orfordville eight days later, the day before Neal’s body was to return. Larry Eckhardt, an Illinois man who goes simply by “The Flag Man,” was in town to rally volunteers and plant 2,100 flags throughout the village for Neal’s homecoming.

I was again working solo that night, and I expected some grumblings about my presence. But this time, there were none.

At the end of that shift, I was again exhausted from the entirely one-man-band story. I was happy with my photography, upset with my editing mistakes. But in the end, I realized the story wasn’t about me — it was about Ben Neal.

Here’s that one:

In local TV news, local viewers still matter. So do local advertisers, because the bottom line is, well, the bottom line.

KOMU, the NBC affiliate in mid-Missouri and my former station, learned that lesson after making significant investments in an interactive newscast called “U_News.” The brand is officially dead — although station managers insist elements will continue.

The latest U_News shakeup means the 11 a.m. show, anchored by Sarah Hill, will air for the final time April 20. Hill will now anchor a new show, KOMU 8 News @ Noon, which debuts April 23.

Sarah Hill anchors "U_News" on KOMU-TV. The station is changing the show's format. (Photo courtesy KOMU-TV)

U_News was initially KOMU’s 4 p.m. replacement for ratings-juggernaut “Oprah,” but survived just three months before station managers moved it to the late morning timeslot. The reshuffled lineup apparently didn’t help the ratings in February. No doubt, pressure from station management about poor advertising support also doomed the experiment.

The show gained industry attention for its focus on interactivity, with Hill hosting on-air Google+ Hangouts daily. But, many times, the interactive participants came from outside the viewing area — even foreign countries. U_News often catered to the musings of a few people who self-selected themselves to participate. That’s not a recipe for building a local audience.

The show’s reliance on Facebook and Twitter comments from its audience fell flat, as the strategy has for other stations. I’ve heard viewers ask, why do I care what other people think about the news? Soliciting viewer feedback in this way — and sharing it on the air — has become a stale way of engaging the audience. Here’s where the lesson comes in for other TV outlets, because social media needs to push news content forward, instead of making it easier to opine about what’s already happened.

“KOMU plans to scale back on how we present interactivity in a way our audience is more willing to accept,” Jen Reeves, KOMU’s interactive director, said on her blog. “This is partly the challenge of bringing new delivery to a traditional space.”

The main challenge was getting the station’s sales team to innovate and find ways to attract nontraditional advertisers, Reeves said.

So, with the U_News branding behind the station, what is to become of its mid-day newscast?

“The dominance of social media will be toned down,” Reeves said. “But it isn’t canceled and we will continue to use Google+ and other social media tools.”

The new version will compete with KRCG, the market’s CBS affiliate, which also airs a mid-day show.

But KOMU canceled its previous noon show a few years ago, likely also as a result of a lack of advertising dollars. Ultimately, the lesson learned about finding innovative ways to sell a newscast will linger, because there’s no guarantee a new show will be a winner, either.

As for social media, I believe few stations are tapping into its true value. Reporters and managers should use Twitter and Facebook throughout the day to break news. The postings should focus on local news of value, instead of the “weird news” links that are sure to drive pageviews but don’t create a connection with the audience. Journalists should engage their online audience, responding to questions and continuing the conversation. Admittedly, this is difficult for all of us as our workload increases, and it’s something I need to improve, too.

Blogs and mobile video updates can inform viewers during the day in longer form versions than Twitter and Facebook. More stations should emphasize their mid-day newsgathering in high-traffic ways, such as on the main page of their websites.

Of course, this does no good currently if it’s not driving people to watch the traditional evening newscasts. That’s where the money remains to be made. Social media posts should deliver new content, but should also tease ahead to nuggets viewers will only see if they tune in at 6 p.m.

And, as KOMU’s Reeves points out, we all need to be thinking of ways to monetize social media. We know how to reach our on-the-go audience with new technology, but we haven’t figured out how to get paid for our efforts. That’s an obstacle that awaits in the not-too-distant future, because the old way of doing business won’t be good enough anymore.

Instead, the dilemmas of source development have become obvious as I talk to the same people daily to cover Madison’s endless stream of political news. How much should reporters bend to keep a source for the long-run?

I was covering the presidential candidates’ visits regularly over a two-week period not long ago. They gave the same stump speech and the same interviews afterward. The problem, at least on one occasion, was simply getting into the event.

Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan arrive at a Fitchburg phone bank under heavy security.

Mitt Romney came to the Madison area during the campaign’s final days. He and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, stopped at one of Gov. Scott Walker’s phone banks to urge on supporters during the governor’s recall defense. The Romney campaign issued a press advisory, telling local media outlets to be in place by 2:45 p.m. to cover the event later that afternoon. In other words, it was open to the media.

But, when we arrived at the phone bank office, campaign staffers told the three TV crews and other local media that they would not be allowed inside. Not enough space, we were told.

I fought back, explaining that the Romney campaign itself told us to come. I also mentioned that, if we weren’t allowed inside, we would have no choice but to make that the meat of the story (not to mention giving more airtime to the protesters that had gathered outside).

Media waited outside the event, along with about 100 protesters.

Eventually, the staffers apologized for the error but, still claiming a lack of space, told the local media only one reporter and one photographer could go inside to cover the speech. It was not ideal, but I still felt like I had done my part for the day. A couple of other reporters at the event joined me in my argument, but just as many did not.

This can backfire, and it has in the past for me. Sometimes, it can ruin a relationship with a source you’ll need later — especially if it’s an ongoing story, such as a campaign.

But it’s my opinion that we’re worse off as reporters if we simply take these staffers’ words and don’t seek access, the truth, or whatever it is we’re pursuing. The source will perceive us as weak, and we won’t have the same credibility again.

Unfortunately, we take a risk by doing this, given the need to check in with these political staffers and candidates regularly. For proof of the ultimate “continuing coverage,” check out the rest of this year’s schedule:

• May 8: Four Democrats will face off in a gubernatorial primary, with the winner advancing to the general election against Walker. The other five races all have contested primaries. The state Republican party forced some of the primaries by putting up “fake Democrats,” delaying the general election for all races.
• June 5: Walker, Kleefisch and the four Republican senators will face challengers in the general election. It’s the first time a sitting governor has been forced back on the ballot, while voters will decide which party will control the now-deadlocked Senate.
• August 14: Republican U.S. Senate candidates vying for retiring Democrat Herb Kohl’s seat will finish a two-month sprint to their primary. The recalls, which have dominated the spotlight, pushed this congressional race into the background until now.
• November 6: The Republican challenger and President Barack Obama will be on the ballot, after they’ve likely both made several campaign stops because of the Wisconsin’s swing state status. And the Republican primary winner will face U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the lone Democrat in the U.S. Senate race. Baldwin will aim to retain the seat for her party.

MADISON, Wis. — One out of every four Wisconsin stores inspected for price accuracy failed the test, with some paying hefty fines and their customers on the hook for overcharges, a WISC-TV investigation found.

State inspectors tested bar code scanners at 745 stores last year, and about 27 percent charged the incorrect price on multiple items, according to data from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The percentage of failing stores in Dane County was slightly better but, still, one-fifth of stores got more than one out of 50 prices wrong.

Given an opportunity during a second inspection, most stores improved their scores. But consumer advocates still criticized the mistakes.

“People don’t look out for us anymore, so we have to look out for ourselves,” said Dannelle Gay, a Sun Prairie shopper who’s turned coupon-clipping advice into an online business. “Right now, everyone’s money is so precious to them. You really have to pay attention to where you’re spending it.”

The state employs 15 inspectors, while larger cities, such as Madison, have their own. The state targets heavy-traffic businesses, such as department stores and grocery stores. Madison’s inspector visits stores both big and small.

Jared Williams, a DATCP employee, does price accuracy checks in Dane and Iowa counties. He shows up at stores unannounced and chooses 50 items at random, scanning them in as he goes along. By verifying them at the cash register, he produces a report immediately for the store manager.

Anything worse than 98 percent success — two or more incorrect prices — is considered failure, Williams said.

“Some stores might think we’re only out here to protect the consumer, but we’re not,” Williams said. “We’re here to protect the businesses as well.”

State inspector Jared Williams checks items at a Monona store.

State inspectors perform a retest on failing stores, many of which correct overcharges and get the items back on the shelf, Williams said. Those that don’t face fines, and the state collected more than $50,000 in 2011 from repeat offenders, according to DATCP data.

The list includes the NAPA Auto Parts store in Oregon, which paid $4,662 as a result of overcharging customers on the same seven items without fixing the mistakes. The owner, Troy Halverson, told WISC-TV in a phone conversation that he wasn’t in town when the inspector came through.

The state fined Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy $93,332 in 2010, and Walgreen Co. a total of $80,226.50 the year before that, according to the DATCP data.

“They don’t want to go down that path,” Williams said. “They don’t want to end up getting fined, and we don’t want to go that far, either.”

In all, 201 stores across the state failed at least one inspection last year. In Madison, 115 of 416 stores inspected didn’t pass on the first try, with overcharges ranging from pennies to dollars.

Gay, who doles out shopping tips on her blog, www.operation40k.blogspot.com, said customers have the final say when it comes to repeat offenders.

“Your best vote as a consumer where you’re spending your money is where you spend it,” she said. “If you stop shopping at a place, they figure it out pretty quick.”

Some stores are trying to help consumers, at the same time helping themselves avoid fines. The Piggly Wiggly in Cottage Grove failed a state inspection last March, missing three out of 50 items, or 6 percent. Owner David Schommer blamed the mistake rate on human error.

“My first feeling was, I need to talk to my scan coordinator here to find out why we’re having so many problems,” Schommer said. “We put a better plan into effect, as far as we spent more hours checking our store for wrong pricing.”

He said he’s having employees spend more time checking pricing on the shelves, now about 56 hours per week. It’s costing the store more in employee overtime, but it’s worth it, Schommer said. The store had a positive re-inspection about two months later, data indicate.

“It’s a continual thing every week to make sure we’re keeping the prices correct,” Schommer said. He, too, advised customers to check their receipts.

State DATCP inspectors don’t check every store because there are simply too many, but they do investigate complaints within two weeks, Williams said.

“You try to get out there and do as much as you can,” he said of his job. “Obviously, you’re probably not going to hit every single thing every single year. But you get as much done as you can, and if you don’t get something one year, try to get it the next year.”

The shift started with a big enough story — a sickening child abuse case against a couple in a city one hour away. But at 4 p.m., right as I was shaking the detective’s hand in the police station, the phone rings. A tanker truck has exploded in Whitewater — an hour and a half south of where we were.

Brian, our WISC-TV photographer, and I took off toward Whitewater. The satellite truck would meet us there, we were told.

We got to the scene around 5:30 p.m., just enough time to navigate the police barricade, track down the sheriff’s department spokesman and do an interview. Feed back the first usable sound bite, I hurriedly told our other photographer who was operating the satellite truck.

So, at 6 p.m., with some hastily scribbled words on my notepad, we were live. By that time, the fire was out, but it was still an active scene because firefighters were watching for flare-ups. (At risk of delaying the rest of the frenzied day, my critique of that live shot is at the end of this blog post.)

After a live recap at the end of that show, I found a nearby resident who captured the mushroom cloud explosion on his cellphone. After downloading it to my phone, it was time to head back to the station.

Arriving in the newsroom at 7:45 p.m., I began writing for our late newscasts (Fox 47 at 9, News 3 at 10). But, only a half-hour later, the scanner began humming with the first reports of a shooting on Madison’s north side.

So, I handed off the half-written explosion story to my producers and ran out the door. On the 30-minute drive to the scene, I had an ear on my Android scanner app for updates and found out some information about the suspect.

We got to the scene at 9. Brian tuned in the microwave truck and I began gathering details from neighbors (cops appeared hurried, unusually frustrated that I was there, and not saying anything about what had happened). After a live hit later in the 9 p.m. show, we tore down the equipment and booked it to the police department’s north precinct, where we had been promised a spokesman would provide updates.

The spokesman, Joel DeSpain, arrived at 9:55 p.m. and said he needed time to be briefed. Meanwhile, I’m going through the list of scenarios with my producer.

No time to feed back sound, I said. If DeSpain doesn’t come out with updates, I repeat what little information I know. If he does, we take him live off the top at 10 p.m. The other two stations, I figured, would do the same.

Still no sign of DeSpain as the show begins. But as the anchors begin pitching to me, I see him come out of the building.

It was decision time.

I could play it safe and fill time by myself, assuming he wasn’t ready yet. Or I could take charge of the situation and assert that a news conference was beginning, and start asking questions.

I chose the later.

It was a good decision.

Police had updates — the suspected shooter had taken off and a manhunt was underway. DeSpain wasn’t able to confirm that the victim was dead — although confirmation came around 11:30 p.m. that night, something we updated the next day. The live shot went smoothly, and we were first with the information.

On the way back to the station later, I asked Brian, who worked in Cincinnati before returning to his home state of Wisconsin, whether the hectic pace was typical in bigger markets. Yep, he said — except this is how almost every night was.

Luckily for me, it was the most fun I’ve ever had on a reporting shift. Here’s the video from the live news conference:

I learned quite a bit from both breaking news events that Friday night. Here’s how I can best sum them up:

1. During breaking news, go for it! What’s the worst DeSpain could’ve told me on the air? That he didn’t have an update? I could’ve simply filled as much time as needed what what we already knew. Instead, initiating the news conference gave my station a head-start on the competition.

2. Don’t forget context at the scene. This was lacking from my tanker truck explosion live shot, which you can watch below. I said where we were, but neglected to say why authorities kept us a mile from the active scene. (The reason was that highly flammable propane posed a danger to the surrounding area.) Starting the live shot with that information would’ve added urgency.

It all went well — but even from good experiences, there are lessons.

Now, it’s time to get back to learning on the job.

I have to say, it’s still a little odd to think that being a journalist is my full-time — and only — job. Sure, I clean my apartment, pay the bills, and do grown-up tasks, such as determining how much I should contribute to my 401(k). But I no longer juggle three jobs, five classes, post-graduation plans, and the other things that come with college life.

My job is it. I’m a professional. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do with all this free time in the evenings. But I’ve taken that “professional” title to heart and started to research other stations, reporters and stories. It’s a learning process, because we never really know it all.

My position at WISC is different than the one I held at KOMU-TV and KMOX/1120 AM in Missouri. I don’t have a specific beat, as I did at the Missouri statehouse. That requires me to have a working knowledge of just about everything in our market — or at least, to learn quickly. No longer am I talking to lawmakers everyday, dumping open requests requests on the governor’s office, or sifting through economic data.

I work with photographers regularly, instead of one-man-banding exclusively (although I still shoot and edit my own video about once a week). I’ve realized that five days a week of reporting requires an even temperament, because the highs and lows of the job will wear any reporter out.

My move to Wisconsin came after the emotions inside the statehouse boiled over in early 2011, as Republicans stripped collective bargaining rights from most public sector unions. The fallout continues to unfold, although it does so at a much slower speed than the world-famous political fight that started it.

I arrived in time for the recall campaigns against nine state senators. Our newsroom managers put me in charge of our viewing area’s only contested district. I made the hour’s drive north to the district a dozen or more times over my first month on the job. Election Day came and went with Democrats taking back two seats — but failing to win control of the Senate.

Next came the implementation process of newly passed laws. Public employees began paying more for health insurance and retirement in August, costing the average state worker about $300 per month, according to data from the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Wisconsin became the 49th state to allow concealed carry in October. Gov. Scott Walker’s administration even decided to allow guns in the state Capitol — joining only a handful of other states.

Last spring’s protests turned to action, as organizers of a recall effort against Walker officially began gathering signatures in mid-November. We covered the process at length. In fact, in the 60-day window they were allowed to collect names, I covered the signature-gathering effort an average of once every four shifts. Recall organizers ultimately got more than enough names to put Walker, the lieutenant governor, and four Republican senators back on the ballot, pending certification.

But politics are hardly my main game here. In fact, our political reporter covers the frantic nature of Wisconsin politics very well, so I’ve focused on my other main interest — the economy.

Numbers out this week indicate Wisconsin has lost jobs for six consecutive months, as the national employment situation continues to improve. Walker’s promise of creating 250,000 jobs in his first term now has administration officials scrambling. Depending on the study you look at, Wisconsin added 3,200 jobs or 21,400 jobs in his first year — far from the pace needed.

So, I dove deeper into who the economy is affecting. I found Wisconsin banks paying back bailout money with other government funds. I went to find where the jobs were — and found trucking companies begging for qualified applicants. I broke the story that Madison’s rental vacancy rate had fallen to its lowest level in 16 years, and explained how that hurt poorer residents. I profiled unemployed older workers’ job searches after hearing how their task is twice as tough. And I was first to report how Wisconsin companies had more major layoffs in 2011 than a year earlier, and how the state agency that provided the data disputed its own numbers.

And then, there have been the memorable stories on the general assignment beat. There was the homeless family of eight that slept in its van in Madison, unable to find shelter. Imagine my joy when I got a call around Christmas that my station’s viewers had helped the family put money toward a rental home — and getting to update our audience about the news.

There was the time when state administrators installed a massive net in the state Capitol, aiming to protect the dome’s murals from protesters’ latex balloons. (The net, it was quickly decided, was too ugly to remain.) Then there was the day a New York man rode into town on three horses, making his way across the country to spread the word of the Lord. Police found his horses thin and malnourished and arrested him for animal neglect. A doctor later determined the horses were healthy, and the man went on his way.

No doubt, there are many things I want to accomplish in the next six months and beyond. I’d like to more regularly follow particular issues, such as unemployment. I’d like to get better at source development, and improve my storytelling and writing skills. I continue to learn things about photography and editing from my colleagues.

And, best yet, I’m enjoying my first full-time job in this career I first decided upon in middle school. Just like the words on this website’s homepage say, “There’s a reason I’m in this business. I want to know the big story. To be first. To dig for news no one else has, and explain it to a diverse audience.”

MADISON, Wis. — More Wisconsin businesses closed or laid off a significant amount of their workers in 2011 than a year earlier, state data indicated.

There were 87 new plant closings and mass layoffs through Dec. 29, according to the state Department of Workforce Development, which tracks the data. There were 71 such events in 2010.

The number of people affected dipped slightly, to 6,798 workers, from 6,945 a year earlier, although the data doesn’t include a Sears store closing in West Baraboo.

But the state’s own data may not be as accurate as federal numbers, which indicate the number of events and people affected actually fell in 2011, a state Department of Workforce Development spokesman told WISC-TV.

Even so, the dozens of companies on the layoff lists found the economy difficult last year, said Seth Lentz, deputy director of the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin. The agency, which is federally funded, aids dislocated workers after layoff events.

“Companies are saying, ‘We’ve struggled through it. We’ve got this far. We’re as lean as possible. We can’t go any leaner, and going any leaner is going to break us,’” Lentz said.

The layoffs are about one-third the total in 2009, when companies across Wisconsin slashed nearly 19,000 jobs in mass layoffs and plant closings, state data indicates.

However, the numbers came into question by the very agency that tracks them. John Dipko, a Department of Workforce Development spokesman, said federal data were actually a better representation of the state’s layoff picture.

Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Wisconsin had 107 mass layoff events through the first three quarters of 2011, down from 113 in the first three quarters of 2010. The numbers for 2011 were preliminary, and were the latest available because figures for the most recent quarter hadn’t yet been released.

Federal data also indicated Wisconsin saw a dramatic drop in mass layoffs in the past two years compared with 2009, a historically bad year for many companies.

Many workers who lost their jobs then are still looking now. Combined with new layoffs, affected workers are finding it necessary to take multiple jobs to make ends meet, Lentz said.

“The workplace is not what the workplace was,” he said. “The jobs aren’t the same, the skills needed aren’t the same.”

The Workforce Development Board holds sessions across the area for dislocated workers, pointing them in the right direction to collect unemployment benefits, get retrained and enhance their resumes.

But some, such as Tim and Barb Sullivan of Pardeeville, said that’s not enough.

Barb lost her job more than one year ago, and Tim, 62, just found out his employer, Brown Shoe’s Famous Footwear Distribution Center in Sun Prairie, would close this year.

“The budget’s tight,” Tim Sullivan said. “You know, we’re surviving. And that’s my goal, is to keep us above water.”

Barb Sullivan, 56, said it’s increasingly difficult for older workers, such as herself, to find work. She’s attending the Wiser Older Workers sessions at Madison Area Technical College, but said she never expected to be looking for work at this time in her life.

“You think you’re going on this path, raised your family, your kids, now when you can kind of enjoy life,” she said. “Now, we’ll probably have to work harder than we did before.”

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in November, the latest figures available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 223,800 people were looking for work, down about 7,300 from the previous November.

To view historical Wisconsin mass layoffs and plant closings, click here.

KOMU, the NBC affiliate in mid-Missouri, will move its social media-dominated newscast to the mornings, according to a Tweet from the show’s anchor.

The newscast, called “U_News,” will shift to 11 a.m. beginning Jan. 9. The announcement comes barely three months after its debut at 4 p.m. as the University of Missouri-owned station’s replacement for “Oprah.”

KOMU's "U_News" program is shifting to the 11 a.m. timeslot. (Photo courtesy KOMU)

There are a number of possible reasons — many negative — prompting the decision to move the show. While I hesitate to speculate about a former station’s dealings, the U_News shakeup deserves attention because of the ramifications it has for other stations’ social media plans. It’s an important discussion for the industry.

Here are some possible reasons for the change:

• U_News’ November ratings were poor. That the announcement comes after the return of November local TV ratings is likely not a coincidence. Management doesn’t move a successful show with a loyal audience. Station managers made a decision after only three months — and just one ratings period — indicating the audience was much smaller than expected.

• The timeslot is too important for an experiment. U_News’ predecessor, “Oprah,” gave all its syndicating stations a very strong lead-in to their early newscasts for 25 years. Strong 4 p.m. programming can help make a station’s local news #1, while a weak lead-in will do the opposite. It’s a priority to fix a weak 4 p.m. program that’s dragging on the ratings for the 5 and 6 p.m. local news.

• The show’s format didn’t gain wide audience support. When the show’s concept went public the main question was, do TV viewers care about what other audience members say on Google+, Twitter and Facebook? What if those opinions come from the same people on a regular basis? The show often appeared like it catered to the musings of a few people who self-selected themselves to participate in U_News’ social media platforms. That may have been difficult for KOMU’s traditional mid-Missouri viewers to enjoy.

• U_News’ format did not attract advertisers. Anchor Sarah Hill suggests U_News has 215,000 followers worldwide. While it’s difficult to verify these numbers, many of these followers are likely outside KOMU’s market. Reaching these people isn’t important to traditional advertisers in mid-Missouri, such as auto dealers and attorneys. U_News likely failed to bring in the expected amount of advertising revenue.

If these scenarios are true, many other stations should take note of U_News’ timeslot shakeup. All outlets are attempting to incorporate social media into their news coverage, and many are struggling with how big a role it should play.

An hourlong show that encourages its audience to contribute on Google+, Twitter and Facebook may not be the solution. There seemed to be too many moving parts to the concept, and not enough focus on the hallmarks of journalism — cultivating sources, obtaining expertise on issues, creating compelling content.

Content still rules in local news, because the audience still craves to be told something it didn’t already know. That’s the definition of news.

The positive takeaway in this is, good content is achievable on social media platforms. Reporters can break news on Twitter, provide mid-day context through mobile video updates, and design interactive web graphics for the station website. This makes a story more “complete” — and each step gives the audience new content.

Social media also has usefulness in soliciting the audience’s opinion — but most stations fail to use it correctly. Facebook, Twitter and even Google+ “hangouts” are best a day or two in advance of a story. They’ll help journalists find potential sources, ferret out story angles, and determine the different sides of an issue.

Most stations, unfortunately, ask for opinions about a story that’s in progress or, even worse, one that’s already aired. The U_News concept fits this mold, and it fails to create new content.

Now, perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe something else necessitated U_News’ shift. Maybe it will flourish in its 11 a.m. timeslot. Maybe it’s actually the journalism of the future. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

MADISON, Wis. — Madison’s apartment vacancy rate hit its lowest level in at least 16 years, as economic challenges have forced thousands of Madison residents to seek affordable units.

Only 2.6 percent of the city’s apartment units were available in the third quarter, according to Madison Gas and Electric data. Vacancies have dwindled nearly every year since 2005, when 6.4 percent of units didn’t have occupants.

The high demand is causing rent prices to increase and allowing landlords to turn more potential tenants away, said Brenda Konkel, executive director at the Tenant Resource Center in Madison.

“It’s probably the worst I’ve seen it,” she said. “For people who have had problems with unemployment, who don’t have steady income, for people who have any type of blemish on their rental record, it’s become incredibly difficult.”

The vacancy rates are all below 1 percent in the 53726 and 53715 zip codes on the near West Side and 53717 on the far West Side. A rate around 6 percent is average, Konkel said.

Many people who can’t afford to buy a home are staying in apartments, while banks turn others seeking a mortgage away. Many others facing foreclosures return to rentals, and developers have been unwilling to add affordable units into the market.

Vickie Koger said she became discouraged earlier this fall when a bank foreclosed on her landlord and she had to look for a new apartment. The Madison woman had a previous eviction four years ago, making it nearly impossible to find a new home, she said.

“You just don’t know what to think,” Koger said. “It seems like discrimination for any little thing they’ve got on you. People deserve a second chance.”

After applying for at least eight rental units, Koger’s luck improved. Her building’s new owner allowed her to stay in her current apartment.

“It was a tremendous relief. I love my apartment,” said Koger, who has lived in the unit for nearly half a year.

The vacancy rate was the lowest since 1995, the first recorded year in Madison Gas and Electric’s data. The company tracks apartment vacancies through requests to turn on and turn off a unit’s utilities.

City leaders said they are paying attention to the numbers, and help is on the way, Madison Community Development Authority executive director Natalie Erdman said.

At the request of Mayor Paul Soglin, the recently passed budget allows the city to hire someone to find solutions to the rental problem. The move allows the city to focus its attention, she said.

“We need to continue to look at the full spectrum of housing and make sure we have housing options for everybody,” Erdman said. “Not just the higher end and not just the low end. And I think that’s the balance.”

But new developments will take years to gain city approval and to get built, Konkel said.

“The problem seems to be expanding very quickly, and I don’t see a strategy at the city or the county level to try to address it,” Konkel said. “That’s a great concern to me.”

To view the full MG&E rental vacancy data, go to http://www.mge.com/ecodev/business/rental_vac/index.htm.

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Glenn Perry decided to quit his own janitorial business for the benefits of climbing behind the wheel of a big rig.

“Now that I’m getting older, the body’s saying it’s time to switch careers,” said Perry, of New Auburn. “I thought it was going to be a lot easier than what it is.”

He’s been commuting 3 1/2 hours for training classes at the Diesel Driving School in Sun Prairie, with the promise of a well-paid, stable job to provide for his family of six. It’s a rarity in a state with a 7.9 percent August unemployment rate, as 240,000 Wisconsinites remained looking for work.

The trucking industry has bucked the negative employment trend, with companies complaining they don’t have enough applicants to fill tens of thousands of positions nationwide. The list includes 35 jobs in Dane County, but potential employees fear the time spent away from family, said Jerry Klabacka, president of the Diesel Driving School.

“Today, people are less prone to make those sacrifices for a job than they were 30 years ago,” Klabacka said. “However, the opportunities are there. The future is there, the stability is there, and that is starting to attract a lot of people.”

The Sun Prairie school trains drivers in four weeks for a state test, which Wisconsin requires drivers to pass before earning their commercial driver’s license, or CDL.

About 4 million Americans have truck driving jobs, Klabacka said. They earn $35,000-$40,000 as beginning drivers, but make more than $50,000 after only a few years on the job, he said.

“I don’t think (the driver shortage) is getting any better, to be honest with you,” Klabacka said. “This is not a cowboy business anymore. People have to have good driving records. Everybody gets drug screened, background checks. A lot of people can’t participate in this occupation.”

There are also plenty of jobs available outside the trucking industry, according to JobCenterOfWisconsin.com, the state’s job search website. Employers listed 1,953 openings in Dane County, as of Tuesday.

“There are a lot more job openings out there than people think,” said Dennis Winters, chief labor economist at the state Department of Workforce Development. “Keep your chin up, because it is hard looking for work. Keep at it, take advantage of the resources our department has, and if you can, get training.”

The job postings varied from entry-level clerical work to management positions.

But while Gov. Scott Walker promoted the creation of 30,000 jobs since he took office in January, about 14,000 additional Wisconsinites were looking for work in August, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The state’s unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in August, also higher than when Walker became governor.

Walker promised 250,000 new jobs during his campaign for the governor’s office, but matching unemployed workers with employers remains a challenge, Winters said.

“We’re also hearing from people, ‘Where are those jobs, and what kind of jobs are they?’” Winters said. “And we’re hearing from employers that they have job openings but they can’t find people to fill them.”

That remains a problem in the trucking industry, but also in manufacturing, where welders and automated machinist students face a promising jobs outlook, WISC-TV reported earlier.

But now that he switched careers, trucking student Perry remained optimistic about his future.

“I’ve been filling out some applications, and I’ve been getting some callbacks already,” Perry said. “That sounds pretty promising.”