OPB transforms its digital news offering with launch of new website

The new opb.org offers users an enhanced multimedia news experience in an easy-to-navigate, streamlined design

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Aug 04, 2020, 12:30 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), a member-supported public media organization serving the Northwest, today announced the launch of its new website, offering people across the region a more accessible, enhanced OPB digital experience.

Furthering its commitment to delivering critical, independent journalism and essential storytelling to all communities in the Northwest, OPB's new website at opb.org was designed and built with the digital needs and content consumption habits of OPB's audience at the forefront. The website employs a journalistic, story-first approach, which showcases OPB's in-depth news, politics, arts, culture, science and environment reporting that is curated and easy to navigate.

The site is powered by Arc Publishing, an award-winning, state-of-the-art digital platform built by The Washington Post. OPB is the first public media organization in the country to use the Arc solution. OPB selected Arc because of its robust infrastructure, fast speed and innovative editorial tools — allowing OPB journalists to quickly and effectively deliver important news and information to its wide audience.

"Our redesigned website supports OPB's growing role as a significant news source for audiences in Oregon and Washington," said Morgan Holm, chief content officer at OPB. "With Arc, we can deliver a rich multimedia storytelling experience to our digital audience, showcasing the exceptional work that OPB's team produces each day. This site improves our ability to carry out our public service journalism mission."

For users, the site offers a simpler, more intuitive navigation process for OPB stories, faster page loading, ease of search and is built with increased accessibility in mind. It is designed to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for color contrast, font size and labeling of elements for those using a screen reader.

In addition to these technical capabilities, OPB's new site offers a more immersive digital storytelling experience — incorporating a variety of multimedia elements into each story such as award-winning video, audio, graphics and photos. From breaking news reporting to magazine-style features and deep investigative series, the site's cohesive presentation makes it easy for users to gain the essential context behind the important stories unfolding in their own backyards.

For those who enjoy listening to live audio streaming of OPB Radio, opbmusic and KMHD Jazz Radio, the new site features a powerful new streaming platform powered by Empire Streaming. Users can also easily find favorite podcasts, OPB original series, broadcast schedules and more.

As OPB is a member-supported media organization, the site also makes joining OPB and managing an OPB membership a more seamless experience. Users can easily access all of the ways to stay connected to everything OPB has to offer, including subscribing to the suite of OPB newsletters, mobile alerts and more.

About OPB
OPB is a nationally recognized leader in public media, providing news, information and entertainment to the Northwest. With award-winning journalists and original series, OPB illuminates the people, places and issues of the region and puts stories into context. OPB creates content and programming that can be accessed anywhere, at any time on OPB TV, OPB Radio, opb.org and on a variety of digital and social media platforms. For more information, visit www.opb.org.

SOURCE Oregon Public Broadcasting