Eielson AFB television news now online

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nora Anton
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Members of the Iceman Team can now get their base information updates via the Internet, not only by reading news stories and seeing photos but also watching broadcast news stories at www.eielson.af.mil.  

The broadcast stories are updated as they are edited and published, and archived as the event becomes outdated. News watchers can view archived television news from past Eielson events on the same Web page.

All broadcast news stories are made by Eielson Public Affairs' own broadcasters: Tech. Sgt. Latisha Cole, NCO in charge of broadcasting, Tech. Sgt. John Gott and Senior Airman James Stewart. Each spent more than three months in a joint-training atmosphere at the Defense Information School at Fort George G. Meade near Baltimore, Md.

Eielson television news can also be channeled up to Pacific Air Force's Website: www.pacaf.af.mil and the Air Force's Website: www.af.mil, under the videos section, which is traditionally the way it has been done until the Eielson broadcasters developed a way to distribute their news stories here.

Sergeant Cole emphasized that even though Eielson news stories are channeled up to PACAF and AF news services, the approving officials have to be selective with what actually airs. This is because they also receive stories from all other Air Force bases in their command.

"We broadcast many news stories, but because PACAF and AF's news tempo is faster-paced [than ours], they can't necessarily afford to pick up every story we send," said Sergeant Cole. "With our new capability, Icemen can see all the news directly affecting them, not just the top-picks of our senior editors."

"The great thing about Eielson having the ability to film stories and publish them online is it gets our news out to the populace in a timelier and more digitally-savvy fashion than print news and photographs," said Airman Stewart. "As soon as we edit these stories they go straight online."

Eielson broadcast news is exclusive to the Web, unlike traditionally written news stories and photographs, which are published both online and in the base newspaper, The Polar Press.

Airman Stewart said, that this creates an additional way for Eielson to keep up with the digital age by not relying solely on a weekly publication; "Airmen here can just go online and watch the news, like a lot of other news agencies, both DoD and civilian."

"It takes a lot of work from everyone to keep this base functioning," said Sergeant Cole. "Our job is to capture those efforts on film and unveil it to the Eielson, Air Force communities and even the world through our news stories."

For more information, go to www.eielson.af.mil or contact the Eielson Public Affairs broadcasting office at 377-2116.