NZPA takes DTI's multimedia ContentPublisher

New Zealand Press Association is to become the country's first user of DTI's ContentPublisher publishing solution. The national news agency says it required a single multimedia solution that would enable it to fully exploit the advantages and opportunities provided by the internet for developing news products, as well as expanding its multimedia news operations. It also needed a solution that would maximise productivity by automating news editing and delivery processes, both to its commercial customers as well as to its news and image websites. NZPA commercial services manager Simon Randall says the 24/7 integrated newsroom requires comprehensive, easy-to-use tools to deliver multimedia content and wire feeds - including breaking news, weather, sports, financial information and entertainment - to a demanding audience, fast. "The new DTI system will enable us to do that," he says. "Importantly, it will also enable us to create new products and services." The NZPA newsroom processes thousands of different pieces of information every 24 hours, compiled from the news resources of its staff, overseas wire services and other sources such as the New Zealand Stock Exchange. David Page, director of DTI Asia Pacific says the requirements for wire service agencies differ to those of traditional newspapers: "Their need to provide high volumes of news content to a variety of different channels is, however, the same. "We are delighted to have been selected by NZPA to provide its next generation newsroom technology." ContentPublisher is a suite of software tools which facilitate "everything a modern newsroom might need", from editorial budgeting, content creation, wire, blogs, picture management, automated pagination and digital publishing to web, mobile and SMS. It manages the flow of content from news sources including local and remote writers, citizen journalists, and media contributors, to any platform. At its heart is a multidimensional Caché object database from InterSystems. DTI says this single solution design for all media types simplifies content management and saves cost, providing "the ultimate" in print and digital publishing synergy. Established in 1879, NZPA is owned by the country's daily newspaper publishers and supplies them with a 24/7 national and international news service and breaking news images. It also supplies news and news packages to television, radio, websites and commercial clients, and a range of media monitoring and press release distribution services to corporate and government clients. It has more than 35 journalists based at its Wellington head office in Wellington, as well as bureaux at the national Parliament, Auckland, and Sydney, Australia, with a network of stringers around the world. Pictured are (from left) Chris Peters (NZPA), Paul Gillogaley (international vice president, DTI), Richard Patete (corporate services manager, NZPA), Simon Randall (NZPA) and David Page (DTI Asia Pacific).