Teenlink Description •  A high school journalism program involving teens in

reporting and reading the newspaper; designed to provide a revenue source for its parent company

•  Produces a 20-page, full-color, tabloid newspaper every week during the school year with a staff of two professional full-timers, three student interns and more than 100 student writers, photographers and artists. Students work with professional journalists from the Sun Sentinel newspaper and South Florida Parenting magazine

•  Delivers news of interest to Broward County high school students, including sports, entertainment, general features, school news, job openings, volunteer opportunities, a weekly calendar, and games and puzzles.

•  Recruits students from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, teaches them journalism skills through monthly workshops and gives them a voice.

Teenlink Features (Print and Online) •  Student-written news •  Student-written entertainment •  Student commentary •  Jobs listings, for 14 years+ •  Calendar of events •  High school sports •  Volunteer information •  Educational information •  Testing information •  College and career planning information

Online Presence •  Official web site:

TeenlinkSouthFlorida.com •  Facebook: 1800+ fans •  MySpace: 650+ fans •  Twitter: 350+ followers •  BlipFM •  Blogger

Teenlink Description Goals •  Serve as a profitable revenue source for

Tribune Company •  Raise brand awareness of Teenlink as well

as Sun Sentinel and Forum Publishing •  Generate written and photographic material

to share with other Tribune properties about high school issues

•  Establish a newspaper-reading habit among teenagers

•  Connect with readers online •  Groom future reporters and photographers

for careers in the media industry

Teenlink Description •  We measure success through our positive cash flow and

ability to gain new advertising as well as retain advertising with our sponsors.

•  We also measure success through reader response to Teenlink -- email and online feedback -- web hits and texting totals -- school officials’ feedback on the newspaper -- response to student recruiting campaigns

Teenlink Description Audience •  Includes more than 70,000 students

in 33 public high schools and another 15,000 high school students in Broward County’s private and charter schools

•  Ages 14-18; Broward is the 6th-largest school district in the United States

•  A peripheral audience for Teenlink includes teachers and school administrators and Broward County library patrons

•  Teenlink connects with students at various events in schools, at high school football games and in the community

•  We have partnered with a local radio station for the past 2 years to host events at the Jingle Ball, a concert featuring popular music stars, including the Teenlink Battle of the High School Bands

Teenlink Description

Teenlink Description•  Teenlink presents the annual High School Journalism

Awards with the Sun Sentinel each year to honor the students involved in their high school newspapers as well as our own student staff.

•  Teenlink is also involved with the Florida Scholastic Press Association District 9 Workshop, which draws more than 1,000 students from South Florida looking to enhance their journalism skills. We recruit at FSPA, make presentations to students, run contests and giveaways, and network with teachers and other school officials.

Student Testimonials Teenlink not only brought journalism to the high school level, it helped future journalists generate material that interests their peers. As a Teenlink student editor and correspondent, I was given a taste of a career in professional journalism and had countless opportunities to improve my writing, reporting, interviewing, and editing. - Mateus Falci, Harvard University

Student TestimonialsMy participation in Teenlink provided me with a very real view of the way a large publication operates. Not only did I learn writing techniques and style, but I also learned the importance of both independent responsibility and team collaboration with other media sources. I am truly grateful for the knowledge I gained from working with the editors and other writers, an experience which solidified my decision to pursue journalism as my career. - Daniela Abratt, second-year journalism major, University of Florida

During my time at Teenlink, I saw the paper reach all of its goals. Several of my co-Teenlinkers had content featured in The Chicago Tribune. Teenlink was also read in my classes, sometimes it was even assigned by my teachers because of its useful content. Teenlink also taught me how to be a reporter through workshops and actual experience. - Elizabeth Whitton, Florida Atlantic University

Student TestimonialsTeenlink gave me the experience and exposure to what real reporting would be like. We met professionals in the field, came up with our own story ideas, and did our own interviews. I now work as a summer intern for the Sun Sentinel, and my experience with Teenlink could not have paved a better road for me to get there. - Sixtine Gurrey, Sun Sentinel intern, journalism major at University of Florida

As a writer for Teenlink, I witnessed many efforts made by both students and staff to ensure the magazine pertained to teen/college life and to train young students in both photography and journalistic writing. The meetings very much served as a forum for teen issues, and as participants, we focused on both content and skill. The Teenlink staff also made very pointed efforts to ensure its county-wide distribution so that all high school students would become engaged in the written word. - Michele Bechor, Florida International University

Student TestimonialsI am now sitting in the House of Representatives press gallery, surrounded by reporters from top newspapers. I have gained access to this world as an intern at The Hill newspaper, but the Sun-Sentinel's Teenlink program and its devoted editor, Jennifer Jhon, pivotaly brought me to this point. Teenlink exposed me to the importance and excitement of journalism as a high school student, and gave me a platform to articulate opinions and express those of my peers. I credit this early exposure and opportunity to work on a weekly paper for helping me hone the writing and analytical skills and passion for intellectual inquiry and intrigue this field demands. - Shira Poliak, sophomore, Barnard College, intern at The Hill newspaper in Washington, DC.

Student TestimonialsTeenlink has been one of the most proactive teen news sources I have ever come in contact with. My experience with Teenlink has been one of relevance, relatability and timeliness in its efforts to reach the youth with information as they need it. I have witnessed countless teens take time out of their day to sit down and read through an article or two and do more reading from a newspaper than they would have done originally. I'd say Teenlink is accomplishing their mission one issue at a time. - Cierra "SOULfire" Robinson, Florida Atlantic University

"Years after writing for Teenlink, I see that my friends and family still watch for the Thursday publication. At first, they picked up the paper to see my name in print, but it has now become a real source of information for them. Adolescents read Teenlink because the news is directly related to their age group.” Joe Ladd, Florida Atlantic University

Defining the Concept The idea for a newspaper to reach teens was conceptualized at the Sun Sentinel in 2004. The management team of one of Sun Sentinel Company’s most successful niche products, South Florida Parenting, continued to develop the concept. In the summer of 2005, planning continued in earnest for a teen newspaper to launch in August 2006.

Teenlink Timeline

Teenlink Timeline Refining the Concept The plan was predicated on distribution to all public high schools in South Florida’s Broward County school system. This distribution model mimicked South Florida Parenting’s model of bulk distribution to preschools, elementary schools and child-oriented businesses. The idea was to get the new teen publication into places where teens would be able to pick it up.

Teenlink Timeline The First Steps With a basic concept, South Florida Parenting began testing the idea with advertisers. The response was overwhelming. South Florida businesses wanted to reach 14- to 18-year-olds and would support a publication that garnered readership in that age group. Research showed that students saw advertising as content and that they wanted coupons, discounts and other information in print advertising.

Teenlink Timeline The First Prototype After selecting a name, South Florida Parenting created the Teenlink prototype. The editorial concept was developed in focus groups with the teen journalists. Celebrity news, high school sports, a cover “issues” feature written by students, and technology content were a must, along with college and career planning information.

Teenlink Timeline The First Prototype The prototype, created in early 2006, also included lots of “news to be used” such as a weekly calendar of events, college and career fairs, tours information, listings of testing dates, prep classes and listings of community service opportunities.

Teenlink Development Getting The Schools Involved The Sun Sentinel agreed to publish the advertiser-supported weekly newspaper for 39 weeks during the school year, involving students as writers, artists and photographers. A distribution agreement with Broward County Schools was formed where teachers in each school would hand out Teenlink in their classrooms.

Teenlink Development Distribution Model With a distribution model in place, the Sun Sentinel’s business team went to work finding appropriate advertisers. The goal was to establish revenue commitments before Teenlink’s launch, and to find major advertisers who would commit to a full-page 39-week run to create a financial foundation.

* The budget included pay for student contributors, the costs of printing and distribution, and the development and maintenance of TeenlinkSouthFlorida.com.

*Company policy prohibits the release of proprietary information.

Teenlink Marketing Reaching the Target Audience •  One of the most important steps during Teenlink’s initial development and marketing stages was showing the prototype to typical students to get real feedback. •  Student focus groups included diversity in age, ethnicity and socio-economic status.

Teenlink Marketing Responding to Student Feedback

•  The student focus groups said they wanted a more accessible design, with colorful features. •  Before the August 17, 2006, Teenlink launch, a redesign was completed to better reflect the students’ suggestions. •  The students also got to help pick a final launch design and Teenlink logo.

Teenlink Marketing Getting Teachers on Board

•  Although Teenlink was endorsed by the Superintendent of Broward Schools, principals and teachers at every school were also needed to support it. •  Distribution would depend not just on getting copies to the schools, but on the schools actually getting the papers into the hands of the students. • Teenlink contacted every school to create efficient distribution and use.

Teenlink MarketingTeenlink Street Team •  The marketing arm of Teenlink •  Sponsored by McDonald's •  Street Team captains (one student per school) are nominated

by teachers for their leadership skills. They in turn recruit other students to be on their school team.

•  All members wear their T-shirts, post photos of students at their schools, ensure that the papers are distributed at their schools each week, and promote Teenlink through posters and announcements and in-school TV broadcasts.

•  Members also promote Teenlink at events outside of school, such as at football games and other sporting events, an Empty Bowls fundraiser, the Florida Renaissance Festival, concerts and the Jingle Ball Village.

Teenlink Marketing Teenlink’s Teacher Outreach •  In an effort to reach teachers at the high school

level, Teenlink has developed a PowerPoint program that it has presented to teachers during teacher work days at their schools.

•  The program highlights our diverse content, online contests, web sites and college and career planning information.

•  We have found the program helps teachers get excited about the magazine, and we have heard some excellent feedback from participants who previously did not know what Teenlink was about.

Teenlink MarketingShout Outs & Photo Gallery •  Teenlink’s Shout Outs and Photo Gallery showcase

reader-provided content and help our readers to see themselves and their friends in our publication.

•  Shout Outs –  Can be submitted online or via text, and we

encourage birthday messages, graduation wishes and school spirit as well as general greetings.

•  Photo Gallery –  Any student can submit to their school’s photo gallery,

and one of our student interns reviews the uploads each week and picks the best for print, giving any student the opportunity to be published in Teenlink.

Teenlink Marketing

Additional Teacher Outreach •  The My Teacher Rocks feature started two years ago to honor

the adults who work so hard to education today’s youth. This ongoing online contest allows students to write a short essay about why their teacher rocks.

•  The contest is sponsored by advertisers, so the student writer and honored teacher each week get prizes such as gift cards to Dunkin Donuts and La Bamba Mexican restaurant, as well as a certificate and letter of congratulations.

•  The winning essay is also published with a photo of the teacher every week, giving teachers a nice souvenir of appreciation for their efforts. We have an online contest at the end of the school year to chose the My Teacher Rocks teacher of the year, and that contest has been our most popular ever, getting 37,791 page views in its first year and 43,079 in its second.

Teenlink MarketingEvents & Contests •  Teenlink has contests almost every week

for giveaways such as concert and movie tickets, advertiser products, DVDs, books, gift cards, food coupons, and even a walk-on role in the touring production of “Footloose.” Readers are invited to enter online or via text to a number provided to Teenlink by sponsor advertiser MetroPCS.

•  Teenlink has also partnered with the Florida Renaissance Festival, and we’ve teamed up to promote popular teen movies, most recently “Twilight: New Moon” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

Evaluation & Results Since Teenlink launched in August 2006, we have generated positive net operating cash flow and have improved it year over year, despite the economic recession.

School and student reader feedback also indicates Teenlink’s success. Schools’ media specialists and students have contacted Teenlink to add or increase distribution, and Teenlink has helped several other papers (including Chicago’s The Mash and St. Petersberg’s TBtwo) add similar programs. After requests were made, Teenlink now delivers to the Broward County Library system and (for the last 2-3 weeks of the school year) Broward public middle schools.

* Company policy prohibits the release of proprietary information.

Evaluation & Results •  We evaluate the success of Teenlink based on advertising

revenues, schools’ continuing interest in getting delivery of the newspaper and reader response, which can be gauged both online and through texts. We also celebrate the publication of our students’ work in the Sun Sentinel, Chicago Tribune and elsewhere, and the success of our student staffers individually.

•  We know from teacher and student emails that Teenlink is known and appreciated in their schools. Some schools use Teenlink during their silent reading periods, or in reading classes, helping us reach our goal of establishing a newspaper habit among teens. Some schools even post Teenlink in the cafeteria and media center to highlight their students’ work.

Reader Testimonials

Reader Testimonials

Student Staff Email

Student Staff Email

Student Staff Email

Evaluation & Results•  When we attend events or visit schools, we meet more and

more students who are familiar with Teenlink. At a school I visited 2 months ago, we even had someone walk up to the table and proudly point out a photo of himself in our printed photo gallery. So our efforts to raise brand awareness are working.

•  With brand awareness comes benefits for our advertisers, and that pays off in consistent advertising. For prom this year, our advertising rep sold extra pages of ads by offering packages tying in with the Sun Sentinel, a move that helped the bottom lines of both newspapers. This strategy of using Teenlink advertising adds value and increases the size of the packages we sell for the company, and can help land advertisers who might have been sitting on the fence.

Evaluation & Results•  Teenlink also delivers something our readers cannot

get anywhere else: comprehensive, current news and events of particular interest to them. Broward schools require students to have a minimum of 35 service hours to graduate (private schools require even more), and our volunteer opportunities are consistently the highest hit on our web site beyond the home page.

•  Job openings are also a reader favorite. Our interns call employers to ask if they are hiring, and they list 15-20 new jobs a week, grouped by age (hiring at 14, hiring at 15, etc.) so students can count on our listing to be up-to-date.

Evaluation & Results•  Our students help fill our calendar and school news column, so we

have more than 100 sources of news and events flowing in every week. This helps us list a comprehensive guide to events for our readers. We pay special attention to free and low-cost events.

•  Because of our student staff, our benefit to the newspaper goes beyond the financial. Our students are in schools, giving the newsroom an extra ear to the ground on any school-related news. I am often one of the first to find out a school has a bomb threat or a lockdown, because the students text me, and I can alert the newsroom. We also have students write about these events when they happen, which gives them a chance to exercise their breaking-news skills and helps them deal with the stress of such events.

•  When reporters need sources from certain schools, we contact our students for help. Sometimes our students feed into a story. Sometimes they just help reporters find sources, or they share their yearbooks, acting as a valuable resource for the newsroom.

NewsroomTes*monials

•  One of our reporters received a front page mention when she reported on a Barack Obama rally in 2008 with a Sun Sentinel reporter.

OurstudentreportersreceivedkudosfromthenewsroomBlogsEditorwhentheybloggedfromaBarackObamarallyduringthe2008campaign.

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