Q. The Saving North Dakota project seems like a huge undertaking. When and how were all of the convergences partners -- broadcast, online, print -- brought into the planning?

A dozen Forum editors and reporters met with the North Dakota state demographer in April 2002 to begin discussion on the potential project. We knew having a large reach was essential -- towns in rural North Dakota are dying. We wanted the series to connect with those readers who don't necessarily receive The Forum.

So from Day One, we planned the project with online in mind. That's because the immense reach of the Internet was vital to the story - we wanted to hear from North Dakotans who had left the state.

We pitched the idea to our radio and TV partners once we had a handle on where "Saving North Dakota'' was headed -- we sent them a rough budget outline in October and the stories began running in mid December through early January.

The WDAY AM radio folks already had developed a relationship with us prior to this. The print reporter from Sunday's big centerpiece might appear on the morning talk show the Friday before publication or the Monday after. We followed that pattern as the series rolled out. (Not much of this was archived on the Web site due to a technical problem, unfortunately.)

Carole Tarrant, managing editor, The Forum, Fargo, ND

TV didn't bite at our initial pitch -- but they began to join in once the series started picking up steam in late December. They went off on their own, doing segments on the "Saving North Dakota'' theme of population loss but focusing on different people and towns. In the end, this worked out well -- WDAY TV reporters keyed in on what played best in their medium, and their reports complimented what we wrote.

WDAY TV then pitched in in a big way, toward the end of the series, by coordinating a televised broadcast of an APME Credibility Roundtable. This was a two-hour broadcast live across the state during prime time on all four ABC affiliates in North Dakota. Again, TV had a reach that we, on the print side, don't have, since our delivery trucks don't drive that far anymore.

Q. How was the project managed and by whom? And what lessons did that person learn?

Lou Ziegler, The Forum's editor, directed the print content and led a four-month chat with readers online. He'd done a lot of research on depopulation issues and got the staff charged up about taking this on as a newsroom-wide mission. Ziegler also recruited the 32-member Roundtable made up of people 18 to 34 years old.

I managed the convergence part of this, as well as the print design. I learned I need to learn a lot more about audio and video for the Web -- how to edit, what equipment to use, how to plan for the extra time (and money) this takes.

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The audio/video stuff we posted online was rough -- not exactly NPR quality -- but it was an experiment for us. The projects that have followed sound and look much better, and we're paying much more attention to navigation. Hopefully we'll get down to using templates so we don't reinvent the wheel every time.

Q. There also seems to be another partner -- the public. How did that evolve?

The public helped direct our coverage, no doubt about it. Lou Ziegler kicked off the project by writing a column that asked people to write in with their stories about leaving the state, or thinking about it. He was astounded by the amount of e-mails that poured in from throughout the country, and the emotional stories people told about making hard choices to leave a place they love in search of better jobs.

That emotion was fuel for us as we pounded away with these stores. That initial conversation with readers continued online, when Ziegler moderated a very healthy chat that continued through May, when he finally shut it down after the Legislature winded up.

Q. Convergence is a difficult process even in some of the larger markets -- and larger newspapers, online and broadcast outlets. How does it work in Fargo?

We have a great marriage with our online division -- being in the same building, a floor apart, helps a lot. Both staffs are motivated to work together and try things out -- to a large extent, we've worked through concerns on when to post and when not to.

With TV and radio we're still finding our way. Though we have a joint owner, we still see each other as competitors -- at least, that's the longstanding culture. It's hard to let that go when the future is uncertain, when you can't exactly tell folks where we're headed. "Put down your arms'' -- for what?

Q. What lessons can you give for others in mid-sized markets?

1) Seek out and send your folks to training. That'll alleviate a lot of the initial anxiety, and you'll see what's possible. API and the Western Knight Center for Journalism offer it -- we've taken advantage of two FREE sessions for a reporter and online producer.

2) Bite off small chunks. You don't have to do the whole TV-radio-online triad with every outing. Study the strengths of each platform and figure out which one best serves you in advancing or enriching the story.

3) Don't force convergence on anyone. Some on staff will naturally take to the idea -- they'll like the tech gizmos or the idea of being on air. Play to that and get them training so they do it well.

Q. What is the process that you use in deciding what you share with your partners?

It's pretty informal here (in comparison to Tampa) -- typically we just swap e-mails. In the past three months we've started a more formal weekly meeting with online, since we have so much going on with them.

Q. If you could change one thing about how convergence works, what would that be?

I sometimes wish we had a better roadmap for where we're headed. Are we cannibalizing one platform to serve another?

But a bigger, more realistic wish is that everyone involved in multimedia journalism would share their stories -- the behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts -- since we're in that period now of just figuring out how it's done. That's why I appreciate the Chaser column, Howard, and am always looking for others like it.