The fun has just begun — we promise

We are glad you’re here. But trust me: You are not alone. For almost a year, All On Georgia-Muscogee has been showing up on various screens and devices, and in that time we have welcomed nearly 1.6 million visitors to our site. And the time you spend here is appreciated.

We’re especially grateful that so many of you are clicking on us as you search for news and information that you don’t usually find on other digital news services. For while our daily news report is hyper-local, it is blended with stories from other All On Georgia sites and from the Associated Press.

Our stories and videos have been cited on a variety of news outlets all over the country and have been shared around the world in many other languages as you will see below.

Last October — just after we first posted video of injured student Montravious Thomas being carried out of a local schoolhouse — the volume of traffic was so great that it crashed the main server at All On Georgia. It was a short video that had a strong impact on a tragic story that has not yet ended.

That exclusive video was featured on many newscasts — including most stations in Atlanta.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J-REQnbjsw&w=560&h=315]

WARNING: The graphic video below from a newscast in Thailand is their version of the Montravious Thomas story. It was created by Tomo News. It is not pretty, and the animated story certainly does not follow our traditional rules of journalism. But it reminds us that the world is watching what happens in Muscogee County.)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IyTEs98rzE&w=560&h=315]

We’re proud of the progress our site has made during our first year, but we’re not complacent. Changes are coming. I’ve been delivering the news in this area for almost 45 years and it has been thrilling to learn and develop new ways of presenting and packaging the news. Not long ago, I couldn’t spell analytics. Now I can use it in a sentence.

Some of you asked for more variety more voices and additional points of view. We’ve listened. And here is our newly expanded lineup of contributors:

• Former anchor and TV news director Steve Beverly — now the head of the journalism program at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. — has been with us from the beginning. He will continue to make observations about broadcast news and programming from television’s Golden Age.
• Longtime publisher and political activist U.D. Roberts is writing about tax issues.
• Kim Baxley Wilson, a keen observer of local nightlife, is sharing views of events that occur after the sun goes down.
• John House, a retired U.S. Army colonel and former congressional candidate, will delve into issues that impact Fort Benning as it prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday in 2018.
• Don Cole is a former Army officer and minister who blogs about Republican politics.

New names are coming:

• Former Ledger-Enquirer editor and columnist Kaffie Sledge will soon present her provocative views in a style that is pure Kaffie.
• Opening new doors to the world of sports will be Craig Howard. He has been deeply involved in local sports since he was a teenager in Phenix City, writing about games and players in newspapers and on radio.

More new programming will follow.

Keep your eyes and ears alert for a weekly video podcast we call Richard Hyatt’s Stockade Blues. Every Sunday I will sit down for conversations with interesting people who are making news. You’ll also enjoy innovative, interactive sports programming from the creative mind of Craig Howard.

Our cameras will be live streaming important meetings of Columbus Council and the Muscogee County School Board along with other interesting events around town. (You might even see us toting a camera on the sidelines of local high school football games.)

The fun has just begun. So has our innovative style of delivering news you need and news you deserve

Stay tuned. There will be other surprises. I promise.