With vendor announcements scarce, CCI Europe has kicked off the year with the news that German regional Kieler Nachrichten will consolidate its print and online operations and prepare for multichannel publishing with a NewsGate installation. The system will allow the Kiel-based paper to produce pages at its four local bureaus in the Schleswig-Holstein area. "There is no doubt that we are heading towards a future of multichannel publishing," says deputy editor Ralf Schröder. "The next step is to integrate the print and online operations in a common collaborative environment. "When we have met this challenge successfully, we will be able to add future publication channels with a minimum effort." He believes the company has chosen the "ideal platform" to prepare for the future of multichannel publishing. Kieler Nachrichten's editorial strategy is to publish exclusive news items online first and update them continuously. This has proven difficult to handle in the current infrastructure with separate print and online systems, and according to Schröder, NewsGate will simplify the workflow considerably. "Ultimately, a firm multichannel strategy is essential for being present on different media platforms in order to deliver relevant news and regional information to the broadest audience possible. And it is meant to reinforce our brand and to strengthen readership as well as business opportunities," he says. Kieler Nachrichten was among the first regional newspapers in Germany to consolidate and centralise its IT infrastructure and introduce a Citrix environment allowing for page production in the local bureaux. NewsGate allows it to maintain that strategy. NewsGate's built-in ad production module AdRoom will also allow further consolidation in a single common database with access to pages for both editorial and advertising staff. In addition to its daily newspapers, Kieler Zeitung Verlags- und Druckerei publishes a freesheet and a range of special magazines. It operates kn-online.de and is involved in nordclick.de, the leading online marketplace in Northern Germany. Pictured: Deputy editor Ralf Schröder and IT manager Wolfgang Möller (Photo: Uwe Paesler)