Bullseye newspaper continues transition Published Feb. 8, 2007 By Master Sgt. Tonya Keebaugh Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Next month, the Bullseye base newspaper will undergo significant changes, but most readers shouldn't notice. The base newspaper, which was first printed as Nellis' official base newspaper on July 7, 1951, will become a fully commercial enterprise publication March 3. The 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office workers will cease writing, editing, and laying out the pages for the Bullseye. Aerotech News, which publishes the Bullseye for Nellis and Creech through a contract with the 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office, will take over those duties. With Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, public affairs offices across the Air Force have been asked to "stop producing base newspapers." As a result, the Bullseye will be produced off base at Aerotech offices. "The 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs office members still will write stories and cover Nellis events, but now those stories will be Web-based," said Lt. Col. Debra Millett, chief of public affairs here. "We will move their focus from the layout and design and multiple editing steps of the newspaper, to story production that will be placed on the Web and marketed to a wider audience." Many Air Force members may have noticed that all Air Force Web-sites are beginning to look just like Air Force Link (www.af.mil) -- that is a deliberate move by the Air Force to standardize Web content and site management. Public affairs offices Air Force wide have final approval on Web content, so a few years ago, base Web sites became a big job for PA offices. "As we move more towards an electronic news world - public affairs is following suit," said Capt. Justin McVay, chief of internal and media relations. "Our journalists will now produce local stories, post them to the local Web, which will automatically generate delivery to Air Combat Command, who will select stories to post on their news service and to send to Air Force News." The Nellis Web site is located at www.nellis.af.mil. It allows more timely news stories being posted on the wire - and allows public affairs specialists to focus on getting the Air Force and the Nellis and Creech story out to a wider audience faster, said the colonel. The move also allows the publisher to continue a long, valued tradition that is the Bullseye with no down time to the publication schedule. "We're looking forward to continuing producing a first-rate publication for the men and women of the Air Force here in Nevada," said Lila Edwards, Aerotech News contractor and soon-to-be editor of the Bullseye. "We love working with Airmen and telling their story. Some people are traditionalists and like to have a newspaper in their hands every Friday morning -- we're glad to be filling that gap for the base and at the same time allow public affairs to move towards a more effective way of doing their jobs." For Bullseye readers, little will change. The e-mail account will change and the Web address for the paper will change. Public affairs will still be producing stories about Nellis and Creech Airmen and the Bullseye staff will be using those articles in the newspaper also. The new Bullseye e-mail address will be Bullseye@aerotechnews.com and the Web address will remain the same at www.nellisbullseye.com. If you currently send items to the base newspaper, call the public affairs office at 652-2750 for information on what you will do after March 2.
