Remember when Korb Hall debuted as the new student residence on campus or when Peter, Paul and Mary performed to a packed Memorial Gym?

It’s OK, neither do we. We found those in a copy of the Daily Kent Stater published Friday, September 25, 1964. Construction workers discovered the yellowed and brittle paper in one of the walls in Korb Hall and passed it on to us.

It’s appropriate that the paper was uncovered just as we take the biggest step the Stater will experience for some time — our move to Franklin Hall and the new converged newsroom.

As we put together today’s paper, the first produced out of Franklin Hall, one thing could not be more clear: We are entering a new era for journalism. The journalists with “PRESS” cards stuck in the rims of their fedoras, the ones we watched in grainy black and white movies and yearned to be like, are gone for good.

Convergence chased them away. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just different from the image of the media that we naively dreamed of joining.

When we got to college, we were told that print media were dying out and that convergence will save us. It sounds like a new media buzzword, but convergence really will be the future of journalism. Reporters, photographers and editors are all learning new skills to bring you better and more interesting coverage. The news media are trying to keep up with their audience’s preferences and habits.

Convergence means more valuable degrees for students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, increases in the pool of talent for student media to recruit, more cross-promotion among student media and more opportunities to meet more people, which is a huge part of the college experience. This will reflect well on the school, as well as on Kent State. When one program does well in the job market, it raises the university’s overall name recognition and reputation, which is good for all Kent State graduates.

But while convergence will ultimately help our staff gain more varied experience for future internships and jobs, the main benefit will be to our audience.

It is no easy task figuring out which practices are best in meeting our audience’s needs. Our new Web site, KentNewsNet.com, is the product of months of planning and discussion among the student media on campus. The Stater, TV2, Black Squirrel Radio and the CyBurr have worked hard to bring you the highest quality news we possibly can in the most efficient way possible.

Want to see video? We have it. Only have time for a quick read? Look up the brief. Really like that one photo from the concert? Check out the audio slideshow. We are learning new skills to help you better understand what we cover.

With the Daily Kent Stater, TV2 and BSR acting as one news organization with many venues, rather than as multiple groups working together, the audience will get the most complete and convenient information possible. We will be able to decide if a story is best suited for video, print, audio, Web or all four, because we won’t be competing or even cooperating — We will be a part of the same news team.

It may take a little while for us to figure out our new roles, but be patient. The payoff is just as great for you as it is for us.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.