Universal Information Services

Omaha’s Top Five News Stories for 2013
From Universal Information Services

OMAHA (December 30, 2013) Universal Information Services, a national news monitoring and media measurement service based in Omaha, Nebraska, tracks all local and national media throughout the United States. Each month, Universal monitors over 20,000 publications, 55,000 online news sources, more than 3 million websites and over 2.2 million broadcast news stories for public relations and corporate communication professionals.

This year Universal Information Services has released the only list that actually tabulates which news stories produced “the most” news by volume of stories. After analyzing Omaha TV and radio news, as well as the Omaha World-Herald, Universal Information Services is proud to announce this year’s list of OMAHA’S TOP FIVE NEWS STORIES. This list is based on total number of news media story mentions, published or broadcast, in 2013. We have also included total impressions, a measure of viewership/readership and indicates the impact and reach of a story.

Please feel free to use our list, we ask only that you cite “Universal Information Services: A national news monitoring and media measurement service” as the source.

1) Serial murder cases/arrests of Nikko Jenkins and Anthony Garcia: Two serial murder cases captured the attention of Omaha. Nikko Jenkins, a 27-year-old Omaha man, stands accused of killing four people in the city last summer. Other members of the Jenkins family are also facing criminal charges. Dr. Anthony Garcia, a former Creighton pathology student, was arrested in a serial murder case that also involved four Omaha deaths that stretched back to 2008. Two of the people killed – Roger and Mary Brumback – died from gunshot and stab wounds last May.
Total number of mentions—1,235 Total impressions—40,431,453

2) Election of Mayor Jean Stothert: Omaha elected its first female mayor in 2013 when Jean Stothert beat Jim Suttle, the incumbent. The hard-fought campaign ended in May when Stothert brought in 57 percent of the vote.
Total number of mentions—553 Total impressions—35,333,424

3) Nebraska Crossing Outlets opens: The opening of a new outlet mall near Gretna, just prior to the holiday shopping season, generated huge public interest. Even with parking problems, the 350,000-square-foot, $112 million shopping center did great business this fall.
Total number of mentions—370 Total impressions—17,524,413

4) Jack Hoffman run during Red-White game: Just about every person in the state, not to mention the nation, who saw the video coverage of then-7-year-old brain cancer patient Jack Hoffman running for a touchdown during the University of Nebraska’s spring Red-White game was charmed by it. The image of Hoffman having a ball with college athletes on April 6 attracted national attention for Nebraska. His 69-yard run also won an ESPY award from sports network ESPN for “best moment.”
Total number of mentions—342 Total impressions—13,064,401

5) Creighton joins Big East: Creighton University’s move to a new athletic conference made a significant media splash. CU’s president, Rev. Timothy Lannon, called joining the Big East a “match made in heaven.” Creighton basketball fans will now regularly watch the Blue Jays play traditional basketball powerhouses like DePaul, St. John’s, and Georgetown.
Total number of mentions—273 Total impressions–16,050,000

Honorable mention: Husker Football
As in years past, Husker Football has generated far and away the greatest volume of news in this market. For this reason we’ve permanently awarded Husker Football news an honorable mention (just so other news would have a chance). Like every year, we all look forward to the 2014 season.

About Universal Information Services, Inc. – Universal Information Services, Inc. was established in 1908 as a press clipping bureau. In the last 105 years, Universal has grown into an industry leader providing print, broadcast, and internet news monitoring services and extensive PR measurement. Covering newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the web and social media, Universal offers complete tracking and media analysis services for agencies, corporations, and government offices. For more information visit our web site at universal-info.com

I hope you all have a Happy “News” Year!
Todd Murphy, Vice President
Universal Information Services, Inc.
1623 Farnam St, Suite 600
Omaha, NE 68102
402/342-3178
https://universal-info.com