‘The Chungbuk Times,’ which was first published by the Department of English Education on December 20th, 1970, is fast approaching its 200th publication in November 2021. To celebrate, let’s check out the footsteps which ‘The Chungbuk Times’ has walked and interview some who have helped the newspaper to be published. Plus, let’s find out the future direction of The Chungbuk Times.

[ The History of ‘The Chungbuk Times’ ]

  ‘The Chungbuk Times’ started in the form of a magazine that was published irregularly, and from 2000, it was published regularly in the form of a newspaper.
  Now, let’s check out the difference of design between the past and the present newspaper editions. First of all, as we can see the cleary different page of the past and the current edition, the blue-based cover design was used until 2009, but it has been changed to a new design since 2010. In addition, the newspapers were published in Tabloid form in the past. Since the 158th edition, which was published in September 2015, the size of the newspaper has been changed into the Berliner form, which is larger than the past version.
  Also, there are some differences in the composition and content of the past and the present articles. In the past, the ‘Cover story,’ which included on the front page, with an article related to the photo. The ‘English’ page contained some English information and puzzles, and there was a ‘Festival’ page with some photos of a festival which was held by Chungbuk National University. Furthermore, from 2000 to 2011, CBT had published special edition including students’ essays adn reviews of winning at “English Essay Contest” which was held by CBT.
  Then, let’s talk with some people who helped the newspaper to be published and find out the direction of The Chungbuk Times in the future.

[ Interview with a reporter of CBT, Hong Soo-min ]

1. Please introduce yourself.
  Hello, I’m Hong Soo-min, majoring in international business administration at Chungbuk National University. From last year, I have been worked as a reporter of CBT.

2. What made you apply for CBT?
  I always thought that I wanted to have a meaningful experience during campus life. Then, I saw the notice of recruitment of CBT and applied. When I watched famous overseas news such as BBC and CNN, I wanted to experience working for a media company related to English at least once.

3. What is the most important factor in writing an article?
  When selecting a topic, I focus on whether it will be interesting to readers. I try to clarify what I want to deliver. If this is not clear, the text is not received well by readers, so I constantly think about what I want to convey.

4. Is there anything you want to say to readers for CBT’s 200th anniversary?
  I think CBT would have gone through numerous articles until it reached its 200th issue. I hope the readers keep their eyes on CBT. Thank you!

[ Interview with an editor-in-chief of CBT, Ahn Min-joo ]

1. Please introduce yourself.
  Hello, my name is Ahn Min-Joo. I’m studying in the Department of Electronics Engineering and working as the editor-in-chief of The Chungbuk Times.

2. Can you tell me the best thing you did while working for CBT?
  I’ve been working for the newspaper since I was a freshman, and it was good to have a chance to meet lots of people from various grades or departments. I think I enjoyed my freshman year through the exchanges with many people. Also, my English skills have grown a lot. Through this, I have learned that it can be an advantage if I embrace my weaknesses and keep trying to develop.

3. What do you think is the most important ability which is needed to be editor-in-chief?
  I think quick decision-making is the most important. The editor-in-chief is like a ‘team project leader,’ through quick feedback, he or she has to make good results by maximizing the capabilities of the team members. For better results, I give feedback to the reporters so they can quickly get better ideas to write or modify the articles.

4. Do you think ‘The Chungbuk Times’ is being promoted smoothly and effectively? If not, is there any solution to this problem?
  I don’t think the current promotion is effective now. Therefore, CBT is going to promote itself through the CBNU Press Instagram Account(@cbnu_press). This aims to make the newspaper readily accessible and user-friendly to students. Furthermore, we are continuously thinking about ways to promote the newspaper such as by uploading ‘Card News,’ which is summarized English news, through SNS. Through this, I hope the students will be able to access it easily in any place or at any time. Also, through internal meetings in the future, more promotion activities will be planned and implemented next year.

5. Is there anything you want to say to readers for CBT’s 200th anniversary?
  Happily, The Chungbuk Times has reached its 200th anniversary. As the special article for the 200th anniversary has been written, I hope that the readers keep cheering and eading the newspaper. The CBT will not stagnate, but keep developing further for the reader. Thank you!

[ Interview with an editorial secretary, Lee Dong-hee ]

1. What do you prioritize when reviewing student reporters’ writings? Also, do you have any requirements for reporters when writing articles?
  First of all, I think the most important thing is whether the writing flows logically or whether all the necessary elements to form an article are included. The biggest challenge right now is that reporting is not going well. Also, there are many articles written to the extend to refer to Internet materials, so I want reporters to correct that.

2. When do you feel the most rewarded? Do you have any other goals in your future work?
  When I give reporters feedback on articles, I feel rewarded when reporters accept it and show further development. Rather than a personal goal, I hope our reporters work hard and develop to finish their journalism activities well. Also, I hope they make good memories and gain a lot of lessons and experiences during their journalism activities.

3. Lastly, please let me know if you have anything to say to reporters for the 200th anniversary.
  I’ve been observing reporters for over a decade, but recently, reporters seem to be less active than before. Rather than conducting interviews by e-mail or phone call, the reporters have to visit and listen to interviewees in person and ask questions that come to mind. To make interesting content in the interview and write a realistic article, I hope reporters will write a lively article by conducting in-person meetings and looking at issues with their own eyes.

[ Additionally ]

  In addition, to establish the direction and vision of CBT, a survey with Chungbuk National University students. The survey was conducted via SNS such as Everytime. The questions were consisted of determine the number of the readers, how they approach the newspaper, which sections were mostly read, what contents they wanted to be added and any other relevant feedback.

  This article explored the history and footsteps of CBT. In addition, through interviews with various dedicated caretakers and diligent contributors, we were able to define the future direction of CBT. The current CBT was created through the efforts of many people, but above all, it would have been impossible without the support of our readers. Thank you very much for your love for CBT, and at the same time, please pay a lot of attention to CBT to develop further in the future.

By Kim Ji-soo | sixteen@cbnu.ac.kr
By Choi Jin-hyuk | jh41@cbnu.ac.kr