Year in Review sections

Hey guys,

I've been tasked with putting together our annual Year in Review section. I hesitated coming here and asking this question since I know some of my competitors troll this site but then it occurred to me that we're putting our feeler ads in our paper so they probably already know about this anyway.

So, let me cut to the chase.

In your opinion, what makes a good Year in Review section? Of the ones you've seen (or maybe even do), what stands out? Are there any ideas you'd like to see?

I think this topic could really help us all put together strong sections for our respective publications and I'd love to hear any ideas you've got. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

Always an interesting tid-bit (if you can get it), a Top 10 list of most clicked stories of the year off the webiste. We just went through ours and were surprised at the outcome.

I think freshening up a story (if you can) makes a review story better. Re-reading the same story from a few months ago is kind of boring.

 

The most clicked on list is good. Also top 10 stories of the year is nice, sometimes just 200-300 words, to provide perspective. When there's room, we have also done pictures of the year. I also am a fan of the top 5 stories to watch the next year.

I like this topic. What does everyone else do?

 

Some of the ideas I'm considering are timeline graphics to trace a particularly big story over the course of 12 months, drop-quotes for some of the best soundbites of the year, a photo spread for pictures of the year and a two or three-page spread about the biggest story in our area this year, complete with pictures, graphs and more.

I like the idea of the "top five stories to watch next year". I think I might use that.

 

Last year in the Antelope Valley, without a big high school holiday basketball tournament to work with, we spread ours over three days: a chronological list of top headlines throughout the year, with some art; a review of the top stories of the year, with art; and a package on the top newsmakers of the year: The 20 people who, for better or worse, topped the sports scene in 2009.

 

IIRC, last year we did top-10 stories for both news and sports, going in chronological order. This year I'm thinking about modifying it a bit, with a top news story and a top sports story. I'm not sure if the rest of the list would be chronological or in order of importance. Part of me wants to do chronological because it's easier, but part of me thinks that's the lazy way to do it.
I also like the five stories to watch idea. I'm thinking the review in the final paper of 2010, the top 5 in the first paper of 2011.

 

We do a top 10 stories of previous year and top 10 to watch for the next. We have everyone on editorial side actually get together and decide the ranking.

 

Last year we tried an "instant classics" theme, games you left knowing you'd seen something special. We had Section title games, of course, but could include rivalry games, fantastic finishes, ect. We'll do it again this year, especially with those early New Year's deadlines.