MADISON, Wis. -- As you woke up Thursday morning, a new Channel 3000.com was there to greet you. Hope you like what we've done with the place.

Seven years or more since its last redesign and about a week shy of its 11th birthday, Channel 3000 has received a much-needed and long overdue makeover.

After a six-month process, the site you've come to know, love or perhaps endure, has been replaced by a sleeker and cleaner look that more succinctly presents all the great content we have available. We're still the same. We have the same committment to quality journalism, even-handed approach and speed. We will continue to prominently feature all the news and information we have from WISC-TV, TVW, Madison Magazine, other partners and homegrown from our Web staff. The new site just looks more modern, less cluttered and less intimidating.

It's been a lot of long hours and hard work, but our goal was to give you -- our audience -- the best possible online news experience. The new design reflects a common-sense approach to how people use this medium, as opposed to how they consume broadcast or print. We believe it also lays a solid foundation for how the site might evolve in the future.

We've retained almost all the sections and categories that you've come to expect from us and added a few new ones. Although some things have been changed, moved or been renamed, all are now hopefully easier to find.

Some special features:

We have a new Interactive section with links to social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
We have a scrollable frontpage feature belt that highlights some of the stories that typically have been buried in the site's old design.
We have a new frontpage video player with a much-improved display. It allows viewers the convenience of sifting through all the videos we have available. We've also created a new video player section with a playlist option.
"Most Popular" stories/video/slideshows are easier to find on the frontpage and other sections.
We have an expanded Mobile section that focuses on the new text messaging options.
We have an upgraded Traffic section with a new map.
We have story commenting that will allow viewers the option of posting their thoughts on our stories.
We also have a Table of Contents at the bottom of every page, which should help navigating through the site.

This redesign isn't the endpoint for C3K. This is a new beginning. The site's evolution will continue. Stay tuned in the weeks and months ahead for more exciting additions.

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