Category: WDWNT

It’s hard to believe this is the 1000th story to be published on the WDW News Today website, but it also is harder to believe that we surpassed our goal set from the very beginning. This website was created on July 8th, 2007, with the sole intention of being the internet’s first daily updated Walt Disney World news site. When that dream began, it started with a post, and a post alone. There were no thoughts of podcasts, forums, online radio stations, or anything of the sort. Our idea was to post at least one Disney-related news story a day. While it may be unrealistic to think (or claim) that we have posted every single day since our inception, we have posted 1000 times in just 890 days, which I consider a great success. Instead of rambling on as I usually do on the site, I decided it would be better to turn the spotlight on our WDWNT Network staff and see what was their favorite or most memorable posts from WDW News Today have been. Here is what they picked:

WDWNT Network Technical Director Justin Heyman – The First Video of Toy Story Midway Mania

“This is what WDWNT was all about from the beginning, bringing our fans breaking news. That’s what this video did, presenting a new attraction to the world just hours after it opened for the first time.”

WDWNT Network Owner Tom Corless – The First Video of Toy Story Midway Mania

“Thinking about the most important post we have made to date, it has to be this video. The unbelievable amount of people who came to the website to see the first video of what has become my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World is still a great memory. I’m not sure if we’ll ever top it, only time will tell.”

WDW News Today Photographer and Videographer Matt Paul – Announcement of Star Tours II and Fantasyland Expansion

“These announcements are in my opinion, the biggest news in the most recent years of Disney Parks.  This was also the first time Disney Parks announced huge changes to Disney Fans in Person.  The Expo was phenomenal, and this post just about sums up the highlight of my trip!”

WDWNT Network Technical Services Jose Castillo – Epcot’s 25th Anniversary Happening

“I first entered the Disney online community around the time of Epcot’s 25th anniversary. This was a real fantastic event for me and this was the time I found out about WDW News Today. This is what changed everything for me and I’m very glad so many years later the website is stronger than ever.”

WDW News Today Editor in Chief Jason Diffendal – Spaceship Earth Refurbishment Begins

“It marked a turning point in the history of Epcot.  Looking back on it, it is a little bittersweet.  We all loved the fact that the wand was coming down, and we had much hope for the refurbishment of Spaceship Earth.  But unfortunately the reality of Judi Dench and the blackened descent disappointed all of us.”

WDW News Today Podcast Staff Member Scott Smith – The 2nd Annual Christmas Podcast Parade 2008

“I chose this because the Christmas Podcast Parade is when WDWNT proved that, without a doubt, it is something unique and special among the Disney podcast community. It immidiately became my favorite, and the self depriciating humor and intense Disney inside-jokery made me realize this is something that I wanted to be a part of. And since then, WDWNT has become a wonderful part of my life. And I owe it all to the first Christmas parade. That sounds pretty wierd, doesn’t it?”

WDW News Today Podcast Staff Member Anthony Yacullo – Fantasyland Expansion Announced

“My choice is the Fantasyland expansion post. It’s the biggest piece of news to be announced since I joined the site and podcast in March. I think it sounds absolutely amazing and I cant wait to see it in person when it is completed.”

A very special thank you to all the staff and readers who have made our journey to this point possible and so much fun. Here’s to the next 1000 posts on WDW News Today, may we continue “Bridging the Gaps Between You and the World”.

Tom Corless
Owner of the WDWNT Network

Over the last few weeks here at the WDWNT Network, we have been preparing for a few important staff position changes that have officially gone into effect today:

-WDWNT Technical Director Jose Castillo has stepped away from his position to focus on his long-running web hosting company and a plethora of personal projects. Jose has been a vital part of our family since joining the team in January 2008 and has been responsible for the creation of our enhanced podcasts, Disneyland News Today, the WDWNTube Disney Parks video site, the WDWNTunes online radio station, and much, much more. Jose was such a vital part of our team that he was inducted into our WDWNT Network Hall of Fame in June 2009. While Jose will be stepping away for a while, he will be first finishing up some work on the “WDWNT: The Weekend” website and will continue to pop-in every now and then for a side project. We would like to thank Jose for all his hard work here at WDWNT and wish him the best in his many endeavors. WDW News Today editor in chief and podcast team member Justin Heyman will be taking over our technical services department effective immediately.

-Luke Manning has stepped down as the host of the Disneyland News Today Podcast and as the lead reporter for the DLNT website. Luke has a tremendous amount of work ahead of him the next few weeks and was simply not able to balance everything all at once. Luke will be continuing on as a photographer and videographer for Disneyland News Today and will also continue to appear on the podcast every week. While we are interviewing for a new host for the podcast, I will be filling in as host for as long as is necessary. Taking over as a temporary lead reporter for the website will be Anthony Yacullo, who already works on the WDW News Today Podcast team. The Disneyland News Today twitter account will now also be in my hands, and I’ll do my best to keep the updates flowing as they have in the past.

We hope the transition period for these positions is a smooth one and apologize for any inconviences these changes might cause over the next few weeks. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Tom Corless
Owner of the WDWNT Network

As we kick off the two year anniversary celebration of the WDWNT Network and WDW News Today (running now through August 8th), we are proud to announce a number of exciting new additions and enhancements throughout our family of websites and podcasts. On July 8, 2007, we pledged to find new ways to bring the latest news, information, magic, and fun from the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts directly to you. Over the past two years, we have kept to that promise, launching some of the most popular entities in the Disney online fan community such as the WDW News Today podcast, The Disney Pincast, and Disneyland News Today. We have also innovated with the only fully interactive Walt Disney World Resort focused podcast, the internet’s only podcasts covering current events at the Disneyland Resort and the huge hobby that is Disney pin trading, and most recently, the newest version of our WDWNTube, the premiere location for streaming and sharing your favorite Disney Park videos. Moving into our third year of operation, we plan on being more innovative, interactive, informative, and entertaining than ever before.

The Podcasts of the WDWNT Network

While we could have never imagined it two years ago, our podcasts have been the heart and soul of everything we do at the WDWNT Network. Making use of the utilities that the remainder of our online community provides, we have used things such as our WDWNT Network Community Forums to enhance our already popular weekly productions. Beginning in July 2008, we kicked off a program we call WDWNT Interactive, allowing WDW News Today Podcast listeners to vote for the topics discussed in their favorite segments on the show. The popularity of that program has been unparalleled and has made us sure that every segment we air is one that a majority of our audience will find useful or entertaining. Based on this success, we are proud to announce that the Disneyland News Today Podcast will launch a similar service called DLNT Interactive, where listeners will be able to head to the community forums and vote for the segments that would like to hear on that weekly program. DLNT Interactive will be officially launching on July 2, 2009. In addition to these interactive features, all three of the WDWNT Network produced podcasts offer multiple services on the WDWNT Network Community Forums. WDW News Today and Disneyland News Today Podcast listeners can already view show notes and discuss the shows with those who produce it weekly by posting and reading under corresponding sections. Listeners of the Disney Pincast can not only discuss the show, view show notes, and weekly pin releases while on the forums, but can also discuss Disney pin trading and other Disneyana collecting (such as Vinylmation) while visiting. All of these features make a visit to the WDWNT Network Community Forums a must and enhance the listeners experience each and every week.

Focusing only on the podcasts of the WDWNT Network, some popular segments of these shows are leaving and returning, and a number of new offerings are just on the horizon. The WDW News Today Podcast is proud to be introducing two exciting new segments, titled “The Golden Age” and “World’s Finest”. “The Golden Age” will be a quest to find out which point in Walt Disney World history could be considered the best overall period of the “Vacation Kingdom’s” existence. The “World’s Finest” segment will provide listeners with plenty of opinions and banter, as the WDWNT Podcast team tries to figure out what the very best of Walt Disney World truly is. Two classic segments that haven’t been heard in quite a while will also be returning, in “Back to the Future” and “Disney Don’t Forget the Lyrics”. Since it’s debut in January 2008, “Back to the Future” has allowed the WDWNT Podcast crew to educate listeners on the past, present, and future of Walt Disney World while honoring a favorite film series of the same name. “Disney Don’t Forget the Lyrics” was the first trademark game show on the WDW News Today Podcast and has set an example that many other Disney fan podcasts have tried to imitate, but have been unable to duplicate, a game where contestants must remember the lyrics to the classic songs of the Disney Parks. Over on the Disneyland News Today Podcast, the “What Were They Thinking” segment will find a new home. In this segment, the DLNT Staff will look at the various decisions made by Disneyland Management both past and present and try to figure out “What Were They Thinking?!?”. This segment will also be part of the all new DLNT Interactive program being introduced

At many times during our continuous evolution, we have brought you some new and experimental projects, one of the longer-lasting and well known was “Your Ear to the World”. On June 10th, 2009, the “Your Ear to the World” podcast had its final episode. This was a fun and innovative project for us over the last year, but we have decided to retire it to make room for a more unique method of bringing you audio experiences. The name of our latest and perhaps most exciting project to date is WDWNTunes.

Introducing WDWNTunes!!!

What is WDWNTunes? WDWNTunes is a streaming online radio station that will bring listeners audio from the Disney Parks, as well as exclusive content from the WDWNT Network. The main site for WDWNTunes will also provide listeners with a chat room, a full listing of our current audio library, a broadcasting schedule (coming soon!), and much more. In addition, WDWNTunes will be the new home of our WDWNT Live! shows, an opportunity to join us join us each month for a live interactive podcast. The first WDWNT Live! presented on WDWNTunes will be taking place on July 8, 2009, and will be a special show to commemorate our two year anniversary. Be sure to stay tuned for more details on this special show as we get closer to that date. In the mean time, you can find WDWNTunes online at www.wdwntunes.com and follow WDWNTunes on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wdwntunes and on Facebook at this link.

More To Come

If all of this news wasn’t enough from the WDWNT Network, we invite you to join us for the Town Square Talk segment during Episode 100 of the WDW News Today Podcast and Episode 70 of the Disneyland News Today Podcast for a few more pieces of news, as well as a blockbuster special announcement that will shake the very foundation of the WDWNT Network.

WDW News Today and the WDWNT Network is proud to present this full line-up of changes and additions to you, our audience, and hope you will continue to be a part of our still growing community. We are truly thankful for your devotion to our websites and podcasts and would like you to know that the last two years would have never been possible without your support. We hope you are as excited as we are about these new efforts in continuing to “Bridge the Gaps Between You and the World”.

Tom Corless
Owner of the WDWNT Network