See me. Feel me. Touch me. Read me.

The trend toward hyper-local news continued this week as Seattle-based Fisher Communications announced the launch of 38 neighborhood news Web sites.

Fisher operates radio and TV stations in Oregon, Seattle and Idaho. The company said the new "hyper-local" sites combine reporting from its stations with online Web templates. As with many hyper-local outlets, much of the content is user-generated.

Hyper-local sites are one of the latest attempts by traditional media outlets to recapture lost ad revenues, as more advertising dollars are spent on new technologies.

Um…like…you know

In communications, “trigger words” are those words or phrases that press our buttons and cause a strong emotional reaction. So which word pulls the biggest trigger?

According to a Marist poll released yesterday, “whatever” tops the list. The poll found that 47% of Americans just can’t stand “whatever.” Other terms Americans found annoying include “you know” and the ever-popular “it is what it is.”

The poll breaks down distaste of particularly grating words by region, age, income, education, race and gender.

Read the whole story here. Or don’t. Whatever.

"Mass" Media

For an institution so steeped in tradition, the Vatican is taking a progressive look at how new technologies and the media can lead to increased readership of the Bible.

Reuters recently reported that an assembly of Catholic bishops has called for the use of mass communications, including the Internet, iPods and DVDs, to help spread the “Divine Word.”

This recent embrace of new technologies is nothing new for the Vatican, which launched one of the first Web sites in Europe. The site, which continues to impress, was introduced under Pope John Paul II, who was considered to be extremely media savvy.

Read the story here.