Convergence´s fundamental question

Convergence´s fundamental question

1. What is convergence?

   • It as a way to protect their (media group) place in the market
   • As a change to deliver news and information to consumers in a new and different way, or to expand the franchise.
   • In some parts of the world
     • Involves a reporter wo is a specialist in a particular areato repurse information
       • Like Marca, Spain
     • The convergence process is more like to involve a daily newspaper partnering with a local television channel
       • Like in United States
         • Five forms of convergence in USA
           • 1. Ownerships convergence
             • Between large media companies
               • The most common is Television and newspapers
           • 2. Structural convergence
             • When media companies re-organize the newroom and introduce news positions
           • 3. Technology convergence
             • Is not possible that one person cover a major story adequately
           • 4. Storytelling convergence
             • It operates at the level of working journalism
               • New forms of storytelling. New digital presentations platforms
                 • Desktop computers, Portable devices and interactive television
   • Is important the team
     • The significance of the story will dictate the size of the team

2. Competition models: the business ideal

   • The business model sees multiple-platform publishing as a way to increase productivity
     • Cross-promotion of other media outlets in the same group offers a way to market other members of a group
       • Major opportunities to sell multiple-medial advertising campaigns
         • Concept co-opertition
           • Amalgam of competition and co-operation. This is the new form of business

3. Competing models: The journalistic ideal

   • Is how can it presents its content in such a way that consumers can scan it quickly and get informative
     • "Convergence offers the audience new ways of absorbing news rather than just offering journalist (...)

4. What is driving convergence?

   • The main one is the changing attitudes and lifestyles of news consumers
     • Consumers used multiple media simultaneously
     • Market fragmentation
     • The total amount of money available to media organizations has not change
       • Convergence improves a media company´s chance of rearching as many people as posible

5. Barries to convergence

   • Legislation
     • In some countries, a company from owning a daily newspaper and television channel in the same market has understandably limited the convergence process
   • Plan and execute any from of multiple-platform publishing when no maps or guidelines were available
     • Easy
       • Convergence include a focused leadership, the same owner, flexible culture...
     • Difficult
       • When convergence organize in different owners, multiple managers, inflexible cultures...
   • The availability of appropiate technology

6. Evolution of convergence around the world

   • Mono-media companies were transforming into multimedia comapnies
     • 73% of members of the World Association of Newspapers had reported some covergence
     • Europa
     • Scandinavian nations are advanced
     • Middle East. Alliances within the Arab media
       • Competition for advertisers and the rising cost of staff have contributed
       • A huge increase in Arab-lenguage media

7. Key factors relate to convergence

   • Management buy-in in the sense that management is seen to suppport and expect convergence
   • The transformation occur in the minds of editorial managers
   • Media convergence has nothing to do with technology or architecture. It has everything to do with mindset
     • Technology is a tool for doing better journalism, but it need to training to use these tool effectively
   • Placing of people with different skills in the same physical space to generate trust and sharing of ideas, which leads to synergy
   • News organizations needs a way to flow information and content through the organization in such a way as to make content available for multiple platforms
   • Cultural factors can encourage or inhibit convergence
   • Education, in the sense of exposure to ideas