Media Helping Media has received a request for advice about how a national newspaper should go about introducing newsroom convergence. The person who contacted us had met resistance to change from senior staff who were producing news for the print run.
The problem is not unusual. In my experience, the dominant output area of a media house, whether it be a newspaper or a TV channel, rarely welcomes convergence.
It’s often viewed as a distraction and, at times, even a threat. So it is not unusual to find senior editors failing to embrace the steps needed to make convergence work.
It’s often met with negativity or, possibly worse, token accommodation.
What is required is for top management of the media house to set out the business imperatives.
They need to make clear that convergence WILL happen, and explain WHY convergence is essential for the media business.
They need to document WHAT it will involve, HOW it will be implemented, and WHO will do WHAT.
Convergence needs to be part of a NEW business model with a clear business plan.
There needs to be unwavering buy-in from all senior management.
Once they have totally embraced convergence, based on business logic, they need to set out clearly the steps needed to make convergence happen.
They then need to articulate that decision to all staff and make clear how all departments will be affected.
Staff concerns and fears need to be addressed. These could include the following:
- That convergence could lead to a dilution of responsibilities and erosion of status.
- How to manage different publishing cycles – daily or weekly versus ‘as soon as possible’.
- Having to learn new technologies.
- That it’s the thin end of the wedge – rather than evolution.
- That it will lead to a decline in quality.
The media house needs to become a content factory, gathering, producing, and distributing news to every platform the audience turns to for information.
All barriers need to be removed. New structures need to be put in place.
There needs to be one ‘command-and-control’ area where senior editors or news producers sit. This is often referred to as the superdesk.
Representatives from input, production, and output need to be in close proximity; they need to ‘breathe the same air’ and hear the same news calls.
They need to share knowledge and be able to discuss breaking news developments continually throughout the day.
There will be one main news meeting where senior staff, whether they are from print, broadcast, online, planning, social media, or fact checking are present.
All should attend the meeting prepared to explain and set out how each area will contribute to the production process.
Deadlines change. Output is no longer the next bulletin or edition but rather as soon as the facts have been sourced and verified.
Staff objectives will have to change. Convergence becomes a business objective.
That decision needs to filter down to become a departmental objective, a unit objective, and a personal objective for every member of staff – from the most senior to the most junior.
Convergence needs to be a central objective in all staff appraisals.
Everyone will be assessed in terms of how they contributed to the success of the business strategy.
Convergence will be different for every media house.
It needs to be tailored so that it is the perfect fit for the location, the media business and its potential, and the audience and its needs.
Every media house has to put in the work to ensure that convergence is right for them, that it’s right for the audience, and that it is right for local market conditions.
Two useful questions to ask are:
- Is the media business keeping up with changing audience behaviour?
- Is it positioned to take advantage of every content exploitation opportunity that might arise now and in the future?
- Is it informing the public debate on every device users turn to in order to access information?
Convergence is about survival and ensuring future viability.
Staff will have their doubts – that’s normal – but there’s no room for agnosticism or cynicism.
Related resources
We have more resources about convergence, how to introduce it, and the workflows and roles and responsibilities involved.
