Conference program
09:00 – 09:30 Registration and coffee
09:30 Introduction
Gerd Van den Eede, Academic director, Mechelen University College (KHMechelen)
09:35 – 10:50 Plenary session
A. How to reposition the media industries
Is the Internet a clear and present danger for publishers and broadcasters to both revenues and circulation. To succeed in a multichannel environment, media companies need to become a trusted source for consumers, wherever they happen to be. Publishers and broadcasters have to find ways to distribute their content in the most convenient way, form, attitude and time pad to the well defined user groups, thus combating news cannibalization.
Presenters
(1) Grzegorz Piechota, Special projects editor, “Gazeta Wyborcza”, Republic of Poland, European vice-president, INMA
topic: Come back to the audience. An inspiring story about the re-birth of an intimate and passionate relationship between media creators and their users from the best read daily newspaper in Poland.
(2) Rik Van Cauwelaert, Knack, Roularta, Belgium
topic: Valorizing qualitative journalism.
(3) Jan Servaes, professor and head of Communication Department, University of Massachusetts, USA
topic: Surviving in a 24/7 media shock and awe -- distracted by everything
Moderator: Nico Verplancke, IBBT (Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology), Belgium
10:50 – 11:10 Break (20 minutes)
11:10 – 12:10 Parallel session
B. When do Local Media rock?
Regional media press is vital to serve local communities. The old mantra "think global, act local" is even more important today than it ever was. Local media are actually making a pretty good job in adapting to the changes introduced by social media and consumer generated media. As more and more content is moving to the internet, online media may indeed have many benefits. But which topics are relevant and how local should the content then be? Can hyper local media be profitable?
(1) Marcel Grauls, Community manager, Het Belang van Limburg, Belgium
topic: Portrait of a regional newspaper based on community spirit and innovative ideas.
(2) Roman Gallo, Director, CEO, PPF Media, the Czech Republic
topic: A multimedia project with a real social network
(3) Bart Brouwers, Lokaal Online Telegraaf Media Nederland.
topic: Hyper local success requires a symbiosis between professionals and amateur journalists.
Moderator: Frank Hellemans, lecturer and MEC-researcher, Mechelen University College, Belgium
C. Rethinking the Media Audience
Do editors have a clear view of who their consumers are and what they want?
Will aspects like user convenience, control and adaptation will be more important than quality and exclusiveness when consuming news and information? How can we redefine the media audience to user segments?
Presenters
(1)Karin De Bruyn, strategic director, These Days, Belgium
Topic: Media consumers segmented by motivation
(2) Kees Winkel, researcher Hogeschool Utrecht, Netherlands
Topic: Mentality as a segmentation model in crossmedia strategies
(3) Dimitri Schuurman, researcher, IBBT/MICT, UG (Universiteit Gent)
Topic: Media consumers segmented by (new) media usage
Moderator: Philip De Wulf, managing fellow, psilogy, Belgium
12:10 – 13:30 Lunch (80 minutes)
13:30 – 14:30 Parallel session
D. Cross-media, business models, journalism models for User Generated Content.
The modern media landscape is a mixture of applications, platforms and media blended with advanced navigational structures in support of various kinds of activities including marketing, gaming, collaboration, blogging, and much more. What are profitable economic models in the converging media industries? How can User Generated Content be integrated to get a community more involved with the content and brand. How can UGC be moderated? Can the implementation of UGC have a positive impact on the amount of site visitors and advertising revenues?
Presenters
Piet Bakker, Business models and New Media. Hogeschool Utrecht, Netherlands
Steve Paulussen, researcher, professor, IBBT/MICT, UG (Universiteit Gent), Belgium
Alex Beishuizen, managing editor of Intermediair, VNU, Netherlands
Moderator: Ronny Lannoo, general adviser, Unizo; board member of ‘Unie van de Uitgevers van de Periodieke Pers (UPP), Member of the organisation of journalists of the periodical press, Belgium.
E. Inclusion vs protection: the Social Internet.
The European research project INCLUSO shows that ICT , and more specific social software, can improve the social inclusion of young people. Other European research concludes that underdeveloped internet users are especially vulnerable in their online behavior. How should the social weak be protected in online environments? How can the privacy of (all) online media users be secured?
Presenters
(1) Wouter Van den Bosch, researcher Memori, KHMechelen, Belgium
topic: Social media for social inclusion
(2) Jo Pierson, researcher, professor, IBBT/SMIT, VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Belgium
topic: Mass self-communication, privacy and user (dis)empowerment
(3) Ben Caudron, Technology sociologist, innovationalist & internet pioneer, Belgium
topic: Traces in the Sand. Musings on People, Digital Media and Privacy
Moderator: Francis Vermeulen, writer, mentor, coach and professional speaker, Belgium
14:30–14:50 Break (20 minutes)
14:50 -15:50 Parallel session
G. Generation Bull’s eye: strategies for targeting Young Adults
This session brings together experts in youth culture- and youth media research to discuss the development of the field, evaluating young people’s changing communication and information needs, and debating on the new theories of youth media usage. Can all youth be reached? What are the critical success factors to reach youth with media and how ‘retro’ is youth today?
Presenters
(1) Vicky Franssen, MEC-researcher, Mechelen University College (KHMechelen), Belgium
topic: Generation Y and news, fun-seeking vs traditional.
(2) Sarah De Laet & Inge Kluft, VRT (Flemish Radio and Television broadcasting company), Belgium
topic: Strategies of the Flemish Public Broadcasting Company towards youth initiatives.
(3) Leen d'Haenens & Hatim El Sghiar; KULeuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), Belgium
topic: Television News & Ethnic Minorities: A functional approach.
Moderator: Joke Bauwens, researcher, professor, VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Belgium
H. Techniques to reach Communities with Social Media.
Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. What are the characteristics and possibilities of social media? How can journalists use social media in their day to day work? How social are these media? This session will show how highly accessible at each stage of the media supply process social media are.
A hand-out will be given to all participants to practice these techniques at home.
Presenters
Michaël Opgenhaffen, Lessius University College, Antwerp, Belgium
Erik Hekman, ‘Kenniscentrum Communicatie en Journalistiek’, Hogeschool Utrecht, Netherlands
15:50 – 16:05 Break (15 minutes)
16:10 – 17:05 Parallel session
H. Reflections on Push & Pull media
There are two general approaches when working with media. Traditionally, there was the absolute power of push media. However, time and media have changed fundamentally. Digital TV, blogs, forums, social networks, review sites, video sharing services, virtual worlds, … have created typical pull media environments. What does all this mean for public access channels and community media centers? Do we shift from our well-worn “TV-centric” (one-to-many) model to a “network-centric” (many-to-many) model of communications of social and commercial influence?
Presenters
(1) Jeroen Overstijns, manager Sanoma Online, Belgium
topic: Why pull does (not) work! How surfers think about surfing
(2) Kris Hoet, head of digital, Duval Guillaume
topic: Deserve attention versus buy attention
(3) Philip Macridis, COO of Mobile division Telenet, Belgium
topic: Mobile interactivity
Moderator: Hilde Van den Bulck; professor, Head of Communication Sciences Department, UA (Universiteit Antwerpen), Belgium
I. Inclusive media production
Power shifts from organizations to communities as the media moves away from a ‘broadcast’ model, where a central organization publishes to a large audience, towards a ‘conversational’ model, where smaller groups and individuals are broadcasting and publishing in a participatory way. Does the democratization of media offer new opportunities for minorities to get their voices heard?
Presenters:
(1) Bruce McGregor, manager CSV Media Clubhouse, UK
Topic: Media pluralism via alternative and community media in Ipswich
(2) Sven De Coninck, REC, Belgium
Topic: : Broadcasting Urban Culture(s) - A future model for diverse media – participation
(3) Caroline Gennez, Youth executive for the city of Mechelen, chairwoman of the political party: sp.a, Belgium
Topic: : Youth Empowerment and participative media, strategies from the city of Mechelen
Moderator: Annet Daems, MEC, Mechelen University College (KHMechelen), Belgium
17:10 Reception and Conclusions
