Introduction: Traditional newsrooms often struggle with meeting the demands and expectations of their constantly shifting audience. Media consumers expect to be served news whenever they want, in whatever format they prefer, and on the platform which is most convenient for them. This, coupled with major economic changes in the publishing industry, has led to the demand for transformation and change in media houses worldwide.

The transformation process often include a total rethinking of content strategy and brand engagement, cross platform full integration, moving multiple brands into one newsroom space, redesigning workflows and structures for increased effectiveness and efficiency. How to design, implement and sustain these kinds of changes is at the forefront of many publishers and editors minds.

This one-day workshop includes:

■ New newsroom models for integration, cross title re-organisation and sharing of resources from around the world

■ Lessons learned on content, brand and platform strategy rethinking

■ Tips on managing editorial change: strategic, cultural and psychological change

■ Focus on leadership requirements on multiple levels during stressful times

Outcome: The participants are expected to leave with a deeper understanding and knowledge of how to plan and guide their newsrooms through the change process.

More about the topic: In the newspaper industry everyone is talking about the reasons why newspaper publishers need to start creating and distributing content across a variety of digital platforms. However, more information and support is needed when it comes to transforming newsrooms and implementing complex change processes within editorial.

One of the major stumbling blocks facing editorial management is working out the strategy and roadmap for changing from a print centric operation to handling continuous online deadlines and marrying print copy with multimedia content as well as finding new ways to balance resources.  These significant shifts in the daily business of newsrooms throw up issues connected with changes to workflow, activities, roles and responsibilities, shift patterns, technology, training and changing and established culture of a newsroom. Many newsrooms find it difficult to get these types of changes off the ground and to sustain them long term.

Target group: Publishers, management executives, newsroom management, and those leading editorial transformation projects within editorial.

Trainer: As co-founder of the Institute for Media Strategies, Sarah Schantin-Williams is an expert in implementing difficult change processes in media organisations.

With a background in anthropology and leading change in a variety of industries, Sarah works as a coach and consultant, supporting publishers and editors make strategic concepts a daily reality through planning, implementing and sustaining successful transformation.

Over recent years Sarah has worked on designing new products and services to increase brand engagement with target group focus, reorganizing for integration (cross platform and brand), workflow and structure redesign for resource changes, internal communication strategies, implementing innovation methodologies and tools, devising and carrying out leadership coaching and education programs. With journalists, Sarah trains in cross media storytelling, audience focused planning and content development. Sarah’s current projects are in South East Europe, Sweden and the Caribbean.

Welcome!