Introduction

Traditional newsrooms often struggle with meeting the demands and expectations of their constantly shifting audience. Media consumers would now like to be served news whenever they want, in whatever format they prefer and on the platform which is most convenient for them. This change process often include a total rethinking of content strategy and brand engagement. Participants would leave this workshop with a deeper understanding and knowledge on how to plan and guide their newsrooms through the change process.

Outline

Day 1:

• Introduction
• Presentation and group exercise: Audience focus
• Presentation: Navigating the New Media World
• Team exercise:  Story planning
• Teams present their story plans
• Group discussion:  What stands in the way of coverage like this?
• Presentation:  Newsroom organizational models
• Exercise:  What would work in my newsroom?
• Group discussion on newsroom models
• Homework assignment (good and bad bosses) and adjourn

Day 2:

• Homework discussion (good and bad bosses)
• Group discussion and presentation:  Newsroom organization and leadership
• Presentation: Emerging story forms
• Presentation: New roles for the new newsroom
• Presentation:  Change and change management
• Exercise: What should my newspaper do?
• Group discussion
• Exercise:                  
• Individual presentations
• Concluding discussion 

Trainer

Randy CovingtonRandy Covington is the Director of the WAN-IFRA Newsplex at the University of South Carolina, with a diverse media background that includes reporting for the Associated Press, running television news department and providing training and consulting to news organization around the world. Experienced in all facets of newsroom evaluation, organization, management and operation.

Randy works with and trains leading media houses worldwide on convergence strategies and newsroom organizations. Clients include Voice of America, the Financial Times in London, Grupo Ferre Rangel in San Juan Puerto Rico and many others.  He was twice honoured for the best broadcast coverage of education in the nation, and has received numerous regional RTNDA awards as well as state AO and broadcast association honours.