Like jazz, journalism is an industry built on improvisation. That analogy has its momentum nowadays, along with the revolution in the digital technology. "All of media institutions try to find new equilibrium," said Emmanuel Hoog, CEO of Agence France Presse (AFP), during his speech during "4M Journalism and Social Media Conference", held by Canal Francais International (CFI) at Montpellier, France, June 14th 2013.
The conference attended by journalists, bloggers and media business people from 35 countries, including Mardiyah Chamim, Tempo's journalist. This event was aiming to figure out the new landscape of media business, and how to find new balance in social media millennium. Digital, Internet and social media have totally changed the face of media. Information no longer provided by newspaper, magazine, television and radio. Everybody can access and create, at the same time, information simply by few finger clicks. Many of newspaper has suffered, some of them facing bankruptcy, and some has to switched its form from printing to online–happened with Newsweek, early this year.
"Unfortunately, the silver bullet has not been found. There is no ideal business model for media to get out from this apparent crisis," Emmanuel Hoog said. A business model that fit for one newspaper, might not effective for other. It depends on each media, with each context and society characteristic. Improvisation, therefore, become the real recipe for running media business.
Mr. Hoog shared his experience as CEO of AFP, one of the largest news agencies in the world, founded in 1835. In 2012, the agency sales €289.6 million, increase by €4.2 million compare with previous year. Here are some points from Mr. Hoog, presented as Q & A, following his speech during the conference.
What is the most dramatic change that you experience as CEO of the oldest news agency in the world?
Well, we are now facing Internet and digital technology shifted the media consumption. Years ago media has distinctive segment, people read newspaper in the morning while having breakfast, then listen to radio, and later on watch television. The way of media consumption has being shattered within last decade by digital and social media wave.
There are three main issues that we have to face. The most obvious paradox is we have to provide solid information, with analytical view, during the information flood that coming fast from everywhere. This is the most challenging situation for all of us.
In this super fast and flooding information era, how do we put value into our news?
My answer is not quite clearly for this. In this flooding information, we experience devaluation of news. Some time information spreads without context. We can no longer put value into our news, like we use to do in conventional newspaper. I do not know whether this situation going on by years. How do we put editorial value into the situation of devaluation of news value?
How far the economic crisis in Europe and US affected media business?
This is actually the big issue: who should pay for information. We know that all this time people do not pay for newspaper they read. Advertisements mostly subsidized operational cost, including the cost of digging information process by journalist. People just buy paper with little price, sometime even free of charge. The question now is, do we still use this model? Should people pay for every news he or she read in actual price, and how? I see it would be very difficult, perhaps because some clients are poor because of economic crisis.
How does AFP handle the change of media landscape during economic turmoil?
Few years ago, people talked about the bleak future of big news agency like AFP. There are several news agencies like us around the world. When everybody can create news and information, how news agency could live? Is it possible that we wait for the death of news agency, like dinosaurs?
Should we despair? No. We all strive for new balance. We see the future belong to image and multimedia. You cannot have anymore headline without picture or video. Three years ago, AFP decided to work on video. We inserted 20 video in the text news each day. Then we realize that video attracts more ads and contributes five percent increase of our revenue last year. Now we produce 200 video and info graphic every day. Video has saved us.
Business is not as easy before though. Being independent is the key - people would not buy our product if our news is biased.
What's next that media need to do?
Media cannot compete with social media. We have to engage and absorb the dynamic of social media users. Bloggers, twitter, facebook, are our partner.
We need more interactive system.
MARDIYAH CHAMIM (MONTPELLIER, FRANCE)
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The complete and printed version of this interview is available in Tempo English (Weekly), July 1 – 6, 2013.
