Online Newsroom Investment - 2006 Annual Report

After several years of uncertainty about the future of convergence — the merging of operations of different media, such as print, Web and TV, into a more integrated newsroom — it appeared in 2005 that a clearer picture had formed. Though uneasiness from the “old media” toward the upstarts from the online world remains, cooperation and integration appear to be on the upswing.

A lot of the attention in 2005 on newsroom convergence centered on the New York Times, which announced in August it would have its print and online staffs fully integrated by the spring of 2007.14

A memo from the executive editor, Bill Keller, to the paper’s newsroom suggests a previous period of adjustment and a future of further collaboration:

“The reporting and editing staff at the original newsroom is much more at ease with the Web, more eager to embrace it both as an opportunity for invention and an alternative way to reach our demanding audience.”15

How might an integrated Times workforce operate? The people at the Times’ revamped site have been able to take advantage of the multimedia capability of the Web and produce pieces that appeared in multiple media formats.16

Some questions remain about how much integration will actually occur at those news organizations that have announced plans to combine their print and digital forces.17 Of course, a critical issue is whether journalists end up doing double time producing both print and online content.

Ad sales teams for some organization have begun to integrate as well. Several companies have embraced more cooperation and collaboration, including Dow Jones and the Washington Post Company. According to Gordon Crovitz, senior vice president at Dow Jones, where one unit handles both print and online ad sales, “the physical closeness of print and online has allowed for ongoing cooperation and communication that has allowed for planning across platforms. It’s a very close and very easy relationship.”18

Other news sites may be taking more of a hybrid approach to their sales operations. For example, the New York Times has a combined sales force for its real estate and recruitment divisions , but maintains separate and teams for other advertising categories. 19