News agencies urged to adapt to media convergence era

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - News agencies must quickly adapt to the era of media convergence so they can continue to play their role as sources of news, a journalistic expert said.

Speaking at a scientific discussion on the occasion of the 13th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) here on Monday, Prof Oliver Boyd-Barrett from the Browling Green State University, Ohio, said in the era of media convergence, news agencies must adapt their products to the market need.

From the point of view of defining business models and business viability, news agencies in 2007 had rarely and collectively experienced a better period, he said.

They had found a role, after all, in the age of the Internet, and had learnt to dominate the Internet as news providers, he said.

"They have done so at a time when, in the Western World, retail news media suffer circulation and advertising losses and continue to cut back in their reporting strength," he said.

As a result, their need for news agencies` services increased, while in many parts of the developing world, there had been a profusion of new newspapers and broadcasters and new advertising income, and all of this increased the demand for news agencies` services, he said.

"Despite these differences between `developed` and `developing` worlds, in many ways we may say that news agencies around the world are converging towards the business model pioneered in the developed world, the market-driven model of news, a model that is open to multiple revenue streams, some related to content, others to cognate service areas," he said.

Meanwhile, OANA President Datuk Azman Ujang saw the urgency in reforming news agencies` roles in the face of media convergence era.

"In the face of imbalanced information flows between developed and developing nations, OANA must take concrete actions and improve the quality of their information services," Datuk Azman Ujang said.

"OANA must encourage close cooperation among its members," he said.

ANTARA President Director Ahmad Muchlis Yusuf said the news agency had no other choice but to look at the market potentials and demand for its products to withstand competition in the era of media convergence.

So far, there has been tendency to develop a combination of print, audio and visual media. "This requires news agencies to be more proactive and to adapt to latest developments in information technology," he said.

Muhammad Alwi Dahlan, communications professor of the University of Indonesia (UI), said a better knowledge of the rapidly growing information technology is a prerequisite to pave the way for the agenda of news agencies` reforms.

The 13th OANA General Assembly which will last from Dec 9 to 14 is themed "News Agencies in the Media Convergence Era: Strengthening and Promoting Asia Pacific Voices".