Media is going through a phase of convergence. Media convergence is a term that has many meanings depending on the context. In journalism convergence refers to the blurring of the limits between various different media (broadcast, print, Internet) and their production routines. (Masip, Cabrera & others 2007, 3).
In a wider sense, according to Encyclopedia Britannica media convergence means the
“phenomenon involving the interlocking of computing and information technology companies, telecommunications networks and content providers from the publishing worlds of newspapers, magazines, music, radio, television, films and entertainment software. Media convergence brings together the “three Cs” of computing,
communications and content” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011).
Lawson-Borders offers a more simple definition of the term media convergence.
According to her the term can be defined as “the combining of old (traditional) media with new media for the dissemination of news, information and entertainment. This could occur as content or product” (Lawson-Borders 2006, ix).
Convergence offers an opportunity for the traditional media to fully benefit from the technologies of the 21st century. One of the goals of convergence for media
organizations is to integrate content on different media platforms to connect users (Lawson-Borders 2003, 91). Convergence also represents a cultural shift as circulation of media content in some cases is heavily dependent on audience’s active participation.
(Jenkins 2006, 3). Examples of this can be seen in the sharing of news stories on social media networks like Facebook and in linking to news articles on various discussion boards.
Media companies’ logic behind the convergence of different media platforms is that it will bring them a bigger audience including more ratings, subscribers and website traffic (Lawson-Borders 2003, 91). Bigger audience usually also means more
advertising revenues. Convergence poses also a risk for media conglomerates because it can cause fragmentation of their markets. For example every time a company moves content from its print publication or television channel to the Internet or vice versa, there is risk that the audience will not return to the content (Jenkins 2006, 19).
The convergence of media has happened on technological and on industry levels. On the technological level news content has been converted to digital forms that can be delivered through the Internet to computers and other computer-like devices such as smart phones. On the industry level media, technology and telecommunications
companies have merged or formed alliances to develop new profitable business models to spread the digital content (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011).
The driving force behind technological convergence is the concentration of media ownership. Multinational media corporations have controlling interests in the whole entertainment and news industries. Warner Bros. in the United States, for example, produces all kinds of media content from film, television and music to computer games and toys and from newspapers and magazines to books and comics (Jenkins, 2006, 16).
Media convergence is not only a shift in technology. It has to also be seen as having its own cultural logic. According to Deuze convergence “blurs the lines between different channels, forms and formats, between different parts of the media enterprise, between the acts of production and consumption, between making media and using media, and
between active or passive spectatorship of mediated culture” (Deuze 2008, 103). It also changes the relationship between existing technologies, markets, industries and
audiences. Convergence transforms the media industries’ operation logic and the way media consumers deal with news and entertainment. The convergence of media and the spreading of smart phones, laptops and tablet computers are pushing us to an era where media is everywhere (Jenkins, 2006, 15-16).
From the perspective of fragmented media audiences, convergence can be seen as a tool. Convergence modifies the media consumers from passive readers, viewers and listeners to active audience. New technology such as social networking applications like Facebook and Twitter give audiences a new way to interact with journalists behind the news stories. Social media also allows audiences to create their own mass media content (Rodica, 2011, 49).
For many journalists the convergence of media means that they are expected to create news content for multiple platforms. For example a reporter has to make different versions of same piece of news for television, radio and web. This means that the journalist has to know how to use different content production tools such as audio and video editing software.
The multi-skilled journalists working in multimedia newsrooms have to decide which platforms to use for reporting each story, and in the case of multimedia productions they have to be able to create story packages instead of reporting single stories in multiple platforms (Deuze 2005a, 451). They also have to adapt to the characteristics and language of various mediums. These demands on journalists’ skills could lead to a new job description as the ‘converged journalist’.
Convergence may seem tempting to editorial managers and publishers who may believe that multi-skilled journalists are potentially able to produce more stories for the same cost. In this case the organization might cut costs because of better productivity. This can be translated as hiring multi-skilled reporters, means hiring less reporters (Rodica 2011, 52).
In Finland, the latest example of media convergence is the Sanoma Corporation’s fusion of its newsrooms at Nelosen Uutiset and Helsingin Sanomat. At the same time,
Helsingin Sanomat will start to write news for Radio Aalto and Radio Rock. This whole reorganization will take place in autumn 2012. According to Eero Hyvönen, the editor-in-chief of Nelosen Uutiset, the aim of the fusion is to offer news in a new way in different mediums (online, mobile, radio, television and print). At least in the beginning, no journalists will be kicked out because of the fusion (Journalisti 2011c).