FIRST CHANGE EVERYTHING Producing video for the small screen HOW WE WANTED OUR NEWSROOMS TO WORK VASANTHAVASANTHA ANGAMUTHU ANGAMUTHU | |INDEPENDENT INDEPENDENT MEDIA MEDIA SA | INMAMAY 2019 HOW OUR NEWSROOMS WORKED VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 CONTENT 1. ABOUT US 2. FIRST CHANGE EVERYTHING a. STRATEGY b. STRUCTURE c. PERFORMANCE METRICS d. WORKFLOWS 3. OUR VIDEO PLAY: EXAMPLES 4. WHAT WE LEARNED VASANTHAVASANTHA ANGAMUTHU ANGAMUTHU | |INDEPENDENT INDEPENDENT MEDIA MEDIA SA | INMAMAY 2019 ABOUT US WHERE WE WERE … ABOUT US Powerful heritage newspapers Loyal print readers THE OPPORTUNITY One of SA’s largest newsrooms 1. Brand independent as a digital first, print Digital audience of 4.5M best experience Daily readership of 2 million 2. Meet readers where they are Weekend readership 1.5 million 3. Build content solutions for advertisers Vernacular & community papers 4. Tell stories in any format - text, images, readership 2.8 million video and graphics 5. Free newsrooms from the tyranny of print 6. Experiment, Test, Measure, Make Changes and do it all over again VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 THE KEY CHALLENGES 1. CREAKY PRINT WORKFLOWS 2. DIGITAL GHETTO – SMALL SEPARATE DIGITAL TEAM 3. JOURNALISTS UNSURE OF DIGITAL, MOBILE AND VIDEO 4. EDITORS UNSURE OF THEIR PLACE IN A NEW WORLD SCRIPTED BY GOOGLE, FACEBOOK AND NEW MEDIA 5. REVENUE TAPS RUNNING DRY WHILE MASSIVE INVESTMENT NEEDED IN NEW TECH 6. LITTLE DATA AND SCIENCE DRIVING THE BUSINESS 7. NEW ‘ALIEN’ CONTENT FORMATS: VIDEO, AUDIO, SLIDESHOWS … VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 WHAT WE NEEDED TO FIX THE BUSINESS THE NEWSROOM THE TOOLS 1. Designed around print: 1. Resistant to new skills 1. IT infrastructure had not skills, workflows, 2. Resistance from editors to kept pace infrastructure and new workflows/structure 2. Years of under-investment objectives/KPAs 3. No cohesion by previous owners, from 2. Head in the sand about a. Separate digital/print storage to security shifts in the industry: b. Did not work across 3. Content Management • Growth of digital and geographies System could not handle social media c. Duplication of beats new digital workflows • Flight of readers to new 4. Non existent digital skills: 4. Journalists did not have platforms a. No understanding of SEO smart phones • The changed realities b. No video skills 5. Data was too expensive of media economics including the shift of c. No content produced for advertising spend to anything but newspapers digital and mobile d. Slow VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 STRATEGY | STRUCTURE | PERFORMANCE METRICS | WORKFLOWS WHAT WE CHANGED FIRST CHANGE EVERYTHING BAR STRATEGY Build the BRAND | Grow AUDIENCE | Grow REVENUE NEW STRUCTURE National newsroom | Regional newsrooms | Production FIRST PMS Editors Playbooks | New KPIs for journalists WORKFLOWS Digital First, Print Best | Living Diaries | Live Diary | WhatsApp Groups PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Modernise Print | Grow Digital | Build Video | Fast and Slow LEARNING MOJO | Training Tuesdays | Internships | Bootcamps | Master Classes THE BAR STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK BRAND AUDIENCE REVENUE Custom Content Tech-led content company Improve Reader Experience Content Services Digital First, Print Best Augment Print Digital Campaigns An African media brand Reach readers where they are Programmatic Innovative & Experimental Deliver Video Events Media for Social Good Video All editors report against BAR Resulted in our first Performance Management System with BAR metrics Knitted a large organisation of separate business entities behind a common strategic framework AND collective goals VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 NEWSROOM STRUCTURE 1. New focus on digital 2. The creation of national Specialized Content Business Units in key content areas • Lifestyle • Politics • Business • Sport Title 3. A restructuring of teams that worked on the Live newsrooms newspaper titles - smaller, tighter teams with Newsroom x 17 a new focus on Metro journalism 4. Appointment of Live Editors (digital first editors) at the same level as Assignment National Editorial Newsrooms Editors who, together, formed the Live Production Newsroom and who co-ordinated the efforts X 4 of the newsrooms with respect to breaking news and video 5. Appointment of Content Producers 6. Journalists re-appointed as Multi Media Journalists VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT The group's first Performance Management System for Editorial including: 1. Brand Maps for each title that spoke to the Group’s strategic intent 2. Editor's Playbooks (annual plan) which set out print, digital and commercial KPAs and KPIs 3. Key Performance Indicators for all journalists that included measurable print and digital tasks Initially focused on delivery of digital first content 1. Publish to digital 2. Produce Video 3. Produce digital packages 4. Annual Skills Audit to measure success VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 PRINT REDESIGN 1. Unify 14 regional brands behind Brand Independent with common design language 2. Spend less time on newspaper production 3. Modernise for a digital first consumer 4. Align to BAR - brand, audience, revenue 5. Make it easier for content and production teams to deliver newspapers in less time but with more and better content 6. Link print to digital via tools such as Augmented Reality to trigger video content 7. Introduction of card: News You Can Use; Digital First; Lists and Guides VASANTHA ANGAMUTHU | INDEPENDENT MEDIA SA | INMA 2019 PRINT REDESIGN — FOUNDED 1876, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA [ WWW.IOL.CO.ZA ] TUESDAY, MAY 14 2019 — capetimes.co.za SPORT | 20 Wynona swipes at rugby bosses Vodacom stock risesRACISM 3.28% STOPS in WITH ME welcome trend – Astral Foods ELECTION ‘hit by imports, dumping’ LIFESTYLE | 6 | 11 Seth Shezi addresses fashion skills METRO | 2 DA stands firmly Delft resident 115 years old, still in poverty behind Maimane EDITORIAL STARTING POINT (WITH NO SKYBOX AD) While ANC announces seven of its eight premiers-elect MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA THE federal executive of the DA has thrown its weight behind party leader Mandela Bay Federal Congress, and his Mmusi Maimane following speculation unopposed election in 2018,” Trollip EDITORIAL STARTING POINT (WITH SKYBOX AD) about his future after his party shed 2% said. of the national vote. He also said they were faced with a party that occupies governments that This as the ANC, after a special meet internal challenges and significant serve around 15-million people, and the ing of the national executive committee changes in the political landscape, way they campaigned. (NEC) last night, announced seven of including the rise of nationalism on The review was something that hap it’s eight premiers-elect in the eight - both the left and the right. pens from time to time, he explained. provinces that they run. The North West “In short, both internally and exter The party last held a review in 2005 premier-elect will be announced “in due nally there were matters we had to grap while under the leadership of Tony - course”. ple with. We will be the first to state that Leon, Trollip said. - Speaking after the DA federal execu these factors had a role to play in our While not willing to talk about their CASTER Semenya’s fight against the International Association of Athletics Federations continues to gather support, with Sports Minister Tokozile tive meeting yesterday, the party said it electoral fortunes,” Trollip said. - challenges, he said they would start a Xasa announcing Athletics South Africa would be filing an appeal at the Swiss Federal Tribunal. took responsibility for the outcomes of “As the DA we are holding the listening campaign in provinces and elections whether good or bad. - moderate non-racial centre ground; an regions. Speaking on the organisational “That burden does not sit on the important position in the rise of pop review, Fedex chairperson James Selfe NATION shoulders of an individual,” federal ulism.” said they have a way to select candidates chairperson Athol Trollip said at a press The party lost some votes to Good and evaluate public representatives. - conference. and Freedom Front Plus as well official “We want to see whether those | KAMRAN JEBREILI Trollip said Maimane remained their opposition in KwaZulu-Natal among systems are appropriate to serve for a Semenya’s appeal gaining momentum AP Photo our leader until a federal congress sched others. Its majority was reduced in the different constituency we had in 2004,” uled for 2021 decided otherwise. Western Cape, down to 55.45%. Selfe said. “Any talk of a change of a leadership “Where the losses occurred, we will Meanwhile, the ANC’s premiers- OCKERT DE VILLIERS change before a federal congress must be- work on regaining the trust of the peo elect in seven of its eight provinces are dispelled,” he said. ple as we head into the 2021 Local Sihle Zikalala in KwaZulu-Natal, David CASTER Semenya’s fight against the “As the leadership of the party, at Government Elections. This starts with Makhura in Gauteng, Oscar Mabuyane IAAF has gathered momentum, with the According to the ministry, ASA both a national and provincial level, two by-elections taking place in Nelson- in the Eastern Cape, Zamani Saul in government set to approach the UN and applied for two of the arbitrators to we are unambiguous in our support Mandela Bay as early as Wednesday; Northern Cape, Sisi Ntombela in Free Athletics SA (ASA) to appeal the Court recuse themselves