Organizational and Individual Promotion Strategies. The Use of Social Media among the Journalists of the Romanian Public Television

Abstract

IntroductionMedia organizations all around the world have been gradually transformed by the evolution of technology. The interlocking of computers, information technol- ogy, telecommunication networks and the media content generated by newspapers, radio and television transformed the single media, traditional organizations into convergent media or multimedia organizations. Media professionals are required to extend their skills beyond their traditional comfort levels, facing changes in their professional routines and organizational cultures (Quinn & Filak, 2005; Boczkowski, 2004; Rabasca, 2001).The process of digitalization and the growing popularity of social media forced media companies to change their production, editorial and promotion strategies at different levels and paces, depending on their organizational culture. The author selected the Romanian Public Television as a case study because it is interesting to see how a traditional media organization, with a complicated human resources and production system faces the challenges of adopting the new technologies. The case study chosen by the author of this article illustrates how the use of social media as a promotion strategy tool differ significantly, both by department and individual journalists. For instance, while the News Department has live interviews on its social media page, in convergence with the personal Facebook pages of the journalists, as a promotion strategy for the upcoming newscasts on television, other departments or journalists only update their social media pages once a week or even two weeks. According to their level of acceptance of the necessity of social media, and their ability to understand and use the new technologies, various departments, reporters, producers and presenters employ the most appropriate strategies in order to promote their media products. The author of this article uses qualitative methods, such as content analysis and semi-structured interviews with journalists from different departments of the Romanian Public Television, because qualitative inquiry is more suitable to highlight the significant differences in the organizational culture of a media company. The theoretical framework of this research, fragmented organizational culture, successfully supports this analysis, as it illustrates the difference of values and attitudes towards social media and the new promotion technologies.This original research, carried out for the first time in a Romanian media company, has the potential to provide important insight for media practitioners confronted with the challenges of adjusting to the transformations in their organization and trying to perform on a changing media market. They are usually involved in the development of their business or media products through the new technologies, either as free lancers or employees of a small or large media company. This article also provides valuable data for the scientists interested in investigating the effects of the new technologies and promotion strategies through social media on the culture of the media organizations, either in Romania or elsewhere.Theoretical frameworkRomanian media is currently going through the process of adopting and implementing media convergence at organizational, technological and economic level. Convergence is a revolutionary form of journalism which is evolving in many parts of the world; therefore it may vary from country to country, from culture to culture both within countries and media companies. Media convergence is influenced by the power of digital technology, and the legal and economic factors in various countries and media trusts. The success of convergence depends on having journalists able to think multiple media and comfortable with working across several media platforms (Haile, 2003). Media convergence and the implementation of the new technologies forced the organization and its departments into adopting new digital production systems and devices and adapting to a new, dynamic workflow. …