The 34th Annual Conference of CIRCOM Regional, hosted by Bulgarian National Television, took place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from 19^th to 20^th May 2016.

Conference programme 

Thursday 19th May

09:30 - 12:40 Public Service Media: Session A
Moderators: Johan Lindén and Jean-Marc Dubois (CIRCOM Regional)

09:30 Conference Opening Remarks
Juliana Toncheva, BNT
 

09:35 - 09:50 Opening Session: Defining Moment ~presentation
Jean-Marc Dubois, President of CIRCOM Regional and Johan Lindén, Secretary General of CIRCOM Regional
Public service media, in fact the entire industry, is at a defining moment. Some question whether there is a need for journalism as we know it, and even more have questioned whether there is a place for public media in the emerging global media environment. It is time to come together and take active part in the definition of the future. It is time to show what this network of regional media really can do.

09:50 - 10:20 ECPMF Poland Fact-finding Report
Jane Whyatt, ECPMF with panellist Vesselin Dimitrov, Forbes BG
Jane Whyatt introduces the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). Accompanied by the European Federation of Journalists and the International Press Institute, ECPMF led a fact-finding mission to Poland to investigate the changes made to the public service broadcasters TVP and Radio Polska. Her presentation presents the results of the fact-finding mission.

10:20 - 10:50 Ukraine Broadcasting in Transition: Defining a New Role for Public Service Regional Stations
Ulf Morten Davidsen, NRK with panellists: Mykola Chernotytskyi, Director General, Sumy regional broadcaster; Boris Bergant, EBU; Galyna Smirnova, CoE
Ulf Morten Davidsen, a project manager for CIRCOM Regional, presents CIRCOM's development programme for public broadcasting service in the regions of Ukraine.

11:05 - 11:25 CIRCOM's Mojo Workshop - Presentation

11:25 - 11:45 The Future of Journalism: 4 Scenarios, 10 Years on
Richel Bernsen, ROOS
Four scenarios describe plausible outlooks for the future of journalism in Europe. They reflect the tension between professional and citizen journalism, the uncertain future of media concerns and titles, the role of the internet and algorithms in the production and dissemination of news, as well as the way in which quality journalism will be paid for in 2025.

11:45 - 12:05 Does Regional PSM have a Future in the EU Regional Perspective?
Tanya Hristova, Head of Bulgarian Delegation, European Committee of the Regions
Regions and cities matter. This is where political decisions have the most impact. The European Committee of the Regions is the voice of regions and cities in the European Union. Our mission is to boost the bottom-up movement – representing our citizens and local communities in Brussels. It is from the local level that come the initiatives supported by the EU. And our members can demonstrate the impact and results within their community, with a purely local roots while defending the European project. We can encourage and help journalists to develop around those stories on regions and cities.

12:05 - 12:20 EUscreen: Making Europe's Broadcast & Audiovisual History Accessible Online ~presentation 
Erwin Verbruggen, Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision

12:20 - 12:40 The Big Change? TV Regulation’s Next Step, or its Turning Point? The European Debate on Future Audiovisual Regulation ~ presentation
Laura Sboarina, Principal Analyst, Cullen International
What are the regulatory concepts at the basis of the material and territorial scope of existing EU audiovisual regulation? How, among others, are global video-sharing platforms, influential YouTubers and multimedia services putting pressure on this regulatory architecture? Would further harmonisation of national roles slow down the rise of global OTT players? An overview of the ongoing review and the main policy options for an EU audiovisual content framework fit for the digital era. Interesting initiatives at the national level to regulate audiovisual platforms.

 

13:30 - 15:00 Public Service Media: Session B
Moderator: Guillaume Kuster (FTV)

13:30 - 14:10 RTBF Reaction to the Brussels and Paris attacks
Justine Katz, Safia Kessas and Christine Schwarz, RTBF
RTBF colleagues explain the coverage of this dramatic period. When did RTBF have an idea of the involvement of people of Brussels in the Paris attack? How was it possible to cover the investigations, the police raids, the arrests? Safia Kessas will report in depth on the multicultural society of Brussels, Molenbeek, a breeding ground for Jihadist, the Jihadists’ families...

14:10 - 14:40 FTV 13th November: France 3 Paris at the Very Heart of the Attacks
Dominique Delhoume and Jean-François Parmentier, FTV
It’s Friday, November 13th, 9 p.m., and the weekend is beginning. The routine of the weekend – something sacred in France, even for the media. Then the so-called “Paris Attacks” begin. The social networks burst into life. We hear about one, then two, then three attacks – explosions, human bombs, many dead. That’s the beginning of a major crisis for French democracy and for the people of Paris. Faced with such a crazy event, how does France 3 react?

14:40 - 15:00 From Mass Media to Personal Content: Collect, Tailor, Serve
Juho Salminen, YLE
YLE and the two roles of data: what we learn from our Newswatch app, and how we make data journalism.

 

15:15 – 17:00 Public Service Media: Session C
Moderator: Michael Lally (RTÉ)

15:15 - 15:45 Block-Buster Minority Programming
Matthias Barsk, SVT with panellist: Safia Kessas, RTBF
How can we develop and expand the amount of minority programming when the topics remain pretty much the same? Where should we look to go deeper? There are two ways that aren’t even difficult...

15:45 - 16:20 Why Difference Matters: Reality Check on Values and Remit
Dr. Klaus Unterberger, ORF
The presentation focuses on the role and remit of Public Service Media, ORF’s impact on society and democracy, the importance of distinctive media quality vs. the commercial market, and how to define, evaluate, stimulate and communicate the public value of PSM.

16:20 - 17:00 The Challenge of Two-Speed News Production
David Holdsworth, BBC with panellists: Carla Verhagen, RTV Oost, Carlos Garcia Verdugo, CRTVG, Domagoj Novokmet, HRT
David Holdsworth, Controller of English Regions, responsible for the BBC’s local online, television and radio services across England shares his experience in overseeing daily regional TV news programmes in 12 regions, 39 local radio stations and a news online service to 42 areas.

19:30 PRIX CIRCOM Award Ceremony

 

Friday 20th May

09:30 - 11:05 Constructive Journalism: Session D
Moderator: Domagoj Novokmet (HRT)

09:30 - 09:40 What do you Mean – Constructive Journalism? Introduction and Overview
Domagoj Novokmet (HRT)

09:40 - 10:00 How Constructive Journalism Can Change and Inspire People
Felice Gasperoni, RTBF
“Alors, on change!” is a monthly magazine coproduced by the Belgian, French-speaking broadcaster RTBF in collaboration with 7 local television stations. The purpose is to provide its viewers with positive examples of behavioural changes. The aim of the team is to produce a constructive alternative to all the negative and anxiogenic news overflowing from the mass media.

10:00 - 10:30 Constructive Journalism – Giving the Power to the Audience 
Carolina Källestål, Tove Hansson, SVT
Learn how to let go of power as a journalist. Share the experience of Sweden’s two most successful crowdsourcing projects. For those of you who are truly ready to let the audience have the upper hand in your journalism. Learn the lessons, watch out for the mistakes, and take our tips on how to succeed!

10:30 - 11:05 Constructive Data Journalism - a Road to the Future
Antony Dore, BBC and Robin Linderborg, SVT
Data journalism is part of the future. BBC and SVT share their best practices on the reasons behind it, and how to do it.

09:30 - 11:05 Meet the Prix Winners

11:20 - 12:45 Constructive Journalism: Session E
Moderator: Domagoj Novokmet (HRT)

11:20 - 12:00 Looking at the World Through Other People’s Eyes
Maria Cherneva, BNT with panellists: Blagoy Cicelkov, Genoveva Radeva, BNT
Constructive journalism – make sense of things by looking through the eyes of others. Even when they cannot see. The focus of the presentation is the BNT “Electronic Eyes” campaign. Inspiring stories and, as a climax – an archery competition with the participation of blind people and journalists. The aim is to raise funds for the creation of a mobile application for blind people.

12:00 - 12:20 Constructive Journalism Reporting on Refugees and Migration 
Maaike van den Bosch and Richel Bernsen, ROOS
The main challenge of reporting on refugees and migration is: how to make a balanced programme on the topic? Two examples from the Netherlands show two different ways to report on refugees.

12:20 - 12:35 The Challenge of Information for Public Service Media
Claudio Cappon, COPEAM
Claudio Cappon is a former Director General of RAI (2001–2002). From December 2009 to December 2014, he occupied the position of Vice President of the EBU. In April 2016, he was elected Secretary General of COPEAM.

12:35 - 12:55 The Political Perspective: What Makes “The Ideal Constructive Journalist"? 
Jiří Buriánek, Secretary General, European Committee of the Regions
From a political perspective, the European Committee of the Regions is engaging with local and regional journalists on a daily basis to bring the voice of citizens and local communities in the debate. Journalists can help regions grow and support regional culture and identity. They can develop on local success stories to defend the European project, to show that regions and cities matter.

11:15 - 12:45 Meet the Prix Winners

14:00 - 15:25 Refugee and Migration Flows in Europe: Session F
Moderator: Juliana Toncheva (BNT)

14:00 - 14:10 Statistical, Political Overview of Euro-immigration
Tonja Dimitrova, BNT

14:10 - 14:40 How to Make Refugees Watch your Stories - use FB and Phones!
Jimmy Roos and Lina Abusagr, SVT
A project developed by SVT, which began when an Arabic-speaking reporter was recruited; in this particular case, it was Lina Abusagr. This development gave fresh possibilities to reach new groups in society during that time when most of the refugees were coming from the Middle East, heading to Europe and, in particular, to Sweden.

14:40 - 15:25 Walls, Tolerance, Fear! Bulgaria’s Reaction to the Refugee Wave
Tsvetelina Yordanova, BNT with panellists: Ivo Nikodimov, Alexander Markov, Tonja Dimitrova, BNT
The focus of the session will be the coverage of the migrant crisis by BNT and the perception of the issues in Bulgarian society, as compared to other regions of Europe. Is it possible to be both compassionate and to obey European law and regulations? Why is there fear in a country where there is no massive refugee influx? Is religious tolerance greater in countries with a mixed population?

14:00 - 15:25 Meet the Prix Winners

15:45 - 16:40 Refugee and Migration Flows in Europe: Session G
Moderator: Tone Kunst (NRK)

15:45 - 16:15 The Arctic Refugee Route (Norway-Russia Border)
Morten Ruud and Ida Karine Gullvik, NRK
More than 5,500 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries appeared along the Arctic Refugee route to Norway during the autumn of 2015. This was totally unexpected on the part of the Norwegian authorities. Their handling of the situation was widely criticised. The media were not allowed to visit the refugee camps, even though alarming reports about bad conditions had been produced by officials.

16:15 - 16:20 Closing Remarks 
BNT

16:20 - 16:40 Conference 2016 Conclusions & Conference 2017 Presentation
Fernando Ojea, Secretary General of CIRCOM Regional

15:45 - 17:15 Meet the Prix Winners