TVR Cluj embarks on new online and social media initiative

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Vasile Hotea-Fernezan is a journalist at TVR Cluj in Romania. He was a delegate at the CIRCOM Regional Social Media Workshop at ROOS Dagen 2014 where he delivered a presentation on this topic.


This presentation is about TVR CLUJ (from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, a regional branch of the Romanian National Television, TVR). It's about some of its shortcomings and possible solutions regarding social media networks, online news, information, and video platforms and about our ‘TVR Cluj 2.0’ project.

TVR Cluj is the one of the five public regional branches of the Romania National Television (TVR),  covering 11 counties from Transylvania. It broadcasts the following types of programs: news, social-economical reports, cultural, musical, entertainment, tourism, sports, nature and environment. Some of its main departments are: the News Department, Social and Cultural Programs and Sports.

Some of the shortcomings of TVR CLUJ

  • TVR CLUJ & all TVR channels can be watched online only within the territory of Romania; 
  • TVR CLUJ has no digital broadcasting yet, only terrestrial and analogue – thus, it is not included in the grid of the digital cable suppliers, which leads to lack of visibility, impossibility of reaching the audience;
  • There is only one person is in charge of the online and social media division of TVR Cluj.

Some possible solutions

  • Switch to online activity, start using social media and video platforms and have an entire team of highly trained professionals to cover this area, to improve the shortcomings;
  • TVR CLUJ has been online since 2011 and has started using social media networks (Facebook, YouTube and Google+) only since 2013, its visibility has increased a bit, but it still needs more efficient involvement;
  • The online editor’s current role:  announces what topics are to be discussed in the upcoming TV shows, uploads the shows on YouTube and posts links on the Facebook account, but still, improvement is needed and greater audience engagement is sought. 

The Objectives of the ‘TVR Cluj 2.0’ project

  • To introduce the usage of social media networks, online news, information and video platformsinto the current activity of the News and Programs Departments - to develop an algorithm and some structure for the intense usage of on line media
  • To cover the audience from the virtual space, to regain the target audience of 18 to 35

1. From theory to practice                                

  • The usage of different social networks is a powerful means of information and promotion. The most frequent social networks and video platforms used by TVR Cluj:  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ 
  • TVR CLUJ productions must include an intense work flow on social media networks - divided into compartments: News and Programs (to have a very intense interaction with the audience, to get them involved, to have the information reach them instantly)

2. Journalism on smartphones

  • There is a new kind of journalist: the “MoJo”- “mobile journalist” or the journalist that works via smart phones (similar to the video journalist as concept), but different to some extent - the „MoJo” uses the smartphone to record, edit, transfer photos, text and videos in some cases even to broadcast live - in real time
  • A huge advantage: the “MoJo” could send images from the event instantly or the reporter could have some live reports via Google+ or Skype 

3. The First Cross-Media Project of TVR Cluj on Smartphones

  • The cross-media project consists of successfully applying all the previous projects
  • As a cross-media project, it sums up campaigns on Facebook /Twitter, as well as the videos posted on line or broadcast on TV - all these gathered on a separate website
  • A cross-media project passes the information through all the platforms of information or means of on line communication

An example of a topic - ”Saving the small rural communities” - using “Augmented Reality” (AR) technology (using this technology to present some rural communities on line, put them on Romania's map and give the public the possibility of using an online environment and smartphone Apps as (AR) technology in order to help these communities to become known and visited. 

Image credit: Dean Terry/Flickr