Title: Multi channel publishing: a qualitative study on how Norrköpings Tidningen publishes news in multiple channels
Author: Roland Albinsson
Thesis supervisor: Per-Anders Forstorp
Background: In this day and age, the media is omnipresent and a part of our daily life. The phenomenon of media convergence can be traced back to the birth of the internet, and today all of the major newspapers have a website of their own. As a result of multichannel publishing, consumers have a wide range of tv channels to choose from, but there is still uncertainty as to whether more channels automatically equates to more and better news. There is no doubt about the fact that multi channel publishing is a necessary survival skill for media conglomerates today, but effects such as news recycling and the concentration of ownership are in conflict with the consumers’ availability demands.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to, by means of a case study, describe how NT’s multi channel publishing is an expression of media convergence, as well as to study how the news are affected by multi channel publishing.
Research procedure: This study is based on three different research methods, observations, text analyses and qualitative interviews. Interviews were conducted with three employees at NT, which was supplemented by an observational study of the work carried out by the NT employees. Moreover, a text analysis of three news articles that were published in multiple channels at NT was carried out.
Results: The case study shows that NT is more converged in theory than in practice, and that NT is currently in a development stage of convergence. The results also clarify that NT has an open work environment and advocates that employees work in different publishing channels. It is also possible to find traces of cross promotion at NT. The study indicates that the desire to publish the news in multiple channels gives rise to news recycling and as well as news homogenization, which may impair the quality of the news.