ID :
176379
Tue, 04/19/2011 - 10:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/176379
The shortlink copeid
Experts expect synergy between Yonhap's wire service, new TV channel
SEOUL, April 19 (Yonhap) -- Journalism experts on Tuesday advised Yonhap News Agency to take advantage of its large pool of reporters here and abroad, as it prepares to launch a 24-hour all-news cable television channel later this year.
Korean Society for Journalism & Communications Studies held a seminar in Seoul on the future of the new TV station, tentatively named "Yonhap News Television," and how South Korea's key news service should operate the new channel.
In his presentation, Lee Wan-su, professor of visual communication at Dongseo University in Busan, said Yonhap should specialize in regional and international news by using its sheer manpower.
"Yonhap News Agency has excellent networks of regional reporters and global correspondents," Lee noted. "Yonhap News TV should capitalize on that to specialize in regional and international coverage."
"Since half of our population lives outside Seoul, regional news can be called the 'blue ocean' of news coverage," Lee added. "Yonhap should look into using its regional correspondents to develop local agenda and content that can play to regional sentiments."
With a pool of some 550 reporters, Yonhap's coverage consists of a wide variety of multimedia news content, from articles and photos to video and graphics. Yonhap has 62 correspondents in 46 nations worldwide.
Lee also said Yonhap's overseas correspondents could play a major role.
"If Yonhap News TV uses the existing pool of correspondents in foreign nations, it could become an unrivaled provider of international news," the professor said. "It would also be worth considering creating news programs in English and Chinese to further globalize news coverage."
Yoon Hyun-sun, a professor at the school of humanities and social sciences at the University of East London, said Yonhap's network of reporters could also help the company keep early costs to a minimum, citing the example of BBC News.
"Yonhap News TV should fully capitalize on Yonhap News Agency's correspondents and regional reporters to minimize costs in terms of human resources," Yoon said.
Yoon also said correspondents should help produce "in-depth" investigative programs or debate programs that will be comparatively less costly.
The professor also called on Yonhap's television channel to use social media and to establish "new media strategies that can provide a single program through various content on demand."
Yonhap's real-time news service is also provided in English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and French. Kim Sung-hae, a researcher at the Korea Press Foundation, suggested a separate English-language news channel for Yonhap.
"Most international news is provided to us through Western media and we can't get our voices heard in the international community without foreign news wires," Kim said. "(Yonhap) should set up an English news channel to engage in effective media diplomacy based on high-quality journalism."
Kim also said maintaining independence for the English channel will be important.
"An English news channel could receive some funding from the government, but it should maintain its managerial and editorial independence to earn the trust of the international community," Kim said. "It should place the interest of the nation before that of the administration, and should take a long-term approach in its editorial policy."
Yonhap received the final government approval for the cable news channel on March 30, after winning the license in an open bidding process supervised by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) last December.
Park Jung-chan, president and CEO of Yonhap News Agency, will double as president and CEO of the television arm.
KCC Chairman Choi See-joong has repeatedly said that the entry of new cable television program providers would lead to an across-the-board overhaul of the local media sector, paving the way for the birth of a global media group in South Korea.
Yonhap is South Korea's largest news provider, producing content for newspapers, broadcasters, Internet portals, the government and private enterprises on a scale of about 3,000 articles per day, the largest volume by far among local news organizations.
Korean Society for Journalism & Communications Studies held a seminar in Seoul on the future of the new TV station, tentatively named "Yonhap News Television," and how South Korea's key news service should operate the new channel.
In his presentation, Lee Wan-su, professor of visual communication at Dongseo University in Busan, said Yonhap should specialize in regional and international news by using its sheer manpower.
"Yonhap News Agency has excellent networks of regional reporters and global correspondents," Lee noted. "Yonhap News TV should capitalize on that to specialize in regional and international coverage."
"Since half of our population lives outside Seoul, regional news can be called the 'blue ocean' of news coverage," Lee added. "Yonhap should look into using its regional correspondents to develop local agenda and content that can play to regional sentiments."
With a pool of some 550 reporters, Yonhap's coverage consists of a wide variety of multimedia news content, from articles and photos to video and graphics. Yonhap has 62 correspondents in 46 nations worldwide.
Lee also said Yonhap's overseas correspondents could play a major role.
"If Yonhap News TV uses the existing pool of correspondents in foreign nations, it could become an unrivaled provider of international news," the professor said. "It would also be worth considering creating news programs in English and Chinese to further globalize news coverage."
Yoon Hyun-sun, a professor at the school of humanities and social sciences at the University of East London, said Yonhap's network of reporters could also help the company keep early costs to a minimum, citing the example of BBC News.
"Yonhap News TV should fully capitalize on Yonhap News Agency's correspondents and regional reporters to minimize costs in terms of human resources," Yoon said.
Yoon also said correspondents should help produce "in-depth" investigative programs or debate programs that will be comparatively less costly.
The professor also called on Yonhap's television channel to use social media and to establish "new media strategies that can provide a single program through various content on demand."
Yonhap's real-time news service is also provided in English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and French. Kim Sung-hae, a researcher at the Korea Press Foundation, suggested a separate English-language news channel for Yonhap.
"Most international news is provided to us through Western media and we can't get our voices heard in the international community without foreign news wires," Kim said. "(Yonhap) should set up an English news channel to engage in effective media diplomacy based on high-quality journalism."
Kim also said maintaining independence for the English channel will be important.
"An English news channel could receive some funding from the government, but it should maintain its managerial and editorial independence to earn the trust of the international community," Kim said. "It should place the interest of the nation before that of the administration, and should take a long-term approach in its editorial policy."
Yonhap received the final government approval for the cable news channel on March 30, after winning the license in an open bidding process supervised by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) last December.
Park Jung-chan, president and CEO of Yonhap News Agency, will double as president and CEO of the television arm.
KCC Chairman Choi See-joong has repeatedly said that the entry of new cable television program providers would lead to an across-the-board overhaul of the local media sector, paving the way for the birth of a global media group in South Korea.
Yonhap is South Korea's largest news provider, producing content for newspapers, broadcasters, Internet portals, the government and private enterprises on a scale of about 3,000 articles per day, the largest volume by far among local news organizations.
