The divergent paths to convergence: A comparative study on the production of investigative and in-depth reports at ABS-CBN and GMA Network
The divergent paths to convergence: A comparative study on the production of investigative and in-depth reports at ABS-CBN and GMA Network
The thesis details the convergence approach of the two largest broadcast networks in the Philippines, GMA Network and ABS-CBN, and their effects on their capability to create original in-depth and investigative content for broadcast, their traditional distribution platform, and online, the new medium. It explored the effectiveness of the two networks’ strategy to integrate their broadcast and online newsrooms through the use of purposive interviews with the producers of investigative and in-depth content at GMA Network and ABS-CBN, their desk editors and the top executives in charge of managing the converged newsroom. The convergence efforts of GMA Network and ABS-CBN were benchmarked against the strategies applied by foreign broadcast newsrooms such as CNN and BBC where convergence has been happening for a much longer time. An integration of the Media Convergence Theory and the Gatekeeping Theory was used for this study.
The case studies show that the acquisition of technological tools alone does not automatically lead to converged newsrooms. Convergence involves not just the integration of resources and personnel, but also of workflows. The newsroom policies implemented by the top executives overseeing the operations of the converged newsrooms appear to affect both the quality and quantity of investigative and in-depth content produced by the broadcast and online news divisions. The findings of this study are presented in a two-part series written in a journalistic manner.
Arcangel, K. S. (2013). The divergent paths to convergence: A comparative study on the production of investigative and in-depth reports at ABS-CBN and GMA Network. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
Keywords: media convergence, investigative journalism, in-depth reports, broadcast journalism, online journalism, ABS-CBN, GMA Network