Accelerating the transformation journey in a unique public service community

Earlier this month, public service media (PSM) leaders from 12 EBU Members in Central and Eastern Europe gathered in Cadenabbia, in the north of Italy, for two days of exchange on the leadership issues they face in running their organizations in a complex and competitive environment. Strategic advocacy, priority-setting, digital transformation, corporate culture and reaching young audiences were just some of the issues explored with a group of experts, working in collaboration with EBU Member Relations and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Just as PSM leaders gathered in Italy, a group of over 40 leaders and managers from 28 EBU Members was returning from Los Angeles from a week of immersion at UCLA Anderson on subjects that include innovation strategy and brand management. Their visit was one module of an Executive Programme run annually by the EBU Academy that kicks off at the IESE business school in Barcelona, then moves to Los Angeles and then to New York.

Combining external insights with the experience of the EBU community

These are two examples of collaborative initiatives the EBU undertakes with Members to enable PSM leaders, managers and strategists to combine external insights on the transformation of media and work environments with the learnings we share every day in our unique, trusted Member network. They reflect our objective to place transformation at the heart of our support to Members so that PSM organizations are fit for the future and relevant to all audiences.

An integrated strategy

The EBU is adding new impulse to these initiatives, with an integrated strategy across the entire organization that covers five pillars: Leadership & Strategy, Organization & Culture, Digital Shift & Technology, Operational Environment, Content & Audiences.

Our Media Intelligence Service (MIS) is developing distinctive analysis of key media trends and how PSM organizations are ramping up their digital footprint. Working with the Strategy unit, MIS is also looking into the future, taking a five year and 10-year view on the media landscape with reports that will be available to Members in the autumn.

Our Digital team has developed individualized proposals for Members, that include a deep dive into an organization’s digital transformation to generate a set of priority recommendations. DTI/EBU Transformation Reviews mapping the transformation journey have already been produced for Members in Georgia (GPB), Greece (ERT), Lithuania (LRT), Luxembourg (100.7) and Romania (TVR), with Bulgaria (BNR) to be completed by the end of the year.

We have also launched a new format that enables small groups of PSM leaders to visit a counterpart in another region to exchange on lessons learned on transformation and see the outcome on site, in studios, integrated newsrooms and workspaces. The first ‘A Day With’ visit took place this year in Norway at NRK, with visits to Finland (YLE), Belgium (RTBF) and Iceland (RUV) planned over the coming months. 

Elsewhere across the EBU, our Technology teams are providing solutions and technology assessments that include guidance on investments, shaping innovation roadmaps and personalized services, while our legal experts work to ensure the most favourable regulatory and legal framework in the digital space, including digital remits and platform regulation.

All this work is complemented by community groups that bring together experts from across the EBU and Members to exchange on critical areas on the transformation journey, including the future of work, strategy setting, own platform strategies, young audiences, social media, integrated newsrooms and many other issues.

Sharing in a trusted environment 

On returning to Lithuania from the Cadenabbia retreat in Italy, Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, Director General of LRT, said: “Reforming our organizations, executing digital transformation, attracting young audiences and creating the right workspace for our staff to thrive are all huge challenges. Initiatives like this seminar, the Digital Transformation Review, MIS research, legal analysis and expert communities help us address them in a trusted environment, gain time and reduce the risk of going down the wrong path. They truly underscore the benefits of working together and the strengths of our European public media alliance.”

You can find more information about the EBU Member Transformation Services on our website or don't hesitate to get in touch.