From Convergence to Webvergence: Tracking the Evolution of Broadcast-Print Partnerships through the Lens of Change Theory

Abstract

This study, based on a 2008 survey of news directors in the top 100 U.S. markets and editors at U.S. newspapers with circulations greater than 25, 000, found evidence of a decline in the print-broadcast convergence model. Only about half the responding newsrooms had convergence partners, and notable percentages had ended collaborations. Among the remaining partners, convergence was often practiced at a low level of integration that did not include online collaboration. Instead, most TV stations and newspapers were following what the authors call a “Webvergence” model, producing multimedia independently for their own Web sites.