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David Runer, Central Editor-in-Chief ORF Tyrol #69 What does the MediaLab do in Tyrol? The first shitstorm was not entirely unexpected. But the fact that a single Facebook posting triggers 1,600 comments in just a few hours, and thus entails completely new tasks for the editorial team, was a new experience in such clarity. Communitymanagement on social media is very different from our previous offerings on radio, TV or at tirol.ORF.at. The changed usage behavior of our audience means that we have to rethink our editorial tasks. With our MediaLab, we in Tyrol ensure that we not only use social media on an ongoing basis, but also develop new digital products. A knowledge format as an Insta-story? Sure. A photo series on diversity in the country? Gladly. A weekly quiz? Abolished again. The speed of change in these channels is breathtaking and at the same time an exciting task that stimulates the creative minds of journalists.
Of course, the resources for this have to be found or extracted first. A painful matter in a national studio with all its tasks. But without new offerings, we leave out all those who don't use our linear offerings. And that would not do justice to our mission. Information and entertainment, culture and sports don't just have a broadcast length. Regional identity is not only created at 7 p.m. sharp. The transmission of knowledge or culture takes place on a wide variety of screens.
The editorial team in Tyrol has therefore reorganized itself, from joint meetings (across departments) to new production methods (live overdubbing while still filming) to working in ad hoc teams. This does not always go without scrapes; many processes have been tried and tested for a long time, many products are linearly successful, and the boundaries of the ORF law are sometimes narrow. But the start has been made and it has been worthwhile, as evidenced by the success in new livestream formats as well as in the "classic" channels. We have come closer to our audience, and apart from the shitstorm, this has been an enriching development for all sides.