The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the energy crisis made 2022 a challenging and demanding year. Despite difficult market conditions, APA Group achieved significant revenue growth in the 2022 fiscal year, with its revenue totalling EUR 74.35 million, an increase of EUR 3.49 million or 4.9 percent compared to 2021 (EUR 70.86 million). APA has therefore become the largest national news agency group in Europe, while the French AFP, German DPA, Spanish EFE and British PA are considered globally or internationally operating European agencies.

With the news agency division and APA editorial team, information management with APA-OTS, APA-DeFacto and PictureDesk as well as information technology with APA-IT and Gentics, all areas of the company made a significant contribution to this growth. The overall success confirms APA Group’s strategic direction as a neutral and digital newstech platform.

Compared to EUR 3.82 million in 2021, the operating result (EBIT) of APA Group was EUR 4.50 million in 2022, while profit on ordinary activities (POA) totalled EUR 2.97 million in 2022, down from EUR 3.43 million in 2021. Measured in full-time equivalents, the number of employees in the Group increased to 505 in 2022, up from 500 in 2021. In his keynote speech, “The State of Play”, Clemens Pig, the CEO of APA – Austria Press Agency and president of EANA, the European Alliance of News Agencies, presented the company’s annual report and provided a strategic outlook for APA Group in the European context of digital transformation during the board meetings on Wednesday morning.

APA Chairman of the Board Hermann Petz (Tiroler Tageszeitung) and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Roland Weißmann (ORF) extended their thanks to all APA Group employees for their commitment to the company’s success. “APA is considered a forward-looking and reliable content and technology platform for the media and communications industry, with an exceptionally high level of innovation. This has enabled APA to guide the cooperative model into the future and make the company economically one of Europe’s leading independent national news agencies.”

2022: Focus on platform strategy – APA-NewsDesk and PR-Desk

In the 2022 fiscal year, intensive efforts were made at advancing APA’s digital platform strategy as well as the strategic fields of Digital Workplace and Digital Business. The central news and data hub, APA-NewsDesk, was expanded in 2022 with the modules News, Data, and Agenda, and is expected to replace APA-OnlineManager (AOM) as a real-time information and research platform in 2024. Development was also underway for the image editing system PIX, which relies on APA’s own AI services in the field of facial recognition. This system forms the basis for the development of a new image editing system solution for the media. Developed for the communication market, PR-Desk added new features such as AI-supported writing assistance for simplified language.

Another advance into international markets

At the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year, further advances were made in the internationalisation of technology solutions in the D-A-CH region with the establishment of two IT companies in Switzerland: “Swiss Digital Media Services AG” and “Gentics Software AG.” In collaboration with KEYSTONE-SDA and other cooperative partnerships, these companies were able to capitalise their first revenues in the 2022 fiscal year.

Trusted AI – Quality and safety standards for the AI revolution

In 2022, as in previous years, the focus of APA’s research and development activities was in the area of data and AI technologies. The release of ChatGPT at the end of last year provided renewed momentum to the issue and posed new challenges for news agencies and the media industry as a whole. Based on the reliable and quality journalistic APA value base in the area of “trusted content”, APA CEO Clemens Pig cites “Trusted AI” as a logical next step. Central to this context was the establishment of an AI governance policy in April 2022, ensuring responsible use of AI technologies throughout APA. The “commitment to transparency and fact-based information is inevitable” in order to prevent “generative artificial intelligence from becoming a superspreader of fake news.” Pig thus considers the secure environment of the reliable cooperative ecosystem a “secure operating and business model”. An AI task force, established in early 2023, coordinates the news agency group’s AI activities and places them in the appropriate strategic fields.

Mandate extensions and personnel-related information in the APA decision-making bodies

At the annual general meeting, the mandates on the board of directors of Herbert Achleitner (OÖN), Martin Hagenstein (Salzburger Nachrichten) and Hubert Patterer (Kleine Zeitung) were confirmed for another three years. For the supervisory board Thomas Kralinger (Kurier), Wolfgang Eder (Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt) and Wolfgang Zekert (Österreich) were re-elected for another three-year term. Thomas Kralinger was re-elected as deputy chairman of the supervisory board.

APA’s decision-making bodies also saw the following changes in personnel: Wolfgang Fellner (Österreich) handed over his mandate on the board of directors to Nikolaus Fellner, and in the supervisory board, Herwig Langanger (Die Presse) succeeded Rainer Nowak.

The board of directors therefore continues to comprise Hermann Petz (Tiroler Tageszeitung) as chairman, Eugen A. Russ (Vorarlberger Nachrichten) and Ingrid Thurnher (ORF) as deputy chairpersons as well as Clemens Pig (APA) as CEO. The supervisory board is composed of Roland Weißmann (ORF) as chairman as well as Thomas Kralinger (Kurier) and Markus Mair (Styria) as deputy chairpersons.

Der Beitrag APA becomes the largest national news agency group in Europe erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

Alongside Digital Workplace and Digital Platforms, the innovative field of Data & AI forms the third pillar of APA Group’s current digital strategy. In his keynote address at an event held on Thursday morning at the APA Press Centre, APA CEO Clemens Pig presented the key aspects of APA Trusted AI, the future AI strategy for journalism and communication.

“Trusted AI is the logical further development of Trusted Content. APA has been intensively involved in the topic of artificial intelligence for many years and, as a first mover, already uses numerous AI components in its production and business processes in text, speech and visuals. That’s why we have also adopted our own guideline for the responsible and transparent use of AI at APA. With generative AI, new powerful tools are now on the rise that belong in secure hands and a secure environment. This environment is the fact-based and reliable cooperative ecosystem of APA”,  APA CEO Clemens Pig says.

New AI strategy

The new AI strategy is based on comprehensive analyses by APA of the areas of application and requirements of artificial intelligence in the Austrian media and communications market, including the AI.AT.Media study, and defines the individual AI fields of activity and tools in the news agency. A specially developed guideline for handling artificial intelligence forms the governance, from technological development to the rollout of APA’s editorial AI services.

The fields of activity of APA Trusted AI are:

• The integration of AI tools in APA production tools  
  Speech-to-text solutions, facial and logo recognition, automated abstracting, text assistants and more
  
  
• The integration of AI in the APA product world for journalism and communications
  APA-Signals (content monitoring, weighting and presentation), text-to-other formats, media topics, data journalism, defalsif-AI (forensic media took for identifying fake news) and more
  
  
• AI tool research and governance 
  Studies, guidelines, needs assessment, cooperations, training initiatives, innovation partnerships and more
  

For a rapid transfer into APA’s cooperative ecosystem, individual projects such as APA-Signals are being implemented as part of a transformational cooperation with Google.

Generative AI is “currently not a journalistic research tool,” Pig clarified; “but GPT-based technologies are potentially powerful tools to support content creation, processing and analysis.”

Expert group Trusted AI

About ten experts at APA-medialab, APA’s digital innovation centre, are responsible for developing and implementing APA Trusted AI. Coordination and management are handled by Verena Krawarik (Head of Innovation Management), Katharina Schell (Deputy Editor-in-Chief) and Andreas Mauczka (Chief Digital Officer). In the area of new digital job profiles, APA has also filled the position of prompt engineer to optimise AI-supported applications since March.

APA – a data- and AI-based production platform

As a strategic goal of the new AI strategy, Pig mentions “the further development of the news agency from a multimedia content supplier to a data- and AI-based production platform. APA has always been an organisational platform for joint products and solutions. In a digital interpretation of our basic mission, we are now evolving into a collaborative platform that is closely connected to media production systems and provides seamless access to APA solutions such as Trusted AI. One specific vision is the development of an Austrian AI media hub as a common knowledge space for domestic media companies, where artificial intelligence can be used based on fact-based information,” Pig says.

Der Beitrag APA presents new AI strategy “APA Trusted AI” erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

The projects in detail (2023):

• “Data4Content” is an APA data journalism service for easily utilisable, trustworthy data resources. With “Data Point Climate”, specific data feeds and dossiers on the critical topic of climate are to be developed and offered to editorial offices.
  
• “APA-Signals” combines the expertise of APA in the area of artificial intelligence and its content competence for intelligent news monitoring. An innovative monitoring tool is to provide support to editorial offices to handle the flood of information and rapid classification of content and sources.
  
• In the battle against disinformation, a joint conference in autumn with fact-checkers, scientists and web experts from Austria, Germany and Switzerland is to shed light on the future of fact-checking.
  
• The cooperation also includes a training programme in the form of labs and workshops for media professionals and journalists in the digital transformation.
  

APA CEO Clemens Pig states the goal as “the accelerated integration of the digital projects and tools necessary for the transformation into APA’s cooperative ecosystem and the ongoing digital interpretation of APA’s basic mission.” Independence in the interest of true and unbiased news is always the overarching objective. As a digital news agency operating in the DACH region, APA now has an international customer base, “thus it makes sense to also bring our cooperation and partner management to an international level,” Pig emphasises.

Christine Antlanger-Winter, Country Director Google Austria: “We are very pleased about this long-term cooperation with APA. For years, Austrian publishers have taken advantage of numerous opportunities to cooperate with Google in the area of innovation and education as part of the Google News Initiative. We see the deepened cooperation with APA – Austria Press Agency as another important contribution to providing support to Austrian publishers in the various challenges and opportunities of digital journalism.”

Der Beitrag APA and Google launch transformation cooperation erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

At the presentation of the 2021 annual report, APA CEO and EANA President Clemens Pig referred to “independent news agencies such as APA as journalistic beacons in confusing times and as cooperative platforms of the media and communication industry in the digital transformation. We have declared APA’s editorial independence as a business model and will combine any multimedia content with the appropriate technology and platform for our customers. That’s APA’s cooperative digital code,” Pig said at APA’s shareholders meeting.

New platforms: Media login “MediaKey” and APA-NewsDesk as a successor to AOM

A joint cross-media login project begun in 2021 will be launched in September 2022. “MediaKey” will provide all users of the participating media (ORF, publishers, Austria-Kiosk) with easy and legally secure access to the respective digital offers. The soft launch is to take place in September with a gradual expansion of features, content, and participating media. Following extensive planning phases in 2021, APA-NewsDesk will also be introduced as a prototype in the current year as the platform succeeding APA-OnlineManager. It offers innovative, forward-looking application options for the professional media and communications market in Austria.

“#APA-Playbook Digital Media” – a separate programme for implementing the second half of the corporate strategy “Total Digital” – places the spotlight on APA’s digital transformation in 2022 with a focus on concrete customer benefits. The strategic area of “trust and verification” is of especially importance for a national independent news agency to make a contribution against disinformation and fake news. The APA fact-checking team was internationally certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) in 2021. In order to further expand its solid economic basis, another step towards internationalisation was taken in Switzerland at the beginning of the year with the founding of “Swiss Digital Media Services AG” and “Gentics Software AG”.

Independence and stability

APA Chairman of the Board of Directors Hermann Petz and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Roland Weißmann pointed out at the annual general meeting: “In momentous times such as these, it becomes clear how important stable and independent media are for democracy and society. Our pleasing annual report underlines the importance of APA as a comprehensive information provider as well as a digital transformation platform for the domestic communications industry and beyond. We would like to extend our thanks particularly to all employees in the companies of APA-Group for their contribution to APA’s successful financial year.”

“All areas of APA-Group made a significant contribution to the company’s positive economic and digital development and to APA’s overarching goal of independent, fact-based and reliable agency journalism in the 2021 financial year. The challenges in this second year of the pandemic were considerable, and our heartfelt thanks go to all of our employees, who have done an outstanding job,” APA-CEO Clemens Pig and Managing Director Karin Thiller said.

Mandate extensions and personnel-related information in the APA decision-making bodies

At the annual general meeting of APA the mandates on the board of directors for Alexander Mitteräcker (Der Standard) and Clemens Pig (APA) were confirmed for another three years. On the supervisory board Markus Raith (Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung) was re-elected for an additional three years. Thomas Prantner (ORF) prematurely resigned from his mandate on the board of directors at the end of the meetings. Prantner was active in various positions in the APA decision-making bodies for more than ten years, most recently as deputy chairman of the board of directors. He will be succeeded by Eva Schindlauer (ORF) as a new member of the board of directors. Ingrid Thurnher (ORF) was elected deputy CEO at a constituent meeting. The executive committee of the APA board of directors consists of Hermann Petz (Tiroler Tageszeitung) as chairman, Eugen A. Russ (Vorarlberger Nachrichten) and Ingrid Thurnher (ORF) as deputy chairpersons as well as Clemens Pig (APA) as chairman. The executive committee of the supervisory board still comprises Roland Weißmann (ORF) as chairman and Thomas Kralinger (Kurier) and Markus Mair (Styria) as deputy chairmen.

Der Beitrag APA focused on growth and digital cooperation in its anniversary year 2021 erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

Es gibt viele Formen der Wissenschaftsvermittlung. Warum habt ihr das Format Podcast gewählt?

Sylvia Maier-Kubala (links im Bild): Dass an einem Podcast kein Weg vorbei geht, war uns schon länger klar. Ein Podcast bedeutet die Erschließung neuer Zielgruppen. Auch von Seiten der Partner aus dem APA-Science-Netzwerk spürten wir eine steigende Erwartungshaltung. Doch erst mit dem Relaunch der Website von APA-Science vor genau einem Jahr und den damit einhergehenden Möglichkeiten, was Storytelling und das Einbinden neuer Formate betrifft, rückte der Wunsch in umsetzbare Nähe. Realisiert wurde das Projekt Podcast dann durch eine interne Förderung im Rahmen des APA-Innovationsfonds.

„Dass an einem Podcast kein Weg vorbei geht, war uns schon länger klar.“

Sylvia Maier-Kubala

Wie entstand die Idee zum konkreten Konzept „Nerds mit Auftrag“?

Sylvia Maier-Kubala: Die übergeordnete Devise von APA-Science lautet: Wir machen Forschung sichtbar. Von diesem Leitgedanken ausgehend entstand das Konzept eines sehr persönlichen Podcasts in Interview-Form. Wir wollten die menschliche Seite von Wissenschaft vorstellen, aber auch darüber reden, warum wir alle von Forschung profitieren und sie für die Gesellschaft wichtig ist.

Was waren eure größten Learnings bei den ersten selbst produzierten Folgen?

Stefan Thaler (im Bild Zweiter v. links): Spannend war für mich, wie stark sich die Herangehensweise bei einem Podcast von einem klassischen Interview unterscheidet. Es geht mehr um Kooperation als Konfrontation, mehr um Tanz als Ping-Pong. Dadurch ist auch die Vorbereitung noch mal deutlich aufwändiger als bei einem Interview. Aber jede Minute, die vorab investiert wird, erspart später viel Arbeit. Im Mittelpunkt stehen da die Abstimmung der Geschichte, Highlights, Beweggründe, Stolpersteine und mögliche Sager. Die Aufnahme selbst ist dann quasi nur noch das ins-Trockene-Bringen der Vorarbeit. Die Vorgespräche sind wichtig, um festzustellen, wie „geeignet“ ein/e GesprächspartnerIn für dieses Format ist. Da kann es sonst schon mal zu unerfreulichen Überraschungen kommen …

„Es geht mehr um Kooperation als Konfrontation, mehr um Tanz als Ping-Pong.“

Stefan Thaler

Anna Riedler (im Bild Zweite v. rechts): Bei einem normalen Interview, das ich für eine Geschichte in Textform führe, kann ich die GesprächspartnerInnen ruhig einmal länger reden und auch abschweifen lassen. Es ist ja ganz normal, dass Menschen über Themen, von denen sie begeistert sind (und das ist bei ForscherInnen und ihrer Arbeit der Fall), gerne und viel erzählen. Bei einem Podcast-Interview muss ich den/die GesprächspartnerIn aber ziemlich genau auf Spur halten und daran erinnern, sich an die Zeitvorgaben zu halten und innerhalb weniger Sätze zum Punkt zu kommen, sonst wird es anschließend sehr umständlich, den Beitrag zu schneiden. Was ich außerdem gelernt habe: Kakadus sehen zwar flauschig aus, haben aber ziemlich scharfe Schnäbel.

„Bei einem Podcast-Interview muss ich daran erinnern, sich an die Zeitvorgaben zu halten und innerhalb weniger Sätze zum Punkt zu kommen.“

Anna Riedler

Mario Wasserfaller (rechts im Bild): Ich kann die erwähnten Punkte nur noch einmal unterstreichen: Es braucht in der Vorbereitung und beim Gespräch selbst mehr Präzision und Disziplin als bei einem normalen Interview, das man später „nur“ verschriftlichen muss. Aber all das geht ebenso wie die fachgerechte Bedienung von Aufnahmegeräten und Mikrofonen schnell in Fleisch und Blut über, und dann beginnt der Spaß. Und das darf man nicht vergessen: Podcasts machen Spaß! Als schwierig empfinde ich es eher, ein Gespräch zu beenden, wenn es eigentlich gerade am spannendsten wird. Wie kann man in einer knappen halben Stunde dem Leben und der Karriere einer interessanten Persönlichkeit gerecht werden? Aber letztlich macht es auch den Reiz des Formats aus, die Essenz herauszukitzeln und daraus eine kurzweilige Dramaturgie zu basteln.

„Wie kann man in einer knappen halben Stunde dem Leben und der Karriere einer interessanten Persönlichkeit gerecht werden?“

Mario Wasserfaller

Was gebt ihr Leuten mit, die einen Podcast starten wollen?

Sylvia Maier-Kubala: Keine Scheu vor Fehlern. Irgendwann muss man ins kalte Wasser springen, und mit dem Tun kommt die Erfahrung. In Summe ist es ein Riesenspaß und unseren Podcast jetzt bei Spotify & Co. gelistet zu sehen, ist eine coole Sache.

Mario Wasserfaller: Es lohnt sich, grundlegende Fragen im Vorfeld genau zu klären: Was und wen will man mit dem Podcast erreichen? Wie lange soll eine Folge dauern? In welcher Frequenz sollen die Episoden erscheinen? Das Konzept muss sitzen – vor dem Start, damit man sich dann voll und ganz auf das Wesentliche konzentrieren kann.

Zu hören ist „Nerds mit Auftrag“ ab sofort auf allen gängigen Plattformen oder direkt auf science.apa.at/podcast.

Die ersten vier Folgen im Überblick:

Folge 1: Memory of Mankind: Ein Speicher für die Ewigkeit

Martin Kunze will tief im Berg Daten für Millionen Jahren speichern – auf Keramikplatten!

Folge 2: Wenn der Lachs aus dem 3D-Drucker kommt …

Robin Simsa von Revo Foods macht mit seinem veganen Fisch die Welt ein kleines bisschen besser.

Folge 3: Aus Schaden wird man klug

Was Hans Starl erforscht und testet, ist eine Katastrophe – im wahrsten Sinn. Brände, Stürme und Hagelunwetter sind seine Leidenschaft.

Folge 4: Das aufblasbare Weltall

Was die umtriebige Astronomin Ruth Grützbauch an dunkler Materie fasziniert und warum sie mit ihrem Planetarium nicht nur in Schulklassen Halt macht.

_{Fotos: APA}

Der Beitrag Forschung gehört erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

“Climate change is already affecting the issues in every journalistic department – this development will accelerate further in the coming years,” APA Editor-in-Chief Johannes Bruckenberger says. “Fact-based reporting is the essential basis for an enlightened public discourse – particularly on topics highly relevant to everyday life.” In addition to current reporting on climate policy, sustainable technology and consumer aspects, more in-depth reporting, the development of multimedia platforms and a focus on climate data are also planned.

Sandra Walder (34) was already employed at APA as a journalist beginning in 2010. In 2012 she joined the German Press Agency dpa and was foreign correspondent there for Austria and Switzerland. In November, the native of Salzburg returned to APA and is now part of our foreign affairs department.

Der Beitrag APA expands climate reporting erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

Zu den Festgästen zählten Vizekanzler Werner Kogler (Grüne), Bundesministerin für EU und Verfassung Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), Bundesministerin für Frauen, Familie, Jugend und Integration Susanne Raab (ÖVP), der ehem. Außenminister und jetzige Bundeskanzler Alexander Schallenberg sowie zahlreiche weitere führende Persönlichkeiten aus Medien, Politik und Wirtschaft.

„Die APA ist ubiquitär“, eröffnete Van der Bellen seine Rede, um es kurz darauf einfacher auszudrücken: „Sie ist medial fast allgegenwärtig.“ Seit seiner Zeit als Politiker sei die APA eine „ständige Begleiterin“ gewesen. „Ich kann mich beim besten Willen an keine Pressekonferenz von mir erinnern, an der die APA nicht teilgenommen hätte.“ Damit erfülle die Nachrichtenagentur ihren Auftrag: „Über Vorgänge, Verhältnisse und Zustände in der Politik zu berichten. Rasch, unabhängig und objektiv“, so Van der Bellen.

„Verlässliche, vertrauenswürdige, faktenbasierte und möglichst objektive Nachrichten sind die Grundlage für unsere liberale Demokratie“, erinnerte der Bundespräsident. Die Herstellung dieser Grundlage sei Aufgabe freier und unabhängiger Medien. „Dass die APA uns das liefert, tagtäglich, Stunde für Stunde, Minute für Minute, dafür möchte ich Ihnen heute danken und alles Gute zu Ihrem Jubiläum wünschen“, sagte Van der Bellen.

Markus Mair, Präsident des Verbandes Österreichischer Zeitungen (VÖZ) und Vorstandsvorsitzender der Styria Media Group, blickte in seiner Festrede zunächst auf die Anfänge der APA als Genossenschaft zurück. „Überaus bemerkenswert“ sei es gewesen, dass sich die damaligen österreichischen Tageszeitungen nach dem 2. Weltkrieg zusammenschlossen, um eine vom Staat unabhängige Nachrichtenagentur zu gründen – auch wenn der parteipolitische Einfluss aufgrund der zahlreichen Parteizeitungen in den ersten Jahren unverkennbar gewesen sei. Heute werde die redaktionelle Unabhängigkeit der APA auch durch die wirtschaftliche Unabhängigkeit und Stärke sichergestellt. „Das ist, wenn Sie so wollen, die DNA der unabhängigen Nachrichtenagenturen.“

Als gegenwärtige Herausforderung identifizierte Mair unter anderem Fake News und Manipulationen. Die vor zwei Jahren eingerichtete Faktencheck-Plattform der APA habe sich in diesem Zusammenhang bewährt. „Denn das Vertrauen all ihrer Kunden ist für die APA, aber auch für die Medienunternehmen verlegerischer Herkunft das wichtigste Kapital“, hielt der VÖZ-Präsident fest. Abseits des Vertrauens als „stabiler Währung“ sei Diversifikation im IT-Bereich zweifelsohne der „Schlüssel zur Bewältigung der zukünftigen Herausforderungen im Bereich der Digitalisierung“.

Im Anschluss wandte sich Clemens Pig, geschäftsführender Vorstand der APA, an die Festgäste. „Die Gründung der APA vor 75 Jahren ringt mir persönlich großen Respekt und ebenso große Dankbarkeit ab“, sagte er. Denn die Gründerväter hätten zwei Dinge von grundlegender Bedeutung erkannt: Die APA in der Rechtsform als Genossenschaft aufzusetzen und die österreichischen Medien zu deren Eigentümern zu machen. Das sichere die redaktionelle Unabhängigkeit gegen externe Einflüsse und sei „ein geniales Setup“.

„Wenn es die APA als Gemeinschaftsunternehmen der Medien im Jahr 2021 noch nicht gäbe, dann würde man sie ganz bestimmt noch heute Abend gründen“, sagte Pig. Dabei würde man aber den Grundauftrag an die APA erweitern und gemeinsame Technologie- und Digitallösungen für den Medienmarkt hineinschreiben. Denn der Bedarf nach IT-Dienstleistungen werde laufend größer, worauf die APA auch reagiere. Spannend seien vor allem Projekte, die die APA als medienübergreifende Initiative betreibt: etwa die Austria Videoplattform oder der digitale Zeitungsstand Austria-Kiosk. Besonders erfreut zeigte sich Pig über die Anwesenheit von zahlreichen Spitzen-RepräsentantInnen europäischer Nachrichtenagenturen. Der professionelle Austausch mit diesen sei besonders wichtig.

Karin Thiller, Geschäftsführerin der APA, betonte, dass sich die Nachrichtenagentur stets weiterentwickle. So sei man derzeit bemüht, die bestehenden Plattformen in eine neue Form zu bringen. „Wir sind gerade dabei, unser Nachrichtenflaggschiff, den APA-OnlineManager, weiterzuentwickeln, um ihn in ein zeitgemäßes Gewand zu kleiden.“ Auch habe man neue Berufsbilder geschaffen – etwa den Chief Digital Officer oder den Verification Officer. Aufgrund ihrer genossenschaftlichen Struktur sei die APA eine Plattform, wo „Lösungen allen quer über die Medienbranche zugutekommen“, betonte Thiller das verbindende Element der Nachrichtenagentur, die sie nicht nur als organisatorische, sondern auch als technologische Plattform sehe.

APA-Chefredakteur Johannes Bruckenberger strich die Unabhängigkeit als Basis für die tägliche journalistische Arbeit heraus. Diese sei bei der Gründung „hart erkämpft“ worden. Denn eine freie Presse brauche unabhängige Nachrichtenagenturen, die den „free flow of information“ sichern. Man begebe sich täglich auf die Suche nach den Fakten und der bestmöglichen Version der Wahrheit, was im Zeitalter der Desinformation wichtiger denn je sei, so der APA-Chefredakteur. Dabei stütze man sich auf Tugenden wie Abstand halten, faktenbasierte Recherche, Ausgewogenheit, Quellentransparenz und unbotmäßigen Interventionen nicht nachzugeben, aber dennoch transparent und angstfrei mit eigenen falschen Einschätzungen und Fehlern umzugehen. „Wobei das oberste Gebot ist: Richtigkeit vor Schnelligkeit“, schloss Bruckenberger seine Rede.

Im Anschluss an mehrere Festreden erörterten MedienexpertInnen in einer Podiumsdiskussion zum Thema „Unabhängige Medien: Wert und Währung in einer neuen Meinungsökonomie“ aktuelle Herausforderungen sowie Ansätze für die Erhaltung der Glaubwürdigkeit und den Erfolg von Medien:

Podiumsdiskussion: „Unabhängigkeit notwendiger denn je“

Unabhängige Medien sind in Zeiten einer neuen Meinungsökonomie wichtiger denn je. Darin waren sich die Teilnehmenden der Podiumsdiskussion einig. Um die wichtige Funktion des Qualitätsjournalismus für die Demokratie zu bewahren, müsse der Glauben des Publikums an diesen gestärkt und an einem Strang gezogen werden.

„Unabhängigkeit ist notwendiger denn je“, meinte Hermann Petz, Vorstandsvorsitzender der Moser Holding und langjähriger Vorstandsvorsitzender der APA. Zeitgleich sei es schwieriger denn je, einen Diskursraum so einzugrenzen, dass eine fruchtbringende Diskussion stattfinden könne. „Dafür sind Qualitätsmedien wesentlich“, so Petz. Denn deren Meinung würde im Vorfeld nicht feststehen – in den sozialen Medien und auf so manchem Stammtisch sei das leider oft nicht der Fall.

ORF-Generaldirektor Alexander Wrabetz betonte, dass das Publikum an das journalistische Produkt glauben müsse. In Österreich stehe man im internationalen Vergleich gut da. „Das müssen wir bewahren“, so Wrabetz. Damit dies gelingt, dürften sich Qualitätsmedien „nicht auseinanderdividieren lassen“. „Wir müssen uns weiterentwickeln und dürfen nicht in Selbstgefälligkeit verharren“, so der ORF-Chef. Dabei empfahl Wrabetz, Ländergrenzen zu überschreiten. „Wir müssen gemeinsam auf europäischer Ebene dafür eintreten, dass funktionierende mediale Ökosysteme erhalten bleiben.“ Als der Glaubwürdigkeit der APA „zuträglich“ erachtete er, dass sie auch ihren größten Genossenschafter – den ORF – kritisieren könne. „Das gehört dazu“, so der ORF-Generaldirektor.

Mit „viel mehr Medienjournalismus und Selbsterklärung“ würde das Publikum den Wert „Unabhängigkeit“ eventuell noch mehr wertschätzen, sagte Daniela Kraus, Generalsekretärin des Presseclub Concordia. Sie sah Qualitätsjournalismus von vielen Seiten bedroht. So gebe es in ganz Europa Bestrebungen der Politik, unabhängigen Journalismus zu kontrollieren. Auch würden JournalistInnen zusehends mit strategischen Klagen eingedeckt, die zur Einschüchterung dienen sollen, erinnerte Kraus. Auf Unternehmensebene müsse man sich daher stets fragen, wie Journalisten vor Einflussnahme geschützt werden können und ob Redaktion und kaufmännischer Bereich so strikt getrennt sind, wie es der Fall sein sollte.

Hermann Petz erhielt Alfred-Geiringer-Ehrenring

Hermann Petz, Vorstandschef der Moser Holding und seit 2003 Vorstandsvorsitzender der APA, erhielt im Rahmen des Festakts den Alfred-Geiringer-Ehrenring der APA.

„Hermann Petz lebt die Unabhängigkeit der APA als Berufung“, würdigte ihn Clemens Pig, Geschäftsführender Vorstand der APA, in seiner Laudatio. „Wo sich andere in den heutigen Zeiten in den Vordergrund stellen, stellt er seine Person zurück und macht die Sache der APA selbst zum Zentrum seines Handelns – und das seit mittlerweile gezählten 144 Präsidialsitzungen und Hauptversammlungen in den vergangenen 18 Jahren unter seinem Vorstandsvorsitz“, so Pig. Zentrale unternehmerische Entwicklungen der vergangenen knapp zwei Jahrzehnte seien unmittelbar mit Petz und dem Wertesystem des unabhängigen Agenturjournalismus verknüpft.

„In meinem Alter habe ich doch schon so manche Ehrung bekommen, aber diese freut mich ganz besonders“, reagierte Petz auf die Auszeichnung. Seine Funktion als Vorstandsvorsitzender der APA habe er stets „im Geiste Alfred Geiringers ausgeübt“. „Ich werde die Auszeichnung in Ehren halten“, bedankte sich der Tiroler Medienmanager nicht nur bei ehemaligen und gegenwärtigen APA-Geschäftsführenden, sondern auch bei den Genossenschaftern und Mitarbeitenden der Nachrichtenagentur.

Zum Event-Video

Weitere Impressionen in der Fotogalerie

Der Beitrag Festakt #APA75 erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

Hochtechnologisches Agenturgeschäft

„Medienhäuser gewinnen das Match der digitalen Zukunft nicht, wenn sie technische Systeme ausschließlich selbst entwickeln“, sagte Clemens Pig, Vorsitzender der APA-Geschäftsführung. Dabei sei die APA mit ca. 150 MitarbeiterInnen im IT-Bereich für einen österreichischen Medienbetrieb „sehr breit aufgestellt“, was auch daran liege, dass „Agenturjournalismus schon immer ein hochtechnologisches Gewerbe“ gewesen sei. Dadurch könne man zwar für sich selbst entwickeln und IT exportieren – etwa das hauseigene Redaktionssystem oder im Bereich der automatisierten Texterstellung –, doch gehe die Nachrichtenagentur auch Partnerschaften mit weltweiten Systemherstellern ein. „Wir wollen nicht unser eigener Flaschenhals sein“, so Pig.

Mit Robotern zur Kernkompetenz

„Journalismus ist technologischer und experimentiergetriebener denn je“, stellte Martina Salomon, Chefredakteurin des „Kurier“ fest. Derzeit lerne man mit technischen Tools zu verstehen, welche Artikel besonders gut funktionieren, experimentiere mit Transkriptionstools oder arbeite mit der APA im Bereich des „Roboterjournalismus“ zusammen.

Dabei werden Systeme mit menschlich vorgefertigten Texten trainiert, um im besten Fall automatisch Meldungen auf Basis strukturierter Daten zu erstellen, erklärte Pig. Das helfe dabei, dröge Tätigkeiten loszuwerden und Journalistinnen und Journalisten für ihre Kernkompetenz freizuspielen oder auch neue Stories und Grafiken anzubieten, für die zuvor schlichtweg keine Zeit gewesen sei. „Man muss keine Angst vor Roboterjournalismus haben. Er wird das große Meinungsstück nicht ersetzen“, bestätigte Salomon.

„Wichtig ist, dass neue Features nicht zulasten des Kerngeschäfts gehen, dann ist die Akzeptanz bei den Mitarbeitenden dafür hoch“, ergänzte Nicole Meier, Chefredakteurin der Keystone-SDA. Redakteurinnen und Redakteure werden in der Breite nur für Dinge geschult, die sie unbedingt benötigen.

Zum Video: Podiumsdiskussion „Transformation und Technik“

Wie aus Daten Geschichten werden

Einblicke in die Praxis der vermeintlich komplizierten Welt des Datenjournalismus teilte Katharina Schell, Mitglied der APA-Chefredaktion und Digitalexpertin, im Gespräch mit Christian Kneil, Newsmanager und Leiter APA MultiMedia, in der Breakout Session „Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) in der Kommunikation“: Warum Roboter auch in Zukunft keine Pressekonferenzen besuchen werden, welches Potenzial KI für die Arbeit in Redaktionen und Unternehmen hat – und wie sie hilft, verlorene Katzen wiederzufinden.

„In der APA sitzen keine Roboter, und sie werden in den Redaktionen auch in Zukunft keine Arbeitsplätze ersetzen“, schickte Schell voraus. Ganz im Gegenteil – KI eröffne neue Möglichkeiten und schaffe neue Rollen. So auch im neuen APA Ressort „Data + Graphics“, in dem ein interdisziplinäres Team aus EntwicklerInnen, InfografikerInnen und DatenanalystInnen an innovativen datenjournalistischen Produkten arbeitet. „Um zu erkennen, welche Geschichten sich in den gesammelten Daten verstecken – ob diese nun von einer Pressekonferenz oder einem Datenfeed stammen – braucht es immer den journalistischen Blick und das Wissen über die Welt“, so Schell.

Täglich grüßt der Textassistent

„Vom simplen Lückentext, der mittels Algorithmen-Konfiguration mit Daten gefüttert wird, bis hin zu komplexen Machine Learning-Texten – wenn wir von KI sprechen, dann meinen wir immer Sprachmodelle“, stellte die stellvertretende Chefredakteurin klar.

Wie KI konkret dabei hilft, den Workflow in Redaktionen effizienter zu machen, zeigte sie anhand des Beispiels der Wahlberichterstattung: „Unsere Entwickler und Datenjournalisten haben einen Datensatz derart programmiert, dass die weitere Arbeit mit den von der Wahlbehörde gelieferten Informationen nun deutlich einfacher ist. Wir sehen jetzt auf einen Blick, wo welche Partei Stimmen dazugewonnen oder verloren hat und ersparen uns das langwierige und fehleranfällige Heraussuchen von Zahlen aus Tabellen“, erklärte Schell. Eine Arbeit, die WahlberichterstatterInnen bisher nach einem langen Arbeitstag nachts zu erledigen hatten. In einem nächsten Schritt erhält die Redaktion einen automatisiert generierten Textvorschlag, der als Basis für den eigentlichen Artikel dient. „Dieser sogenannte APA Text Assistant ist eine der Hauptstrategien, wie wir KI in unserem Newsroom einsetzen“, fasste Schell zusammen.

Auch in der täglichen Corona-Berichterstattung sei dieser Textassistent eine große Hilfe: „Im Frühling 2020 hat uns das Finden, Analysieren und Interpretieren von Corona-Daten viele Stunden gekostet. Heute werden ausgewählte Daten in unseren APA Text Assistant importiert, entsprechend interpretiert und wir erhalten einen ersten Textvorschlag. Davon ausgehend und je nachdem, welche Zahlen gerade relevant sind, schreiben wir dann die eigentliche Story. Das erspart uns mehrere Stunden Arbeit pro Tag“, erklärte Schell.

Diese Formate müssen jedoch nichts mit trockenen Statistiken zu tun haben, so Schell: „Man kann aus den Daten auch sehr emotionale Geschichten machen, die für einen ‚Aw-Effekt‘ sorgen“. Ein Beispiel: Der Twitter-Account „Lost Pets Vienna“, auf dem durchaus emotionale Tweets über entlaufene Haustiere veröffentlicht werden – und zwar automatisiert. Die Daten kommen von der Stadt Wien, Tonalität und Format aus dem Datenjournalismus-Team, das Ergebnis: LostPetsVienna

KI-Potenziale in der Unternehmenskommunikation

Auch für Unternehmen eröffne KI-gestützte Content-Produktion ganz neue Möglichkeiten. Denn diese müssten vermehrt der Herausforderung gerecht werden, dass UserInnen immer mehr hochwertigen und auf sie zugeschnittenen Content verlangen. Wo Zahlen und Daten vorhanden, die passenden Ressourcen im Unternehmen jedoch rar sind, könne KI dabei helfen, neue und einfach zu generierende Formate zu entwickeln, so Schell. Intelligente Textassistenten könnten den Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern zum Beispiel regelmäßig Textvorschläge aus großen Datenmengen, etwa für Geschäftsberichte oder Reports, liefern.

Zum Video:  Breakout Session „Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) in der Kommunikation“

Der Beitrag Medientage: Blicke in die digitale Zukunft erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

Few events have had such an impact on APA’s fortunes since its inception as the Covid pandemic. Clemens Pig, CEO of APA, sees the pandemic as an “accelerator” for digitalisation. “As a company for editorial and technological infrastructure, APA has a highly specific role to play in this ongoing, unusual situation: as an innovation and digital hub for the media and communications industry in Austria, and as the basic supplier of ‘true and unbiased news’ to the media,” he said in an interview with APA. Pig expressed his pride at how the company had mastered these responsibilities: “We have impressively demonstrated that APA is an essential instrument of Austrian democracy from a journalistic perspective and an indispensable instrument of the media from an entrepreneurial perspective.”

Although it is basically well positioned as a “Swiss Army knife in media digitalisation”, APA still needs to develop further with a digital strategy that focuses on the digital workplace, digital platforms and digital business if it wants to master the significant changes in media use. At the moment, the company wants to better understand how people use media in the digital space. “Data can be an essential mechanism for this. Our aim is a shared understanding of the data issue on the media market,” said Pig.

APA wants to bring all employees under the age of 30 together with management in order to listen to and understand the needs of young media users. APA may not be an old grandfather with a long, grey beard, but it also is not a young, sneaker-wearing career starter. “I would say that APA is a smart early forties – confident and aware of its strengths, yet definitely willing to change,” is how Managing Director Karin Thiller outlined the current situation.

Work is currently underway on a modern news platform for the professional communications market that will comprise all APA content and display it in a way that is optimised for mobile devices. In addition, the news agency is also developing a log-in alliance together with Austria’s media partners, which will make it possible to use content across all media outlets with one user ID.

The digital strategy also addresses the company’s own day-to-day work. “Numerous steps that are currently still manual will be AI-supported or (partially) automated in the foreseeable future. We will be dealing with these issues for a considerable time to come. Fortunately, we’re marathon runners here at the agency,” said Pig. Diversity in the company also remains an issue, “in order to reflect the diversity of society”, said Thiller.

That APA, as one of only about 20 independent news agencies in the world, is seen as an “independent beacon” is more important now than ever. “In overheated communications markets, where there are so many platforms, opinions and so much polarisation, the need for an independent news agency of our calibre is even growing,” Pig said, pointing to editorial innovations such as APA’s Department of Verification, which was recently certified by the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN).

“Accurate, credible and trustworthy information has been our core business and the DNA of our journalistic work since our founding in 1946,” explained APA Editor-in-Chief Johannes Bruckenberger on the occasion of the anniversary. “‘True and unbiased news’ was the noble goal with which our founding allies, Reuters and AP, set us on our way. In less dramatic terms, it means the objective search for the facts and the best possible version of the truth. In this age of disinformation, this task is more important than ever,” Bruckenberger believes.

The answer to disinformation and bias can only be a focus on journalistic virtues. “Keep your distance, don’t let yourself be taken in; classify fact-based research impartially – check, re-check, double-check; separate the essential from the non-essential; don’t give in to insubordinate interventions, but deal with your own false assessments and mistakes with transparency and fearlessness.” According to Bruckenberger, agency journalism requires exceptional accuracy, exceptional speed, exceptional clarity and exceptional objectivity.

“Since the Enlightenment, the task of journalism has been to critically accompany the rulers, the powerful and the governing and to report on processes, circumstances and conditions in politics. This includes successes and reasonable approaches to solutions as well as errors in the system, injustices or corruption – journalism respecting the political office, but with critical distance. Since the nineteenth century, news agencies have been among the key enterprises in the global communication system,” Bruckenberger said. Where they can operate independently of the state, they ensure the “free flow of information”. A job that, in the eyes of the Editor-In-Chief, never ends. “Liberal democracy needs independent media more than ever – as a counterbalance to disinformation and the last social brace against a polarised public. A free press needs independent news agencies such as APA.”

Information, videos and programme highlights from APA’s 75th anniversary celebration

Anniversary Publication in English

Der Beitrag APA focuses on digital strategy and independence in anniversary year erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

CEO Clemens Pig is committed to innovation. In this exclusive interview with HORIZONT, he describes how this was structurally established, how growth can occur and what new services are now being launched.

As CEO of APA – Austria Press Agency, which will be 75 years old in 2021, Clemens Pig is continually expanding the portfolio. An interview on the pressure of costs combined with a spirit of innovation and new services ranging from a fact-checking tool to regional moving images and login standards.

Horizont: A central question these days: from a financial perspective, how is 2020 going for APA, which, of course, is not directly dependent on advertising income?

Clemens Pig: APA has good momentum stemming from 2019, which we completed with EUR 66 million in revenue and growth of four percent. This figure is distributed fairly precisely at a rate of one third each between the classic news agency, APA-DeFacto/APA-OTS and APA-IT. Because we generate two thirds from the latter two areas, which are also highly competitive internationally, development this year has been anything but a given. We’re noticing the effects from the postponement of major events such as the Olympics and the European Championships, which would have generated sales in the core editorial business, as well as from the cancellations in the commissioned photography and video business at APA-OTS.

What does that mean in concrete terms economically?

Due to numerous marketing efforts, we can maintain or slightly increase revenue; in terms of material costs, we have taken drastic cost measures to be able to maintain our earnings level. As in 2019, we will be able to bring 2020 to a stable conclusion. I have always emphasized that, as B2B suppliers, news agencies will be affected by the crisis at a delay. Given that 2021 will be a far greater challenge for the entire industry than the current year, this will require some effort.

You undertook severe cuts in personnel costs in May of this year.

We implemented difficult measures very early on and, from the current perspective, are able to go into 2021 on a stable basis. From the cost perspective, it was urgently needed – not only because of corona, but especially due to rising costs as a result of the particularly difficult situation that there will be 70 quinquennial events in the APA cooperative in 2021 alone. Personnel costs are growing at a significantly higher rate than the revenue level.

The outcry over cutting staff was understandably considerable. How many people did it actually affect, and is the package now concluded?

From the current perspective, the cost-related measures in personnel have been completed. In the editorial department itself, there are four amicable terminations among the editors and one among the commercial employees. In total, we had to part with eleven employees across the group – all of them amicably. The remaining cost cuts concerning the 25 positions communicated were handled through redundancy. But that also means having to change processes so that the amount of work doesn’t increase to the extent it’s no longer feasible. All in all, every single job is painful – that’s indisputable. But with a view to the total workforce of 509 employees, with whom APA emerges as the largest national independent news agency in continental Europe by international comparison, it’s a manageable scale.

To what extent does this change the level of personnel in the editorial department?

Starting from 145 full-time equivalents, in the editorial office we have 15 fewer people. On the other hand, we have also created new jobs in the editorial office, for example the art director for digital native content and user experience and a head of newsroom development.

How much was the cost-cutting package in total?

At least EUR 2 million.

You mentioned the three pillars of revenue: which ones will bring revenue in the future? Is it also possible to generate earnings with the editorial office?

We will definitely continue to generate earnings with the editorial office in the future. When it comes to revenue, our management of the editorial office is growth-oriented, and we will also succeed at this next year. In terms of profit, our editorial office’s budget is tightly balanced. I don’t know of a single independent news agency in the world that works profitably with the editorial team on its own. APA is already a so-called total artwork, in which the aim is overall profitability with other business areas in the company. We generate growth in the editorial office because we are continually creating new product segments that we offer not only to the media, but also to businesses, policymakers and institutions. We can still succeed at this – not with such strong growth rates as IT or DeFacto and OTS, but our objective is to grow. APA organized itself in the area of ​​verification and fact-checking for editorial products at an early stage and created a corresponding position as verification officer. For this, we are also in the process of getting certified by the International Fact Checking Network of the Poynter Institute and have been generating income from it for several months.

What does the business model behind it look like?

For example, we’re currently handling the fact checks for Facebook in Austria as part of an international contract in cooperation with the German press agency dpa. I think it’s good if the media-owned national news agency is entrusted with such responsibilities and that these agendas are handled in this country.

How does that operate in concrete terms? How many employees are working on it?

The project is part of the editorial office under the guidance of the verification officer. As part of this agreement, we verify a certain number of issues and receive corresponding revenues for each fact check.

Posts read and edited, right?

No, we aren’t the Ministry of Truth. Essentially, it is about examining issues related specifically to disinformation and conspiracy theories. We import the results into our basic service and into a shared platform with our colleagues from dpa. We also deal intensively with the technological aspects of this issue. One example is the automated check of moving image content.

What other services are you also working on?

We have a strong focus on data journalism, which is very well accepted by young media users. For the Vienna election, we’ve expanded our range of information for the third time to include texts on automated local results. With our latest data journalism project, the „Grätzl“ or neighbourhood analyses, we have also brought a new perspective to reporting. The story itself is, and always will be, a journalistic and intellectual one. But publishing thousands of data sets in text and graphics within seconds is only possible with technology and AI. Especially at major events such as elections, the editorial services – text, images, graphics, live video, data, automated „Grätzl“ analyses and streaming – enhance the overall image of APA as a digital news agency to an even greater degree.

Are these projects happening in the Medialab test lab, or is this already a part of the editorial team’s day-to-day work? What’s the culture of innovation like at the office?

All prototyping takes place at Medialab. By means of design sprints, clickable prototypes of digital applications are created and tested within just five days. A decision is then made as to whether the prototypes should be given product status. At this point, the prototypes leave Medialab and are programmed and used as fully-fledged services. Medialab is not meant to deal with existing products. All of this naturally requires an open-minded, tolerant culture of innovation in the company. For me, knowing a prototype has to be discarded is as valuable as the step to the next development stage. We save ample time and money when we recognize at such an early date that a certain approach to an issue isn’t expedient after all.

Is there a fixed percentage invested in innovation?

The area of innovation is staffed throughout and there are benchmarks for innovation-related budgets. For the first time, we have also established our own innovation fund with an appropriate amount of money, so we are able to quickly and easily enable digital projects at APA, like a start-up. Looking to 2021, we will also take on a couple of fewer topics and provide more intensive support to others in order to achieve results even faster. This also applies to the further development of APA-OnlineManager (AOM). Initial prototypes are already available for this. We will launch the service parallel to the existing AOM and are planning to finish the prototype specifics in mid-2021 and to offer the first version at the end of the year.

Where is development headed for AOM?

In the direction of a news platform, on which we can better present our own as well as third-party content to our customers. Technologically, we are traditionally very strong, but we will make a significant leap forward in content delivery, supplying it on a more thematic basis and with improved visuals. Thematic and event orientation includes the comprehensive preparation of all available sources, i.e. APA reports, content from third-party providers, social media feeds and the like. The service is to be geared more closely to the thematic and interest-related profiles of AOM users – always in connection with our original content.

So a Salzburg current events editor will not only receive the current events reports from APA in Salzburg and press releases from regional policymakers, but tweets and posts from Salzburg policymakers as well?

Yes, because it’s possible to see the bigger picture concerning the issues, and it also makes sense to provide trending topics from the digital world. These are highly data-oriented approaches. Ultimately, it is about making the workflows for journalists smarter and better so that they can concentrate on their core areas of competency.

You raised the subject of video a while ago. Are moving images as established as they’ve been made out to be for some years now?

Moving images will once again make a significant advance in the industry, also as a result of 5G. Here, too, AI can accelerate the processes dramatically. Among other things, we’re working on automated speech to text as well as automated image selection. In the event, this would mean, for example, that the editor has the film done and on the way to the studio the fully transcribed texts including suitable image suggestions available in the editorial system for designing the report.

Is APA also pushing ahead with its own production?

We will expand the Vienna camera team to three camera teams for the editorial office’s live video services. Through a series of collaborations, we will also set up a provincial network in order to be able to very quickly integrate issues from the regions that are of national relevance into the videos offered by our basic service. I am confident we’ll already be able to offer a significantly higher number of local videos in the first quarter of 2021.

How substantial is shareholder pressure to offer such services – or are they being proactively supplied to the market?

Ideally, something like this takes place in a positive context. It is firmly anchored in the culture of APA to also press ahead with such issues at the initiative of the company itself – and management. But I also quite like the fact that we are challenged by shareholders and customers.

The video editing office mentioned could ease the pressure on ORF with its Player plans. To what extent was that a specific wish of ORF as the largest member of the cooperative?

I can imagine that more moving images from a news agency would be a valuable element in the Player. Development happened independently of the ORF-Player, however, and tended to address media that aren’t producing moving images yet or have only just begun.

To what extent is it conceivable that APA will also build a joint marketing platform or a login solution for the market?

For three years, APA has been working on login and paywall solutions as part of a Google DNI grant and has completed corresponding prototypes. We screen the login solution issue for media on behalf of APA’s cooperative members, thus we have also joined the association “Meine Sichere ID”. An Austrian login system for all media must offer low-threshold access in every event.

This has been under discussion for quite awhile. Do you think it will succeed?

The major revolution is not the login per se, but the use cases for media – such as cross-ID access, with which the user can also access other pages with the ID of one medium, or there are relevant combined subscription models. I am confident that there will be a corresponding decision-making process in the media with the participation of APA at the turn of the year.

But the will to do this has been there for some time. Why should establishing something like this succeed now?

I meant a more specific statement of intent with specific characteristics and concepts. We’re already talking about implementation, not merely about the idea, and I anticipate a decision in the first quarter concerning the characteristics and use cases with which the media ID is to be implemented.

Let’s take a look outside of Austria: how is the holding running in Switzerland?

As part of a comprehensive cooperation agreement featuring a wide array of technology solutions, APA-IT supplies the Swiss news agency Keystone SDA, in which APA has a 30 percent stake as the largest single shareholder. With the subsidiary Gentics as well as APA-IT, we have recently been able to secure a major order in which we are realizing the entire front-end and portal for the eGovernment sector in Switzerland. Overall, I’m convinced that our internationalization strategy with IT works very well – we not only deliver to Switzerland, but also to Germany to SZ, G+J and dpa. Gentics, which we acquired in 2013, will strongly promote CMS solutions for corporates, consequently opening up new sources of income and areas of competency that can also be developed for other markets. We have also entered into a development cooperation with dpa.

The imagination is probably bigger in this case because IT is more scalable than editorial work.

That’s right. In itself, the editorial office of a news agency is perfectly scalable – but only in a big market. The basic service is a first-copy cost product that makes no difference whether you serve one or a hundred customers. Technology, on the other hand, is more easily scalable across borders.

So what’s the international business‘ share of revenue?

Based on the group and on total revenue, which is to increase to around EUR 70 million in the next year, we are at nearly ten percent.

APA’s turning 75 next year. What do you want – and what does the market want from APA?

The market wants what we’re doing at the moment – but always reinterpreted in a modern way: an excellent, independent agency service, stable IT systems and communication services – and all of it economically successful. Anniversaries can be celebrated in several ways. For APA, it is arguably best to go into its 75th year with a number of innovative themes.

The original Interview at horizont.at

Der Beitrag „APA is a total artwork“ erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

The advanced training lasts six months and is aimed at journalists and media professionals with at least three years of professional experience with an Austrian medium. The substantive focus ranges from digital storytelling, analytics in the newsroom, social media and online research to media law and is supplemented by workshops on special topics. Due to corona, plans are currently to hold the six modules and additional workshops entirely online.

„Together with the journalistic and content-related expertise, digital skills now form the basis of the journalistic profession. With the fjum grants, APA seeks to take this development into account and help enhance qualifications in the industry,“ APA Editor-in-Chief Johannes Bruckenberger says.

Applications:

Applications for the course – thus also the two APA grants – are possible from now until 30 November. Participants are selected by experts from fjum based on the documents submitted.

Further information on the course and fjum:

https://www.fjum-wien.at/kurse/zerdi21/

Der Beitrag APA to award two grants in the certificate course in digital journalism erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

The media industry is facing enormous pressure to innovate, which has „increased immensely“ in recent times, APA CEO Clemens Pig observed on 24 October at the Austrian Media Days, the Austrian media’s biggest industry gathering. Yet the transformation in the media provides an opportunity for a „democratic dividend“ and „digital dividend“, he said.

The corona crisis, for example, has shown what a visible contribution quality journalism makes to society as a whole in times of uncertainty and disinformation. Pig therefore views the verification of sources and information, which APA has stepped up this year by establishing a corresponding unit, as a central area of innovation.

Another is content automation. The aim is not to save on personnel, but to open up new business areas with additional content. The use of AI strategies in media production will also be essential: through a „silent revolution“ the editorial offices will be relieved of a „massive burden“ in the future.

„Collaboration“ will soon be the defining strategy for the domestic industry as a whole and at EU level, Pig said. „We have finally reached the point where national and European cooperation is necessary“. As an example, he mentioned „collaborative solutions“ such as those operated by APA in the form of the Austria Video Platform or the Austria Kiosk, Austria’s largest digital newspaper stand, but also the massive outsourcing of technology: „The editorial office will become even more the USP of media enterprises. No media company will win the competition of the future by building editorial systems on their own“.

Der Beitrag Austrian Media Days: Industry under pressure to innovate erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

APA – Austria Press Agency presented an increase in result and revenue at its general meeting on Wednesday. Consolidated revenue totalled EUR 66 million in 2019 compared with EUR 63.71 million in 2018. The growth generated in revenue was therefore 3.6 percent.

APA-Group’s operating result (EBIT) was EUR 2.16 million in 2019 compared with EUR 1.25 million in 2018. The result from ordinary activities (EBT) totalled EUR 2.14 million compared with EUR 0.62 million in 2018 (for direct comparison, each adjusted for non-recurring sales proceeds resulting from an exchange of a 50 percent stake in Keystone for 30 percent of the news agency group merger Keystone-SDA in 2018).

The average number of full-time equivalent staff employed by the Group was 509 compared with 519 in 2018.

Issues and personnel-related matters in 2019

Elections, news tech, and an important anniversary: the 2019 financial year posed a particular challenge for the APA editorial team with the EU elections and the early elections to the National Council following the ´Ibiza video‘. Both elections were supported by a new editorial service for automated text generation on the election results (Automated Content) as well as by a significantly expanded range of live streams and live blogs. The focus on moving images was manifested in the high number of Austria Video Platform (AVP) hits.

Subsidiaries APA-OTS and APA-DeFacto have combined their services for the dissemination of information and media monitoring in the new interface ‘PR-Desk’ a one-stop shop for communication professionals that went online in February 2020. As an „issues space“, APA-Press Centre has expanded its existing range of services for holding multimedia press conferences to include special facilities and infrastructure for external events and workshops.

APA-IT opened a new data centre in Switzerland as part of the technology cooperation agreement with Keystone-SDA, and the Gentics division was awarded the contract for the web portal of the future Swiss e-government solution. Since 2019, APA-Online Manager (AOM) has been available for mobile use via native apps for iOS and Android.

In the scope of the 80th anniversary of the independent news agency alliance Group 39 (1939-2019), the statutes were reformed under the Austrian presidency, resulting in the addition of new members, the two independent news agencies dpa (Germany) and PA Media Group (United Kingdom).

Johannes Bruckenberger has been APA’s new editor-in-chief since January 2019. Changes in management were also undertaken in subsidiaries: Julia Wippersberg has been managing director of APA-OTS GmbH since 2019; Clemens Prerovsky and Gerald Innerwinkler are the new management duo of APA-IT GmbH. Furthermore, Clemens Prerovsky, managing director of APA-IT GmbH, and Klemens Ganner, managing director of APA-DeFacto GmbH, were appointed as authorised representatives and members of APA eG’s Management Board.

Chairman of the APA Management Board Clemens Pig and APA Managing Director Karin Thiller pointed to the systemic relevance of independent news agencies: „APA-Group’s strong growth in revenue and result in 2019 gives us the necessary momentum for the company’s likely stable development in this time of pandemic. In view of the exceptionally high demands and challenges during the corona crisis, APA has been fulfilling its fundamental mission as a cooperative for the country’s media and institutions very satisfactorily, both at the editorial as well as technological level. As a national independent news agency, we are a well-rehearsed operational organisation, guaranteeing a reliable news flow and stable IT systems around the clock.“

APA Chairman of the Board of Directors Hermann Petz and Supervisory Board Chairman Alexander Wrabetz described the APA-Group as a „national infrastructure company for news and media technology and Austria’s leading service provider for communication professionals. We thank all of the APA-Group companies‘ employees for the successful 2019 financial year and for their extraordinarily high level of commitment and important contribution during the corona crisis.“

Extension of mandates for the board of directors and supervisory board of Austria Press Agency

In the general meeting, the mandates of Herbert Achleitner (Oberösterreichische Nachrichten), Wolfgang Fellner (Österreich), Martin Hagenstein (Salzburger Nachrichten), Hubert Patterer (Kleine Zeitung) and Brigitte Wolf (ORF) were confirmed on the board of directors for another three years. Thomas Kralinger (Kurier), Wolfgang Eder (Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt) and Wolfgang Zekert (Österreich) will retain their mandates on the APA Supervisory Board for another three years. Thomas Kralinger was unanimously re-elected as vice chairman of the Supervisory Board of APA eG for another three years. The executive committee of the Supervisory Board therefore continues to comprise the following members: Alexander Wrabetz (ORF) as chairman and Thomas Kralinger (Kurier) as well as Markus Mair (Styria) as vice chairmen of the Supervisory Board. The executive committee of the Board of Directors comprises Hermann Petz (Tiroler Tageszeitung) as chairman and Thomas Prantner (ORF) and Eugen A. Russ (Vorarlberger Nachrichten) as vice chairmen and Clemens Pig (APA) as CEO of APA and Chairman of APA’s Management Board.

Current situation in the pandemic year 2020

From today’s perspective, APA is expected to show stable development with a balanced result in the 2020 financial year; an overall forecast for the remainder of the year is not possible at this time. With the beginning of the corona pandemic, the focus on digital product development was further intensified and included digital press conferences at APA-Press Centre, live blogs concerning corona by the APA editorial staff, new e-paper services in the digital Austria Kiosk, digital services from APA-Campus through webinars as well as APA’s new fact-checking service for the verification of content, especially from digital space.

APA – Austria Press Agency

APA – Austria Press Agency is the national news agency and Austria’s leading information service provider. It is owned by Austrian daily newspapers and ORF. APA-Group comprises the cooperatively organised news agency and three wholly-owned subsidiaries and operates as a news agency, picture agency and in the areas of information management and information technology. The editorial offices of APA ensure real-time news services in word, image, graphics, audio and video, while the subsidiaries provide distribution, research and knowledge management services as well as information technology solutions.

Der Beitrag For APA-Group growth in 2019 and a stable position in the pandemic year 2020 erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

There are already signs of development and findings that will lead to lasting changes. The need for reliable information and categorisation is even greater than before the outbreak of COVID-19. The online portals of domestic TV stations and newspapers have recorded above-average access figures in recent weeks. In addition to this, a comprehensive push for digitisation has developed, as there has been a massive gain in momentum for numerous processes that were already underway. And last but not least, there are still economic ramifications to be dealt with. Intelligent solutions and initiatives are in demand, particularly for severely affected areas such as the restaurant and hotel industry.

Austria-Kiosk will now provide an improved and even more easily accessible range of information. Operated by APA-DeFacto, Austria’s largest digital newsstand offers newspapers, magazines and specialist media as digital e-papers. APA-DeFacto has put together a special package for the hotel and restaurant industry. The system behind it is called “FreeLounge“ and has been successfully in use for a number of years. It enables companies and organisations to provide their customers and visitors with newspapers and magazines free of charge via W-LAN.

“Digital media use is playing a major role in the current situation,“ APA-DeFacto Managing Director Klemens Ganner explains. “The need for flexibly available information is particularly significant in difficult times. With Austria-Kiosk’s FreeLounge we have created easy, low-threshold access to newspapers and magazines. That means hotels and restaurants have an easy option for offering their guests further added value and for always having their favourite newspaper on hand.“

“There are already more than 150 FreeLounge locations in Austria and new ones are being added all the time,“ says Ganner, who is delighted about the significant demand. “Austria-Kiosk shows that digitisation can be entirely uncomplicated.“

Via the Austria-Kiosk FreeLounge, more than 400 Austrian and international daily newspapers, numerous magazines and specialist media can currently be read digitally as e-papers, including all domestic daily newspapers as well as many weekly newspapers and magazines. Austria-Kiosk also carries international titles such as “DIE WELT“, “The Guardian“ and “The Observer“.

Der Beitrag Austria-Kiosk: at the newspaper stand of the era erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

At a time in which physical contact is still kept to a minimum, new formats for digital communication are developing swiftly and often encountering a new level of acceptance. For example, virtual press conferences have also experienced an upturn. After all, interaction can also be generated in digital space, for instance by means of a question-and-answer tool, as is offered at APA-Press Centre at Vienna’s Naschmarkt. Live streams can be ordered here, and people can be added via webcam and integrated into the online event.

Video stream as default mode

“With a great deal of competence, creativity, flexibility and commitment, we have organised nearly 30 digital events this year so far, from online press conferences to product presentations and an online congress lasting several days. Customers from a wide range of industries have used APA-Press Centre and its equipment,“ APA-OTS Managing Director Julia Wippersberg says, looking back at the last months. The demand for modern streaming technology was already there before the corona crisis but has grown enormously since mid-March. Product Manager Robert Nowak is certain: “For journalists and media representatives, video streaming will become the default mode in the future, for participation by clicking on the streaming link is already part of the new normal – as is the feedback channel for questions.“

From planning to post-processing – everything from a single source.

The basics of event management apply not only to physical but also to virtual conferences, presentations, discussions and online workshops. The APA-Press Centre team advises on event planning and, if required, also organises photo coverage and the dissemination of information. Online events of any kind and size can be set up quickly, which makes APA-Press Centre interesting for digital crisis communication as well. Using the professional tool “PR-Desk“, press releases or a video can be distributed to the public afterward quickly and easily and the media response to the online event can be measured.

Der Beitrag APA-Press Centre: live in the digital stream erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.

Whether election results, population age structure, changes in temperature or climate, percentage of green areas, overnight stays, kindergarten places and much more: public organisations collect enormous quantities of statistical data. Currently, a large portion of this data is not textually developed or is insufficiently so. This is due less to a lack of interest than to a shortage of time to produce these texts. “Editorial offices generally do not have the resources to journalistically process all of the available data, which is one of the reasons why many stories are not being written. Content automation is aimed at generating new content, whose journalistic creation has not been possible on this scale up till now,“ says Katharina Schell of APA’s editorial board and director of APA’s Automated Content project, which was begun last year. The fact that human performance should not be underestimated by any means has been known since the initial attempts at automation, for when reporting on the National Council and EU elections last year, APA had already gathered extensive expertise with automatically generated texts.

Funding through the Vienna Media Initiative

Established in 2019, the City of Vienna’s funding programme “Vienna Media Initiative“ has come at just the right time. Since November, 23 out of 47 submitted projects focusing on high-quality journalism have received support, among them the Vienna Data Stories.

From big data to local content

Although the algorithms are generally launched in areas such as sports, finance, economy, and perhaps also weather and elections, in its thematic range the City of Vienna’s statistical data is an optimal area of activity. “It covers numerous aspects of daily life in the city, which means entirely new approaches to data storytelling can be developed and realistic stories can be generated in real time,“ Schell points out. For who knows what the most common species of tree in Donaustadt is, or how many dogs live in Mariahilf and how much space each of them has in relation to the area of the district? Whether the heat in the increasingly hotter summers is still normal and how many drinking fountains in the neighbourhoods are available to cool off is also of considerable regional relevance. This is all collected by the City of Vienna and can be found as tables in extracts in the Statistical Yearbook and individual brochures and in various formats in the internet. Developers and data journalists at APA’s editorial office optimise this for journalistic use, write rule-based templates and can create area-specific stories with it at the press of a button. The media as well as local authorities, municipal service providers and other public institutions can obtain these texts from APA and provide citizens with regional, hyperlocal and new information on areas that pertain directly to their lives. The Vienna Data Stories project launches in October 2020.

Strategic flagship project

For an independent news agency such as APA, which also sees its role as a service provider and enabler for the Austrian media and communications industry and has positioned itself at the interface of content and technology, the Vienna Data Stories integrate perfectly into company strategy. This is one of the reasons it is such a pleasure to be able to focus on this subject more intensively. APA CEO Clemens Pig sees “Viennese Data Stories as another concrete example of the competence in the use of data and artificial intelligence in the APA newsroom,“ and with it, APA can add another building block to innovative, customised content services for a digitised media industry.

For APA Editor-in-Chief Johannes Bruckenberger, too, the funding from the Vienna Media Initiative is “an important step for the future field of automated journalism at APA. Our editorial team already broke new journalistic ground last year with automated content on elections. Now we can use this new dimension of data journalism to develop further relevant local stories that are highly useful for both media enterprises and users.“

Journalistic quality standards

Katharina Schell is responsible for editorial innovation on the APA editorial board and also represents the editorial team at APA-medialab, APA-Austrian Press Agency’s innovation unit. She is familiar with the needs of editorial offices and knows precisely what complex algorithms require for fluid formulation. It is also the journalistic background that makes APA particularly predestined for projects of this kind. That is because journalistic standards of quality such as source reliability, plausibility checks, transparency and the principle of dual control must be ensured despite the automated process. This applies not only to checking the correct data situation but also, for example, to transparency notices indicating the information is generated automatically.

Der Beitrag APA writes Vienna data stories erschien zuerst auf APA-Value-News.