Program #MFMW24

After the first digital newsdesks were set up in the USA in the mid-1990s, it wasn't long before the first digital newsrooms were established in Europe. The Freie Presse also introduced a digital newsroom in March 2021. Freie Presse is a regional daily newspaper for which 150 editors research news from Saxony, Germany and the world every day.

Anne Lena Mösken works as deputy editor-in-chief at the Freie Presse. She is head of the research department and is responsible for developing the content of the local editorial offices. Sascha Aurich also works for the Freie Presse. Until 2019, he was responsible for daily production in the newsroom. Since 2020, he has been deputy editor-in-chief at Freie Presse with a focus on digital issues.

In our panel "BUSINESSCASE: NEWSROOM", our speakers Anne Lena Mösken and Sascha Aurich will shed light on the publisher's business strategy. They talk about how data helps to get to know the readership better and get younger target groups interested in local journalism.

Would you like to know who is responsible for the content on the TikTok channels of Mercedes-Benz, Mastercard or Gerolsteiner? Or are you wondering why brands should put all their focus on TikTok and how they can really take off there?

Then join us in welcoming the first speaker Sven Oechler to the "INFLUENCER MARKETING" panel. He is co-founder and CEO of the TikTok agency "Pro & Me". Together with his team, he offers companies workshops, campaign strategies and content production. With the right timing, creative approaches and clever implementation, they regularly lead companies to success on the social media platform.

Sven Oechler is not only a real TikTok expert through his agency, but also through his work as a content creator for the channels frontpageTV and svenfrontpage. Together, he has around 950,000 followers there, whom he regularly inspires with quiz formats, challenges and competitions, preferably in a yellow suit.

We welcome Julia Richter as the second speaker on this panel. She is a junior project manager at "Pro & Me'' and has extensive experience in project communication, content creation and campaign management. Her career began as Head of Communication at Campusfestival 2020 and Member of Sponsoring at Medienforum Mittweida 2020 at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. Before her junior position at "Pro & Me", she gained experience as an editorial assistant at We Are Era and as a set runner at Studio.TV.Film GmbH.

How subjective should journalism be? Are you allowed to be part of the report as a journalist yourself or do you have to remain neutral and stand behind the camera?

These and other questions will be discussed in the panel "RADICALLY SUBJECTIVE - NEW NEW JOURNALISM", in which Prof. Janis Brinkmann, Professor of Journalism in the Digital Information Economy and Dean of Studies for Media Management and Media Technology at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, will talk about his extensive study "Journalistic Border Crossers. How funk's reportage formats construct reality" for the Otto Brenner Foundation. The study examined over 1000 contributions from five funk formats: Y-Kollektiv, STRG_F, reporter, Die Frage and follow.me reports using a quantitative content analysis. Formal criteria as well as topics, reporting patterns, sources of information, actors, forms of presentation, locations of events and evaluations of events were examined.

In addition, David Donschen, author and freelance journalist in radio and video for Y-Kollektiv as well as rbb and arte, will give insights into his journalistic work at the Y-Kollektiv. He produced previously well-known and sometimes controversial contributions such as "Unterwegs mit der Kripo in Berlin" for the Y-Kollektiv and explains when it is advisable to act personally in front of the camera and share direct experiences. Also he will explain when it is more appropriate to take on a more traditional observer role. David Donschen emphasises the difference between experiencing and retelling stories and shows when subjective reportage in presenter format is important to emphasise personal perspectives and create a deeper connection with the audience. Here he presents excerpts from his own contributions.

In our panel "Digital Leadership", Lunia Hara talks about empathy and equal opportunities in the world of work. She is an expert on empathic leadership and an important driving force on the topics of modern leadership and culture change. She tries to inspire leaders to be more open and empathetic on the job.

In addition to her work at diconium, Lunia Hara regularly writes columns for "Der Spiegel" and also shares her own experiences as a speaker at various events. In 2022, Lunia Hara was awarded LinkedIn Top Voice.

For four years now, the TV show "The Masked Singer" has been captivating German audiences with its unique concept. Masked celebrities compete against each other in a singing competition and in the end the winner is chosen by the audience. But how exactly do such television formats come about and what processes do they go through to ultimately appear on our screens? These and other questions will be answered in the "FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT" panel at Medienforum Mittweida 2023.

Our first speaker, Gabriele Abegg-Karmalker, is Head of Strategic Development at EndemolShine Germany.

In her keynote, she will talk about strategic format development in linear television, how a format is developed and how a purchased format is prepared for Germany. She will give us a few broad-based insights into major formats such as "The Masked Singer" or "Kitchen Impossible". As a little bonus for all those who follow our event on site in the TV studio, Abegg-Karmalker will give us an exclusive insight into an as yet unpublished format that will be broadcast next year on the TV channel VOX. So it's even more worthwhile to be there!

Our second speaker is Sebastian von Wurmb-Seibel, Senior Executive Producer at Janus Productions. He was also CEO of Cinephant GmbH from 2008 to 2019. Their best-known formats include the late-night show "Circus HalliGalli".

In his keynote speech, he will focus on his company Janus Productions. With the motto "Really good content", Janus Productions has stood for reliability and successful productions for over 20 years. One of its best-known formats is the reportage series "Achtung Kontrolle! - Wir kümmern uns drum". Wurmb-Seibel also talks about the TV show "Wer schläft, verliert". The show revolves around celebrities who have previously spent 60 hours without sleep and are now competing against each other in games of skill. Whoever falls asleep first loses.

The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest music competition in Europe. Around 162 million viewers from 38 nations watched the live shows this year, with Sweden taking first place in the final. In order to guarantee a smooth running of this wide-reaching event, the most modern audio technologies are always used. At our panel, the Managing Director of DirectOut GmbH will use the example of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 to present the special features that need to be taken into account when creating a sound concept and the technological innovations that play a major role.

Our speaker Jan Ehrlich has been working for DirectOut for 13 years as Sales Director and since 2013 he also is CEO of the company. Through his many years of work, he has in-depth knowledge of audio technology as well as marketing strategies. His company DirectOut specialises in the production of high-tech audio systems and is based in Mittweida. 

In his keynote, he will introduce us to the sound concept of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, highlighting one of his company's innovations, the multi-format audio matrix "Prodigy". This was significantly involved in the concept implementation of the music competition and was also used at the "Campusfestival Mittweida 2023".

Is the dual broadcasting system out of kilter and does the balance between public and private broadcasting need to be readjusted?

While public media are often under political pressure, private broadcasting is facing monetization problems. Our speakers Prof. Dr. Kai Gniffke, Claus Grewenig, Oliver Schenk and Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker will talk about these media policy changes and other topics.

Prof. Dr. Kai Gniffke has been Chairman of ARD since January 2023. He has also been intendant at SWR since 2019 and is the former head of Tagesschau. He is also an honorary professor at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences for Journalism in the Digital Transformation.

Claus Grewenig is Head of Media Policy at RTL Germany and has been CEO of the private broadcaster association Vaunet since 2022. He has also been on the supervisory board of Filmstiftung NRW and FilmFörderFonds Bayern GmbH since 2017.

Oliver Schenk (CDU) will also be our guest. He has been Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Media and Head of the State Chancellery since 2019. Oliver Schenk coordinates the work of the State Chancellery with the state parliament and the ministries and is also responsible for media policy and media law in Saxony.

Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker is Professor of Media Economics and Media Policy and Dean of the Faculty of Media at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. He has also been President of the Media Council of the Saxon State Authority for Private Broadcasting and New Media (SLM) since 2019.