PACIFIC media organisations need to combine the trust they have built with innovative ways of reaching audiences if they are to remain relevant in an increasingly digital information environment.
BBC Media Action Pacific program project director Dipak Bhattarai said print media organisations needed to understand their audiences, identify their niche and use digital platforms creatively.
Mr Bhattarai was speaking about findings from a comparative audience survey conducted in Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa and Papua New Guinea last year.
The survey found that while audiences were increasingly using social media for daily information, established media organisations continued to have higher levels of trust
“You have to find your niche as a print media organisation,” he said.
He said traditional media organisations were increasingly using social media to drive audiences towards their print products and online platforms.
Newspapers also need to understand who their target audiences are, how they consume information and what content is most useful to them.
“People need trusted and factual information, particularly at a time when we are flooded with information.
Mr Bhattarai said social media could also create opportunities for additional revenue when used creatively.
“Organisations should identify what they were good at, build on those strengths and find effective ways of reaching their audiences,”
He said the BBC had similarly shifted towards a stronger digital and social-first approach.
