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About

Project Title
Regional Media Lab & Incubator

Budget
209.472,02 €

Project number
031277

Operation code
CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-031277

Main Scientific Domain
Social Sciences

Main Research Area
 Media and Communications

Subarea of the Main Scientific Area
Journalism

Secondary Research Area
Media and Communications

Subarea of the Secondary Scientific Area 
Media and Socio-Cultural Communication
Summary

The Portuguese regional press has for a long time been an important instrument for the valorization and development of low-density regions, particularly in the central area of Portugal (ERC, 2010; Correia, Carvalheiro, Morais & Sousa, 2011; Correia, Canavilhas, Carvalheiro, Ferreira, Morais & Sousa, 2014). Among the positive elements that can be invoked for their importance, one may identify the following:
“It cultivates proximity, is useful for its readers, and it stimulates or at least preserves, identity, cultural and historical ties of the greatest importance” (Azeredo Lopes in ERC,2010).
This relationship with proximity can be seen in different ways:

a) As an ideal vision of the community, with some anachronic traits:

1. Excessive dependence on the nearest sources of information available;
2. The lack of critical distance from the surrounding economic and political environment;
3. The lack of attention to new elements of social characterization of the regions;
4. The excessive dependence on a historical and traditionalist portrait of the region;
5. Ignorance about the demands of new emerging publics;
6. Indifference to cultural, economic and technological changes;
7. Occasionally, low professionalism of the newsrooms.

b) However, these traits that persist in the regional press also have advantages
derived from this same proximity that comes from the geographical scale:

1. Databases of subscribers that can be used, in a different way, for new models of relation with the public;
2. Strong personal and affective identification with the history of the regions
and places and know-how on the development of business models based on proximity;
3. Strong proximity to the emigrant communities.

Objetives

The Remedia.Lab main objectives are the following:

To contribute to the diagnosis of the
current situation of regional media.

To promote experimental tools and innovative strategies to strengthen the local and regional media business model, improving its sustainability.

To increase their innovation degree and to improve their connection with new publics, considering the social and cultural changes of the Portuguese Centre Region.

To increase the innovation present in local and
regional media, using information and
communication technologies.

To incubate new projects of regional media with
an innovative profile, using information
and communication technologies.

Outcomes

Among the outcomes of the project, we highlight the following:

Regional inquiry

A regional inquiry to find the working conditions of the professionals working in local and regional media from the Centre of Portugal.

Focus groups

Focus groups with journalists, divided by the several administrative units.

Analysis

The analysis of the information available in the regional press portal, regarding the Centre Region.

New strategies and devices

Developing new strategies and devices, including: 

a) Strategies of multimedia news reporting;
b) Chats, digital fora and other strategies to assure interactivity with publics;
c) Specific digital contents directed to well-defined to new publics with new agendas.
d) Online business models and self-promoting strategies to attract new publics.  

Pratical course unity

Implementation of an experimental and practical course unity directed to communication students and journalists.

National encounter

A national encounter of Regional Media Journalists.

Support:

Mobirise