CITI-IMMAA Seminars

The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI), in partnership with the International Media Management Academic Association (IMMAA), holds a monthly seminar program focused on strategy, management, and policy issues in telecommunications, computing, and electronic mass media.

The seminars feature a presentation from an invited speaker and then opens up to Q&A and discussion from the audience.

June 6, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Dr. Paula Miraglia, Publisher of Gama Revista and Founder of the Journalism & Tech Task Force (Brazil)

“Revisiting the Media Industry’s Relationship with Big Tech: Perspectives from the Brazilian Market”

Organized by Francisco Belda, São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Around the world, media organizations are facing multiple challenges linked to business models, changing consumer behavior, trust, and its relationship with technology, among many others. Although technology has always held an important place in the establishment and development of media organizations, the current relation between big tech platforms and the journalism ecosystem is characterized by unprecedented dependence and it is becoming increasingly a topic of concern. This relationship that is also defined by a great asymmetry of power. On one side are some of the most powerful companies in the world, and on the other an industry which is fighting to survive, has lost economic relevance and innovation capacity. Models of distribution, growth and revenue that once worked are no longer the answer and, apart from specific successful cases, journalism has not figured out new sustainable business models. 

This session will discuss ways forward. Are licensing deals enough or do we need to talk about a new vision for the industry that gives us more agency when facing tech innovations?

Paula Miraglia is a media entrepreneur and advocate. She is the co-founder, director general and publisher of Gama Revista and the founder of the Journalism & Tech Task Force, a global initiative based in Brazil, funded by the International Fund for Public Interest Media. She also co-founded and directed for eight years Nexo Jornal. Ms Miraglia holds a Doctorate in Social Anthropology from the University of São Paulo, where she also completed her master's and BA in Social Sciences. She is a Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia University. Ms Miraglia sits on the boards of the Center for News, Technology and Innovation, the International Press Institute, the Peregum Black Reference Institute and the Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services/BPBES.

May 16, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Dr. Jonas Föhr and Florian Schmitt, Strategic management Consultants at Suedwestrundfunk (Germany)

"Understanding Today to Plan for Tomorrow: How a German Public Service Media Company Applies Strategic Foresight to Prepare for Tomorrow"

Organized by Uwe Eisenbeis, Stuttgart Media University

Public Service Media in Europe face strong competition. SWR, one of the major German media institutions, environment, is no exception. To gain a competitive edge, the organization engaged in a strategic foresight exercise to plan for public medias’ social, technological, and economic scenarios of the future. This webinar will present insights of this work. 

Dr. Jonas Föhr studied Media Management at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands), and holds a PhD in Marketing and Consumer Behavior from the University of Bayreuth (Germany). He works as a strategic management consultant for SWR, a Public Service Medium in Stuttgart, Germany.

Florian Schmitt studied Technology, Operations and Processes at the University of Bayreuth and Hanyang University, South Korea and graduated with an M.Sc. degree. He previously worked at Google, implementing a partner management network with a focus on digitalization. He also worked at Daimler on the topic of future mobility.  Today he serves as a strategic management consultant for SWR.

April 4, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: John Sargent, Former CEO Macmillan Publishers and Executive Vice President of Holztbrinck Publishing Group

"The Economics and Management of Online Book Publishing"

Organized by Eli Noam, Columbia University

The digital revolution drastically transformed all facets of the media sector, often causing industries to trade the proverbial analog dollars for digital pennies.  How can the book publishing industry evolve in a world of new distribution and new formats? What are its opportunities, as well as threats?

John Sargent is the former CEO of Macmillan Publishers (Farrar, Holt, Macmillan, Springer, Nature, Palgrave, St. Martin’s, etc.), one of the five largest American publishing houses , and top manager of the still larger Holzbrinck Group of Germany. He will join the webinar of the International Media Management Academic Association and the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information. He will discuss how book publishers handle the transition to selling books online.  He will also address how major publishers handle the online platforms and publish their books online.  

Sargent serves on the executive board of the Association of American Publishers. He was the widely recognized leader in the book publishers’ and authors’ fight against Amazon’s e-book pricing system.

Sargent, a third-generation publishing leader, received a BA in Economics from Stanford and an MBA from Columbia. He is the author of the recent book Turning Pages: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher.

March 7, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Xavier Oliver, Former President of Tiempo BBDO Advertising Agency and Professor fo the IESE Business School

"The Paradox of the Content Consumer"

Organized by Mercedes Medina, University of Navarra

The digital market for video is still relatively new, but it is already changing the way people behave. For example, some may wonder why they feel tired and angry after watching a movie that is longer than an hour and a half, yet they are willing to watch an entire season of a TV series in just three days. With so much content available, people can feel overwhelmed by the choices and respond in the same way they do when faced with too many options in other areas of life. 

To overcome this, brands need to be innovative and find new ways to appeal to potential customers. This may involve identifying niche markets and using techniques that have been successful in other industries. For example, branding can be a powerful tool in capturing viewers' attention. 

In this webinar, we will explore strategies for breaking through the "boredom barrier" and creating engaging content that resonates with audiences. By learning from other sectors and understanding how to effectively brand content, we can identify ways to connect with viewers in meaningful ways.

Xavier Oliver is professor at IESE Business School, at the ISEM Fashion Business School, and in the Faculties of Communication and Economics at the University of Navarra.

He has been Chairman and CEO of BBDO Spain, a holding company of advertising and communications agencies with 1,200 employees and 13 commercial companies. BBDO, headquartered in New York, is one of the world’s largest advertising networks. He has been a member of the board of directors of BBDO Worldwide and BBDO Europe for 24 years. He created and for a number of years managed BBDO University, a corporate university with four campuses worldwide. After 32 years of service, he left BBDO to devote himself to teaching and his winery and consultancy.

Prof. Oliver has written and contributed to books published by the United Nations and IESE Business School, such as (1997) and Ethics in Marketing and Publicity (1998). His latest three books are: "Publicidad: no thank you!", "Atrapados por el consumo" (Trapped by Consumption) and "Marcas que sueñan. Solo las empresas que sueñan sobresalen" (Brands that dream. Only companies that dream stand out). At IESE, he has developed various cases in the areas of marketing and strategic branding.

February 1, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Luisa Ribeiro, Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Board at Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP)

"How Public Service Media can Manage in the Age of Streaming and Online?"

Luísa Ribeiro combines research and managerial experience. On the academic side, she holds a PhD in Finance from the Faculty of Economics of Porto. Having completed executive training courses at Insead, IMD, and Hult Ashridge, she has delved into fundamental research on the evolution of business models within the television industry. Her academic pursuits have included a focused examination of the impact of digital platforms on traditional television business structures.

On the mangerial side, she serves as the Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Board at Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP). RTP is the Portuguese public service media organization responsible for 8 television channels, 7 radio stations, and an online platform for live content .

She oversees the following areas as her direct reports: finance, planning and control, human resources, engineering and information systems, commercial operations (covering linear, radio, and online advertising, as well as national and international distribution), procurement, and an RTP Production Center. 

Previously, she was a manager at a financial software house and a Partner at a venture capital fund where she played a key role in initiating a portfolio of IT and MedTech companies. She was on the founding team of the telecom and IT venture subsidiary of Sonae, the largest Portuguese conglomerate, and participated in numerous mergers and acquisitions.

Throughout her academic journey she conducted in-depth studies on the audio-visual sector, with published work exploring the cable television industry, advertising dynamics, and media management. She served as a board member of the European Media Management Association (emma).

January 11, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Dr. Christopher Bauer, CEO, DuMont Group (Germany)

Market and Institutional Challenges in Leading the Transformation of a German Regional Publisher into a Digital Asset Holder – Dumont Group as a Case in Point

Dr. Christoph Bauer is the Group CEO of DuMont, a leading media company in Germany, with its foundation going back to 1620. At DuMont, he has initiated and leads the transformation journey towards profitability and has set the company on a growth trajectory for becoming a digitally driven company. Through his entrepreneurial strategy, he is leading the transformation agenda along three business units: content (regional media activities), data (business information services) and technology (marketing technology software as a service), ensuring both, profitable growth and resilience. 

Dr. Bauer holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration, and studied at University of Mannheim, Arizona State University and University of Oldenburg. Since the advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s, he has been a pioneer in the digitization of media companies and business models of all genres. He has over 20 years of experience in the media industry, with executive positions at Bertelsmann, NZZ, Ringier, AZ Medien.

December 7, 2023, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Amie Stepanovich, Vice President for US Policy, Future of Privacy Forum

Designing Policies for AI in Practive

By now, much has been written about the tremendous potential and threat of AI. Pollyannas claim it will improve lives while Cassandras focus on the risks. These questions are openly addressed in emerging legislation and regulations. However, most organizations are left navigating uncharted waters, unsure of how to design guidelines for staff on internal policies, procedures, and practices around generative AI. To remedy this, the Future of Privacy Forum published earlier this year an internal policy checklist on “Generative AI for Organizational Use” .

This seminar will focus on the process used to create the checklist, how it can be implemented, and key themes and takeaways to figure out where generative AI can help or hinder their work. A discussion will follow.

Amie Stepanovich is an internationally recognized expert in domestic surveillance, cybersecurity, and privacy law. She is currently the Vice President for U.S. Policy at the Future of Privacy Forum. Stepanovich previously served as the Executive Director for the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the U of Colorado Law School, and as Policy Manager and Counsel at Access Now in Washington, where she worked to protect human rights involving technology through law and policy. Prior to that, she was the Director of the Domestic Surveillance Project at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). In 2014, she was named in Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Leaders in Law and Policy.

November 2, 2023, 11:00am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Gregory W. Harper, Futurist and President, Harpervision Associates

The Next Generation of Media Video Devices and their Implications

Exponential developments in Graphic Process Units (GPU) and AI will rapidly change the way video media are produced and distributed, and with them the entire industry.  Greg Harper has been at the forefront of tracking the newest IT technologies and introducing them into media and management applications.  He will demonstrate several recent tech developments, project their trend, and analyze some of their implications. He will help academic media researchers look ahead into the future of the subject matter of their research.

Greg Harper is a futurist currently focusing on the latest technology trends related to hybrid working and collaboration systems, using AI and AV over IP to create immersive environments. His work includes developing systems and business strategies for IP-based production facilities, ultra-high-resolution remote collaboration, telepresence systems, unified communications, VR/AR, 5G, and IoT.

He is currently designing and implementing a next-generation distance learning system. He has worked with leading Wall Street investment banks for over 25 years, helping them deploy IP-based workplace technology and collaborative systems and providing research information on cutting-edge technologies. 

Greg is the CIO of Gateway, a Nordic Innovation Center In New York City where many of these developments are prototyped, tested, and demonstrated. 

Greg is also the co-founder of Gadgetoff, an invitation-only technology celebration, and is a frequent speaker at major conferences worldwide, both public and private, on next-generation media and technology trends. As a designer of systems ranging from telepresence and distance learning to digital media systems, Greg has been awarded twenty-six U.S. patents in digital media and interactive TV, with others pending.

October 5, 2023, 11am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Pablo Medina Aguerrebere, Professor of Corporate Communications at University of Dubai's School of Communication (UAE)

Building Meaningful Brands for Hospitals: A branding model for the next 20 (2023-2043)

Building Meaningful Brands for Non-Profits: A branding model for Hospitals

American hospitals face different challenges that will determine their corporate communication strategies in the next years: new business models, patients’ new requirements, economic crises, and smart technologies (artificial intelligence, big data).

Reviewing and evaluating historical hospital branding efforts of the past sixty years, this presentation proposes a modified cultural branding model of how hospitals can address these challenges in building meaningful brands that enhance their relations with stakeholders and improve their business models in the next twenty years. 

Pablo Medina Aguerrebere holds a BA, MA and Ph.D. in Corporate Communication from the University of Navarra in Spain. He has served as professor at several universities in Switzerland (University of Geneva) and Spain (International University of Catalonia). He has also worked for several years in healthcare companies (Publicis Conseil France, Clinica Universidad de Navarra) and led consulting projects about health communication (Sanofi, Cinfa, Hospital Mutua Terrassa).

Pablo has published more than 130 scientific publications about health communication in different journals such as Review of Communication Research, Communication and Medicine, or the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science. He has also published two books about the past, present and future of advertising and corporate communication in Spain, based on interviews with the CEOs and communication directors of global companies such as Publicis, DDB, Ogilvy, Telefonica, Repsol, and Acciona.

September 14, 2023, 11am-12:00pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Jeffrey Cole, Director of Business Strategy, USC Annenberg

Disruptors at the Gate: How Technology Changes Everything

Using twenty-five years of research from the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, Jeffrey Cole will look at why disruption causes fear and paralysis in governments and organizations, seldom (almost never) leading to good decisions. Disruption always comes from an unexpected place: the disruption of retail should have come from Wal-Mart, not an upstart book seller in Seattle; the disruption of the automobile business should have come from GM or Toyota, not a South African immigrant with no background in automotive. Not recognizing what is happening leads to bad decisions and doubling down on old ways.

Jeffrey Cole has been at the forefront of media and communications technology issues in the United States and internationally for the past three decades. An expert in the field of technology and emerging media, Cole serves regularly as an adviser to governments and leading companies around the world as they craft digital strategies.

Cole founded and directs the World Internet Project, a long-term longitudinal look at the effects of computer and Internet technology, a study conducted in over 35 countries. At the announcement of the project in June 1999, Vice President Al Gore praised Cole as a “true visionary providing the public with information on how to understand the impact of media.”

May 4, 2023, 11am-12pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Shelly Palmer, CEO, The Palmer Group, and Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University

The Intractable Problem of Alignment in AI

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as an major subject of interest and hype.  While some of the talk has focused on ways that AI will improve people’s lives, much of it has been dystopian..  This session will focus on how these two views can be merged, and how to align the various models of AI with values important to humanity.  

Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing, and co-founder of Metacademy, a free educational platform that teaches practical applications of blockchain, crypto, NFTs, Web3, the metaverse. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, and is a regular commentator on CNN and CNBC. He’s the co-host of the award-winning podcast Techstream with Shelly Palmer & Seth Everett and he hosts the Shelly Palmer #Web3Wednesday Livestream.

Shelly is a prolific author. Along with his daily newsletter, his books include, the Amazon #1 Bestseller, Blockchain – Cryptocurrency, NFTs & Smart Contracts: An executive guide to the world of decentralized finance and Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV, the seminal book about the technological, economic, and sociological forces that have changing everything about the business of television, Overcoming the Digital Divide: How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career, and Digital Wisdom: Thought Leadership for a Connected World.

April 6, 2023

Blockchain Decision Rules and Their Impact on Performance and Stability

March 2, 2023, 11am-12pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Dr. João Palmeiro, President, Portuguese Publishers Association

"The Challenges to Content Publishing in the First Half of the 21st Century"

In the beginning of the 20th century there was a clear line between content and technology. But by the 21st century that line had become quite fuzzy. Misinformation and fake news are being generated through new applications of technology. The United States is currently debating the extent of Section 230 immunity from liability. The EU is debating regulations to control malicious or unconfirmed content, as well as shutting down IP piratcy and terrorist applications. What will historians, sociologists, and journalists retain 50 years from now to interpret these initiatives? Does the opening  the digital world still require some analog thinking? This seminar will discuss different models for the regulated relationship between technology and content, and the requirements of an active participation of users, journalists, and publishers. 

Dr. João Palmeiro is, since 2000, the President of the Portuguese Publishers Association. He also holds the role of Vice-President of the European Federation of Magazine Editors and is a Board Member of the European Federation of Newspaper Editors. He sits on the boards of Wan-Ifra and Fipp.

Previously he served as Portugal’s Deputy Education Minister, Deputy Secretary of State for Social Communication. He was a member of the Mass Media Communication Council of Europe, and Deputy Director of Expo`98 Communication.

Dr. Pameiro has a Bachelor of Law and of Communication Sciences, and a post-graduate degree in Communication and Information Law (Coimbra University) and a Ph.D. in journalism (University of Salamanca). He has taught at several Portuguese Universities. 

February 2, 2023, 11am-12pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Sally Lehrman, Founder and Leader, The Trust Project

"The Impact of Trust Protocols in the Journalism Industry"

The news industry has suffered from declining trust for decades, with misinformation rushing into the gap. The speaker will describe research on news users and address the broad challenges of developing and applying trust-building protocols to create value for news media. She will focus on the Trust Project, an international collaboration with hundreds of news organizations from around the world.

The consortium created a set of digital standards called "Trust Indicators" to assist in transparency and lend credibility to reporting. These transparency standards are useable by humans and machine readable so that algorithms can factor in the information.

Sally Lehrman will present research by Trust Project academic partners on audience engagement, willingness to pay for news and enhancement of public awareness about the earmarks of trustworthy news, as well as about news organizations’ willingness to change. 

Sally Lehrman is an award-winning journalist who founded and leads The Trust Project, an international collaboration that she formed in 2014 with the goal of strengthening public confidence in the news through accountability and transparency. She was named one of MediaShift's Top 20 Digital Innovators in 2018 for her work.

This seminar was organized by Francisco Belda, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Arts, and Communication at the São Paulo State University, Brazil. 

Register at https://CITIIMMAALehrman.eventbrite.com

January 5, 2023, 11am-12pm

CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Johannes Bauer, Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy in the Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University

"The Return of the State into the Digital Economy"

During the past few years, the state has taken on a more proactive role in shaping the digital economy. Motives, forms, and patterns of interventions differ between countries and regions. However, after decades in which the state withdrew from telecommunications and media industries, it is remarkable how quickly the need for a renewed, stronger role has become accepted among decision makers across the political spectrum. 

This talk explored the anatomy and causes of these developments and critically discusses the rationales, strengths and weaknesses of selected emerging approaches. To keep the topic manageable, it focused on these developments in democratic contexts. It briefly reviewed the reasons for the withdrawal of the state in the late twentieth century before it explored the forces that have led to recent policy initiatives in regulatory and competition policy. 

This requires analyzing political-economic factors in addition to the standard rationales of network effects and dominance. Examples from the European Digital Markets Act and policy discussions in several other countries will illustrate the arguments. It is concerning that some of the interventions are fallbacks on policies that were abandoned as inefficient decades ago. At the same time, we also observe interesting institutional experimentation and innovations.

We explored the consequences of these developments for digital industries, their management, and the likely repercussions on competition and innovation. This will allow a preliminary outlook on whether the emerging policy models offer avenues to reconcile the technological dynamics of digital industries with notions of the public interest.

Johannes M. Bauer is a Professor in the Department of Media and Information and the Director of the Quello Center for Media and Information Policy at Michigan State University. He holds advanced degrees in Economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. His research broadly addresses the role of management and policy in optimizing the benefits of advanced information and communication technologies for individuals, communities, and society.