The conversation with Dinko Fejzuli,  editor-in-chief of the trade journal medianet, on the topic of "Media - Quo Vadis" was conducted by Reichl und Partner PR. Fejzuli is one of the most recognized domestic journalists in this field. The interview took place in February 2014. The questions were asked by Wolfgang Wendy, Account Director of Reichl und Partner PR.

Reichl & Partner:   Mr. Fejzuli, would you say that media users are overwhelmed these days because of the wide range of offers?

Dinko Fejzuli: It's not so much a case of media users being overcharged, but rather an expansion of supply, a fragmentation. It can be seen that media consumption has become more differentiated for the individual and therefore even more interest-oriented. The fact that more supply also leads to more consumption can be seen above all in the TV sector. There is an increase here, with the exception of young people.

Reichl & Partner:   What have been the most important changes in the Austrian media landscape over the last 10 years?

Fejzuli: Clearly  the emergence of the dual broadcasting system with the private TV and radio stations and, on the other hand, the phenomenon of free newspapers, which has led to massive shifts, especially in the Vienna area. In addition, there has been what I see as an incredible democratization of media consumption through the digital opportunities that are now available to consume media.

Reichl & Partner:   How will the media landscape develop over the next few years?

Fejzuli: This is the great unknown that we all face. Apart from the new channels, I see a new, unprecedented consumer group growing up right now, especially in terms of media usage behavior; the current, so-called digital natives. For the first time, they will use media at an older age in a completely different way than their peer generations have done in the past. And that will certainly be very exciting and a great challenge for the traditional media.

Reichl and Partner:  At present, many people are saying that print media will not exist in ten years' time because of the Internet. If they do, what will they look like?

Fejzuli: That's what people have said about a lot of old channels when new ones came along. S. Cinema and book, TV and cinema, etc. Print media will certainly still exist in ten years. However, it is questionable whether all the daily newspapers that currently play a not insignificant role in Austria will still be published. What is currently happening at the Presse and Wirtschaftsblatt, for example, and apparently also at the Standard in a weakened form, could be just a prelude to possible future scenarios.
But there is also hope. Federal state newspapers such as Kleine Zeitung, Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, Tyrolean dailies and Salzburger Nachrichten will continue to play a strong role in their respective regions.
It has been more difficult for magazines for some time now. Here, yes, the double-page image ads have become a dying breed. On the other hand, magazines can also be very successful  - even as start-ups - as Red Bull Media House proves with its products Red Bull Bulletin, Servus, and Terra Mater, for example.

And to talk briefly about my own professional field: Specialist media, with exclusive special content, will always have a chance and a place in the media landscape. They could even be among the winners in print.

Reichl und Partner:  Can the print media withstand the pressure from the Internet and which payment models  for content on the Internet have a chance of being accepted by users?

Fejzuli:  Paid content will certainly come.  At the moment, publishers - wrongly -  are blaming either ORF (orf.at) or Google for their situation. What would be needed is a little more courage on the part of those involved, as well as simpler payment systems on the Internet. Apple is already demonstrating what is possible. Consumers would be quite willing to spend money, but they are not prepared to remember the different access data for several platforms and to have to enter their credit card details several times.

Reichl and Partner:  How will the publishing landscape in Austria change?

Fejzuli: I hope not in the way it seems to be developing in Germany. For example, at the Funke Group (formerly WAZ), where there is a central editorial office from which all of the publisher's media are fed identical content in certain departments.

Reichl & Partner:  What is the development of TV as an information medium?

Fejzuli: ORF is losing viewers and market share, but not only because it is partly confusable with the private broadcasters, but because this is a perfectly normal process ten years after the entry of private television. On the one hand, without Zwiefel, ORF has a starting advantage that should not be underestimated thanks to broadcasting fees. On the other hand, you can also see what spheres you reach when you do almost exclusively public service programming like Servus TV - you don't even get beyond the 2% reach. And in terms of the private sector. Here I see an absolute professionalization, especially in the news areas, which is only to be welcomed

Reichl and Partners:  What are the trends in radio broadcasting?

Fejzuli: None, because the radio market is probably the most stable of all. However, there is one exception. Kronehit, the only private, national radio station is growing and growing. For the first time, more than one million people listened to Kronehit, a private station, every weekday.

Reichl und Partner:  Austria is one of the countries with a high density of outdoor advertising - what trends can be expected here?

Fejzuli: In outdoor advertising, we are still waiting for THE one idea to finally digitize this form of media as well. Overall, outdoor advertising is indispensable for many campaigns because of its high impact, and if Frank Stronach, for example, had only smiled silently from a poster during the last National Council election campaign, he would have achieved a brilliant result.

Reichl and Partner: What do you think of the developments on the Internet?                         

Fejzuli: Internet penetration in Austria is complete; this also applies to the mobile network. It should be noted that social media supposedly has tremendous power. However, current studies show that hardly any shitstorm lasts longer than a day or two and has little lasting effect. And even if blogs and Twitter offer journalists one more way to reach recipients, I personally sometimes have the feeling that I'm in a bubble with my peers.

Reichl & Partner: What media trends are you most excited about?

Fejzuli: The media themselves are now becoming a topic for everyone - also due to digitization. This can also be seen in the coverage of our own industry, which is suddenly becoming relevant to more and more people as more and more topics become relevant in more and more areas of life. Here, the mega-buy of WhatsApp was a nice example. This has triggered a broad discussion on the topic of data privacy and data security. In the past something for specialists, today something that young and old talk about.

Mr. Fejzuli, thank you for the interview.