relationships among newsrooms media polyvalence type of collaboration on contents development type of contents delivery A METHODOLOGICAL TOOL: AN INDEX TO CALCULATE THE LEVEL OF CONVERGENCE OF A MEDIUM Xosé López Xosé Pereira Teresa de la Hera Idoia Portilla This paper provides a methodological tool for calculating an index over which reflects the level of convergence of a medium CONVERGENCE definition: “Media convergence is a multidimensional process that, facilitated by the generalised implantation of digital telecommunications technology, affects the technological, business, professional and publishing area of the mass media. It favours an integration of tools, spaces, working methods and languages that were formerly dispersed, in such a way that journalists produce contents that are distributed through numerous platforms, using the specific languages of each of them” (Palacios and Diaz-Noci, 2009:113) We propose to analytically structure the convergence into three dimensions that cover different phases of the communication process and refer to professional and content aspects: -Integrated production -Multi-skilled professionals -Multiplatform delivery This section will collect information about whether or not there is any type of collaboration among the different analysed media. We understand the collaboration as a relationship among media and not among the professionals of these media. We understand that there won’t be collaboration between one another, for example, two media don’t share any content. There would be collaboration, such as, if a newspaper laboured original contents for its own digital version or for other media or if both shared any kind of content, if that be in a constant or usual way. integrated newsroom spaces in common separated spaces minimum relationship Newsrooms previously separated work now in a common space Where different newsrooms share the same physical space Independent newsrooms in different spaces, even though they could share contents Where the newsrooms are split, don’t share editorial charges, and only occasionally could share resources Consists in knowing if its own medium contents are delivered by other media and knowing what media they are The proposed tool consists in a formula based on an assignation table of points that comes from a database. about convergence the variables the tool the database GENERAL DATA OF THE MEDIUM Name of the medium Group to which it belongs City in where it has seat Web Email Support: Paid Daily Newspaper Agency – Free Daily Newspaper - Others- Web Publishing - Radio- Magazine- TV Observations Size of the newsroom Telephone PROFESSIONAL POLIVALENCY 0% 25% 50% 100% COLLABORATION One-to-one relationship Other collaborations RELATIONSHIP AMONG NEWSROOMS Minimum relationship Separated spaces Spaces in common Integrated relationship MEDIA POLYVALENCE Contents published by other media Others DELIVERY Regular promotion belonging to another medium Regular contents promotion belonging to another medium Regular contents reproduction belonging to another medium the analysis table the formula Consists in knowing if the medium delivers, by its turn, the contents belonging to the other ones The newspaper restricts itself to promote another medium by nothing else than publishing its web address. The medium promotes a content belonging to another medium, such as, publishing a footnote through a call to its web factual video. The medium reproduces the content belonging to another medium, publishing entrances or comments, as an example. relationships among newsrooms media polyvalence type of collaboration on contents development type of contents delivery