The world’s leading cross media, cross-platform conference in the heart of Europe.

Adapting to the challenges of the digital revolution.

The news and media world is under assault as never before.
All across Europe and in the United States, old assumptions about how media companies should act and perform are being undermined.

New technologies, new competitors and an economy ravaged by a global recession.
How are media companies to respond? Is there a formula for success, or even survival at this critical time?

After a sell-out success earlier this year, Digital News Affairs is back in Brussels.

March 4th and 5th 2009
Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels, Belgium

From the Associated Press, Eric Braun, Vice President and Managing Director of AP’s International Television division. Based in London, Eric is responsible for AP Television News, AP’s global video news agency. One of the two biggest news agencies in the world, AP has already undertaken a process of consolidation, merging its three business units, newspapers, broadcast and digital in order to better meet the converging needs of today’s media industry. Eric Braun was formerly Vice President for News and Convergence at Raycom Media in the US and was responsible for marketing the group’s Internet business and new media strategies.

From Wired Magazine, Ben Hammersley is a British journalist, broadcaster, photographer and technologist. He is currently Deputy Editor of Conde Nast's Wired UK magazine, which is due to relaunch in 2009.

From Sky News, Simon Bucks has been Associate Editor of Sky News since 2004 and in 2007 moved to Sky News Online where he is responsible for growing user participation. Simon has a special interest in innovation: he helped launch Sky News’ presence in Second Life, he was responsible for winning permission to stream live stenography from courtrooms direct to TV screens... Simon has been closely involved with the British Broadcasters’ campaign to get cameras into courts. He is currently President of the Society of Editors in the UK.

From the Internet newspaper Rue89, President of the society and Editor in Chief, Pierre Haski. The French website created by former “Liberation” journalists began publishing during the French presidential election and now has one million unique users. Rue89 has a team of journalists and a netwerk of bloggers who create the site’s original content.

Microsoft’s UK Executive Producer is Peter Bale. Formerly Online Editorial Director for The Times and The Sunday Times, Peter is now responsible for the editorial content of Microsoft’s online platforms including MSN and Windows Live.

From the Waz Media Group, one of the leading publishing companies in Germany, Katharina Borchert is the Chief Editor of the online newspaper DerWesten.de and also the Managing Director of WAZ NewMedia is responsible for the company’s online business. The group publishes 38 daily newspapers with a circulation of more than 4 million copies and has become one of the most influential media companies in Europe.

Blogger and author of “What Would Google Do?”, Jeff Jarvis writes about the media and news at Buzzmachine.com.
He is Associate Professor and Director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York’s new Graduate School of Journalism. Read more about Jeff Jarvis on dna2009.com, in the Huffington Post or watch Jeff’s answer to the question: DNA 2009 – what’s in it for you?

Head of the BBC’s biggest division, Pat Loughrey is the Director of BBC Nations and Regions. He has overall responsibility for the BBC’s television, radio and online programmes and services in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the 12 English Regions. He leads over 6,000 staff based in more than 50 centres across the UK.
During Pat’s time as Director Nations & Regions, the BBC outside London has flourished. Editorial highlights include Dr. Who, Torchwood, God on Trial, Murphy’s Law, Tribe, Still Game, Facing the Truth and Inside Out.

David Brewer, is responsible for developing content for “LiveStation’, the online platform for delivering live television and radio broadcasts. Livestation breaks the traditional broadcast model and seeks to develop a more interactive model with new revenue possibilities. David is working with broadcast partners to help them to adapt to the new ways in which viewers and listeners are consuming news.

Jim Willse, is the Editor of the Newark Star Ledger (Conde Nast). The paper is undergoing a period of radical reorganisation in order to adapt to the changing digital world. Having lost 40% of their newsroom staff, the newspaper has recently reinvented itself by training journalists to make online video and launching a daily live webcast. Written off by Editor and Publisher Magazine only a few months ago the Star Ledger has been described in the American Journalism Review as the phoenix that rose from the ashes.