A Piga's Rangers: Steering Austria's Press Agency into the Digital Future
APA announces Clemens Pig as its new chief executive officer
Hold onto your hats, folks! The raucous bunch at the APA's general assembly, Austria's Press Agency, have just elected their fierce leader, Clemens Pig, for another five years. The decision comes on the heels of a string of challenges and opportunities the agency is facing in the current digital age.
Hermann Petz, head honcho at Moser Holding, and Roland Weißmann, ORF kingpin, announced the re-election, praising Pig's innovative approach and unwavering commitment to independent journalism. "Pig's strategic vision, tethered to the timeless values of our agency, blends seamlessly with cutting-edge technology solutions and novel business models." They declared, "We're stoked to embark on this wild ride with Clemens leading the charge as our fearless CEO."
Fresh off the press, the new strategy update, "Trusted Content & Trusted AI," unfolded at the start of business year 2024. This year also marks the 175th anniversary of the venerable news agency, tracing its roots back to the "Österreichische Correspondenz," founded in 1849. Today, the APA, a cooperative owned by domestic media, is a cornerstone of Austria's information supply and one of the twenty or so independent news agencies worldwide.
Navigating the Stormy Digital Waters
"The digital information sea is rife with trouble, with AI-backed social networks pushing disinformation like the horizon receding," Pig said at a recent gathering. The upcoming threats to democracies and media call for a united stand, he added. In his 2023 blockbuster, "Democracy Dies in Darkness," Pig discusses current challenges, offers solutions, and advocates for the evolution of media systems from a dual to a cooperative model.
Dr. Clemens Pig, a native Tyrolean with a PhD in political science and a focus on digital communication and media, is no stranger to the upheaval in the media industry. Founding the startup "MediaWatch - Institute for Media Analysis" during his student days, he later sold it to the APA group in 2001. He joined the APA's management team in 2008 as the director of marketing and sales, later assuming the CEO position for the APA subsidiary, APA-DeFacto Datenbank & Contentmanagement GmbH. As CEO of the APA group since 2014, he also conquered the corporate enterprise in 2016. Pig's academic work includes a series of articles and book chapters on the development of media in the digital age. He's won numerous awards, including the Austrian Science Award in 2013 and the "Media Manager of the Year" honor from "Der österreichische Journalist" in 2018. Pig also serves as the president of the Austrian Cooperative Association (ÖGV) and vice-president of the board of directors of the Swiss news agency group Keystone-SDA (Bern). Until 2023, he held the prestigious title of President of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA). Married with three daughters, Pig continues to steer the ship for the APA in the heart of Vienna.
APA - Austria Presse Agentur: Beating the Drums of News
The APA, or Austria Presse Agentur, is the national news agency and the go-to source for information in Austria, backed by the bigwigs of Austrian daily newspapers and ORF. Consisting of the cooperatively organized news agency (APA-News) and several national and international subsidiaries, they cover communication management (APA-Comm) and information technology (APA-Tech) with multimedia reporting. The APA's reliable, independent, fast-paced, and fact-based reporting is the backbone of the media industry worldwide. Furthermore, they offer specialized solutions for communication specialists in politics and business through media monitoring, media analysis, and distribution services.
More info on the APA can be found at apa.at. For press inquiries, reach out to Petra Haller at +43 (0)1 360 60-5710 ([email protected]) or visit www.apa.at. Original content by APA - Austria Presse Agentur, delivered through news aktuell.
- Clemens Pig, the re-elected CEO of APA, emphasizes the need for united action in the face of digital threats to democracies and the media, asserting that evolution from a dual to a cooperative media model is essential.
- In his strategic vision, Pig advocates for the integration of cutting-edge technology solutions and novel business models, blending this with the timeless values of independent journalism, a blend that resonates with Hermann Petz and Roland Weißmann.
- Amidst the backdrop of a challenging digital landscape where AI-backed social networks disseminate disinformation, the APA, a significant component of Austria's information supply, positions itself as a key player in data-and-cloud-computing and policy-and-legislation discussions within the realm of general-news.
