Quality System...

At the company's level

Quality management improves a company’s organization to ensure optimal resource management and product quality. In the media industry, the quality management reference is the ISAS BCP 9001 standard, established by an international standardization committee and based on widely recognized good practices.

The certification of a media company provides public recognition of its conformity with the standard’s requirements, thereby reflecting and underlining the quality of its organization. Implementing a quality management system also brings benefits to the company’s image and to its economic performance.

Benefits to the company’s image
Quality management according to ISAS BCP 9001 requires a media company to:

• define its goals and take appropriate steps to achieve them
• adopt a clear editorial viewpoint, thus optimally meeting the expectations and needs of its target audience/readership and building loyalty based on trust
• implement processes and procedures to ensure the credibility and reliability of its content
• establish transparent rules and practices to ensure fair management of its human resources and a relationship of trust with its suppliers
• evaluate its service to the community in relation to its audience/readership values

Economic benefits
Quality management according to ISAS BCP 9001 allows a media company to:

• put its entire organization into perspective, clarifying responsibilities, rationalizing and documenting processes, eliminating duplications and controlling costs
• reorganize processes according to production logic rather than superposing structures after mergers, acquisitions, changes in the company’s direction or legal status
• rationalize the organization without loss of substance, providing all stakeholders with the same result despite a difficult economic situation
• flatten hierarchies and reduce the costs of obsolete structures in response to market constraints or changes in stakeholders’ needs
  address the challenges of change on a permanent basis through the analysis of needs and constraints
• ensure uniform structures and practices throughout a decentralized multi-site company, with the ability to control their application and avoid local interpretations that might produce waste or slippage
• prevent risks linked to personal and random interpretations of sensitive situations through the adoption of a code of ethics, the implementation of good practices and the establishment of recruiting and training requirements designed to avoid “media accidents”
• optimize risk prevention by implementing an advertising code providing clear rules to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, and to reduce the human and financial cost of mediations and lawsuits.

At the public level

• Increased audience and readership satisfaction
• Systematic responses to problems and complaints

>>> Greater credibility with the general public, notably viewers, listeners and readers, as well as with other stakeholders such as advertisers

At the management level

• A culture that promotes continual improvement of the media company's overall performance
• Systematic follow-up and evaluation of corrective actions
• Written procedures for all critical activities
• Higher efficiency of investments in content
• Identification and exchange of best practices
• Better access to sources of information
• Benchmarking among broadcasters, publishers and editors
• Transparent relationship with all stakeholders, including governments and owners
• If need be, quality management may favour and facilitate the transformation of state/government-controlled broadcasting into editorially independent public service broadcasting

At the staff level

• A common and shared vision of the media company
• Clear responsability and job descriptions
• Better monitoring of performance through appropriate indicators that are understood and accepted by the staff

>>> Better motivation of staff
>>> The ability to attract and motivate high-quality journalists and producers

Benefits of ISAS BCP 9001:2010 certification...

All benefits of a "Quality System"
+
Public recognition of the media company’s commitment to
the highest professional practices and ethics
+
Periodical independent evaluation as a rule

As a result :

>>> Shield against external interferences in editorial matters, primarily in countries where media freedom and independence are under threat

>>> Stronger position to conduct business with advertisers and suppliers

>>> ISO and ISAS are internationally renowned brand names that can make easier media companies’ professional and commercial relations with partners in other countries

>>> Idem for media organizations in developing countries and/or countries in transition seeking assistance from bilateral or multilateral development agencies

Official List of Certified Companies

Not yet listed?

Name *
E-mail *
Subject *
Comment *
Antispam

 

Other Media companies who had tested the ISAS BCP 9001 Standard

Testimonials and feedbacks from media…

BNJ FM - Delémont, Switzerland. First media to be certified ISAS BC 9001 in Switzerland

“The media quality management standard organizes the management system, in such a way as to produce quality contents, strengthen editorial independence, enhance the credibility of the media company, ensure a transparent, ethical and social management, and favor a harmonious HR management and training”
Pierre Steulet, CEO of BNJ FM SA, a Swiss group of 3 radio stations certified in August 2009.

Le Temps - Geneva, Switzerland. First certified swiss daily

Three questions for Ignace Jeannerat, assistant editor and secretary general of the Swiss newspaper “Le Temps”

What major benefits has your newspaper’s certification brought?
Ignace Jeannerat: "Certification has helped us clarify and validate a certain number of procedures. Our business already had sound practices, but they were not always written, shared or known to everyone. So we found ourselves relying either on our memories or on rather formal steps. We also reviewed our requirements for various suppliers linked to our activities and the production of our newspaper. When it came to fact checking, quality control of stories or the production process, we formulated or spelled out rules, not only for the newspaper but also for our electronic applications. In conclusion, certification had at least two effects: first, the process was a real tool for improving the quality of what we do every day, even if we never fully reach our targets; second, there is a new mindset on every floor, which involves regularly asking the question, “does what we’re doing meet our quality goals?”
How did the staff react to the certification process?
I.J.: "Simply stated, about a third of the staff was on board right away, a third was supportive but no more, and a third adopted a wait-and-see attitude. That said, the whole enterprise plunged into this ambitious process, at the level of each department or section, and worked hard to complete it in the short period of time allotted – a mere ten months from the beginning to certification! Now, in year two, the process is continuing and expanding. We are touching up some of our procedures, and as the “quality manager” I devote anywhere from 20% to 40% of my time to this activity."
Has certification brought any economic benefits?
I.J. : "That’s hard to measure with any precision. But it’s obvious that clarifying procedures and respecting them has a positive impact on production costs for both the print and electronic versions. Moreover, by drawing attention to this process we’ve encouraged readers to hold us to our commitment by challenging our decisions and practices. So we are motivated to respond clearly to our readers, who are also our customers.
Other effects that are not specifically economic: the corporate culture has been strengthened, the walls between different areas have been shrunk, responsibilities and procedures have been clarified. In some areas, the process has allowed us to avoid mistakes or to accelerate projects or reforms that were already underway. One example is the implementation of an annual evaluation for all staff.
To sum up, this exercise taught us a lot and allowed us to go forward. But it’s over the long run, year after year, that we’ll fully be able to appreciate all its benefits."

RadioFr - Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland. Pioneer in quality management

“Radio Fr decided to implement a quality management system in 2007. We benefit by Certimedia experience to assist us in this implementation. Rather sceptical at the beginning about this approach, being quite satisfied with the functioning of our institution and fearing a work overload linked to the implementation of such a system, we quickly realized on the contrary that the implementation of a quality management system could open new perspectives in terms of rationalization and effectiveness. From sceptical we became enthusiastic and all the staff involved in the process is really glad to start soon the levelling phase of the project. The first step consisting in a gap analysis allowed us to discover some lacks in the global management of our company and to learn about the way to react efficiently to non-obvious situations. This has been done even before starting the writing of necessary standard operating procedures. The compliance building process will continue in 2008 and we are proud today to be pioneers in the audiovisual landscape of the French speaking part of Switzerland (even for the whole Switzerland) in terms of implementation of a quality management system. We are also happy to benefit by Certimedia unique experience. We therefore recommend to any media company willing to improve its performance and efficiency to go for the implementation of an ISAS BC 9001 quality management system.”

The leading commercial television channel of Indonesia TRANS TV - Jakarta is the first media ISAS BC 9001 ever certified worldwide.

Trans TV, the leading commercial television channel of Indonesia (in terms of audience and market shares), became the first media company ever ISAS BC 9001 certified on November 2007. This means the recognition of the compliance of Trans TV quality management system with the professional and quality requirements specifically designed for the media industry. It is also an evidence of Trans TV ability to innovate and to improve its products and processes. Tailor-made mechanisms on audience research and program evaluation, totally in line with ISAS BC 9001, are among the channel assets.
Trans TV is leader in Indonesia in news broadcasting with a daily 15% audience-share. Its editorial charter lays the emphasis on objectivity, ethics and respect for Indonesian cultural values. Trans TV investigation and information programs have received many national and international awards for the quality of their contents.

The successful implementation of Quality management at Canal Once, culture and education number one channel in Mexico

With 750 employees and 5000 hours of production per year, Canal 11 is the first channel of public television of Mexico.

"Today Canal Once is viewing Quality management with enthusiasm. Our experience is an incentive to go further. What is important is not so much getting the conformity certificate, but implementing a system that works and matures. Therefore we have to steadily test and challenge it – including through internal audits that might be stricter than the external ones taking place twice a year. Enthusiasm should not decrease once the certificate is granted. There are always new challenges to address and objectives to reach.
At Canal Once, the implementation and design of our Quality management system have been totally empirical, but deeply thought. The results speak for themselves: Canal Once is the only Mexican federal institution with no external debt. Its budget is not overloaded by wages, what permits technical investments. Two years after the implementation of its Quality management system, Canal Once could see the benefits in terms of gained market share as well as increased prestige and credibility.
The successful implementation of Quality management at Canal Once results from a conjunction of elements: 1) a strong commitment of the employees to their channel, 2) the possibility for them to participate in the change, 3) the involvement of the top management as a team. A good cooperation between the top management and the employees is crucial.”
Julio Di Bella, General Manager Canal Once, Mexico.

Teleantioquia, Columbia

"Certification is the start of a permanent process of internal organizational self-evaluation. To become certified is to join the culture through a process and to strengthen our teamwork. It is a tool to generate trust, a letter of introduction and a way to say to our clients that we are part of a nation that seeks efficiency and wants to offer the best of public television to our television audience, our sponsors, and our contractors. It is the challenge of continuous improvement."
Ana Cristina Navarro, Managing Director Teleantioquia