EMMA - European Media Management Association

It's a wrap! 🎇

has come to an end, but the memories will live on!

Päivi Maijanen, Amanda Piepponen, Azzurra Morreale - a fantastic team who organized an academically excellent and fun conference! Your attention to detail and strategic vision are impeccable. Thank you for your time, effort and dedication that you put for months into making happen! The community is truly thankful to you! You are brilliant! ❤️‍🔥You are the GOATs!🔥

emma thanks LUT University Business School for hosting us - you have a fantastic campus and people! You made us feel truly welcome, shared your local culture and made our stay enjoyable! Thank you Juha-Matti Saksa, Kaisa Pekkala, Jarno Pasonen, everyone in logistics, technology, events and wonderful student assistants!

Here are the winners of the emma Best Paper competition:

🏆 BEST PAPER award goes to Tobias Schmidt, TU Dortmund University for the paper "Between Alignment and Tension: How Media Management and Editorial Staff Shape Institutional Logics in the Use of Audience Analytics". Congratulations, Tobias!

🏆 BEST PAPER runner-up award goes to Jan Manicki, University of Warsaw for the paper "Shared Worlds, Fragmented Experiences? Perceptions of Cultural Coherence in Human-Designed and Procedurally-Generated Game Environments". Congratulations, Jan!

🏆 BEST PAPER PRESENTATION award goes to Niina Sormanen, LUT University for the paper "Modern Methods of Constructive Journalism: Short Documentaries as Journalistic Education Materials and Participation Tools for Young People". Congratulations, Niina!

Congratulations, Camilla Gatti, Sapienza Università di Roma for winning the emma conference grant! 👏

Thank you emma board Leona, Anna, Päivi, Elena, Robin, Dinara, Ivana, Eylem!

Thank you to every member of the emma community for your spirit - YOU make emma so special! 💖

Here is a line up of future emma events - something to look forward to and add to your calendars! 📆 😃

⛳ The next emma conference in 2027 will be hosted by the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies of the University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania on June 9-12, 2027. The theme is "Managing Media Responsibility in Changing Media Ecosystems." The conference will be organized by the team led by Anca Anton.

⛳ The next emma Doctoral Summer School in 2027 will be hosted by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany on August 16-20, 2027. The summer school will be organized by the team led by M. Bjørn von Rimscha.

⛳ And the closest event to happen is the ! 2026 will be hosted by the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb / Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Croatia on November 12-13, 2026. The theme is "Youth and Media Management: Between Content Creators and Audience".

Looking forward to seeing you at the next emma events! With love, emma! 🤗





Text: Dinara, emma Comms
Photos: Tommi Kärkkäinen, LUT

As continues, here is a sneak peak at how the feedback-based PhD workshop and Paper Development Workshop went.

First, preparation is key. Coming to the session prepared for all parties and reading the colleagues' research papers helps to build a compelling discussion tailored to the needs of each participant. As one knows, different universities have different rules for awarding PhD degrees in regards to the format of the manuscript, the number of publications, as well as previous experience. Thinking strategically about further post-PhD employment opportunities also helps. Hence, the feedback based on a case-by-case basis is a way to go! 🤩

Second, a strong team of mentors Leona Achtenhagen, M. Bjørn von Rimscha, Bianca Harms, Mart Ots, Ari Jantunen, Jukka Huhtamäki, Tom Evens and Minna Koivula who share the same mindset about encouraging some amendments to the work in progress by lifting up and inspiring researchers is needed. Here at the spirit is very good, and discussions are held in a flat hierarchy style! How nice! 🫶

Third, the coffee breaks really help to catch up with other scholars and meet the new faces. They say, the innovation is planned but sometimes it also happens spontaneously. Thankful to the organisers of Päivi Maijanen, Amanda Piepponen, Azzurra Morreale, Jarno Pasonen and Kaisa Pekkala for this opportunity! ☕

Thanks to all participants of the workshops, both the tutors and the researchers! 🥰 It is really fun! You are doing a great job!

has kickstarted this morning at LUT University! 🤩

It is so nice to welcome emma conference attendees from different countries, different academic institutions. Very much looking forward to the next few days filled with presentations, debates and collaboration, and coffee ☕ !

And what is happening today? At the emma PhD workshop, Maria Arango Kure of Media, Management and Transformation Center, Jönköping International Business School and Jukka Huhtamäki of Tampere University and LUT University are leading the methods session "From Digital Data to Meaningful Analysis". 📈 Maria and Jukka shared insights of their ongoing projects that are based on computational analysis. The variety of topics covered in social sciences and computer sciences and the level of methodological depth is inspiring! With many questions from the audience, who are the PhD students from many European universities, the session has raised the curiosity from the very start with the big question - how can we use data for media management research? 🗣️

After this debate-setting discussion, the emma PhD workshop continued with the feedback-based workshop. The participants of the workshop who have submitted their work in progress to the in advance received in-depth, tailored feedback from mentors Leona Achtenhagen, Tom Evens, Bianca Harms, Jukka Huhtamäki, Ari Jantunen, Minna Koivula, Maria Arango Kure, Mart Ots and M. Bjørn von Rimscha. 🫶

And this afternoon, there was a Paper Development Workshop for the participants who are aiming to develop their full paper for publication at the Journal of Media Business Studies (JOMBS). The workshop is organised by emma representative at JOMBS Bianca Harms of NHL Stenden. And the tutors for the session will be Leona Achtenhagen, Tom Evens, Bianca Harms, Päivi Maijanen, Mart Ots and M. Bjørn von Rimscha. Thank you to the participants and tutors for their contribution to shaping the cutting edge media management research! 🤝

Last but not least, I would like to mention the amazing conference organisers and the hosts Päivi Maijanen, Kaisa Pekkala, Jarno Pasonen, Azzurra Morreale and Amanda Piepponen 🥳

📢 Join our next : Academic Career Pathways: Support, Inclusion and Sustainability
📅 15 May, 12:30 CEST
💻 Online

The will discuss the challenges affecting early-career and mid-career researchers in the media management community. These challenges include - for example - short-term contracts and limited job security, as well as the cumulative pressures associated with publishing, securing funding, teaching, international mobility, and maintaining personal well-being in an increasingly competitive academic environment.

Our speakers are:
🟢 Päivi Maijanen-Kyläheiko, Associate Professor at LUT University Business School.
🟢 Denise Voci, senior scientist at the University of Klagenfurt.
🟢 Katja Leifheit, external doctoral candidate at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and research associate at Stuttgart Media University.
🟢 David Simões, PhD candidate at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and research assistant at Stuttgart Media University.

This is moderated by Ivana Kostovska, senior researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and emma Board member.

Registration is required: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAANAAowvLwlUNDBFSzhNMDVKRzk4TTdCTkg0UERLODU3US4u

⌛ TWO DAYS LEFT to register for .

📌 You can register for the conference here until April 30, 2026: https://www.lut.fi/en/emma2026/papers-registration

🧳 You can find practical information about the venue, travel and accommodation here: https://www.lut.fi/en/emma2026/practical-information

See you in on May 27-29! We are looking forward to welcoming you! 😊

/The conference organizing team Päivi Maijanen, Azzurra Morreale, Jarno Pasonen, Kaisa Pekkala & Amanda Piepponen!

27.-29.5.2026 | Lappeenranta | Finland | LUT University See information regarding call for papers & registration for the emma 2026.

You are warmly invited to join the Paper Development Workshop (PDW) hosted by the Journal of Media Business Studies (JOMBS). The workshop is organized as part of the conference and offers a valuable opportunity to further develop research papers with guidance from members of the journal’s editorial team and other senior researchers.

The workshop will take place on May 27, 2026, at LUT University in Lappeenranta, Finland. It will be held from 14:00 to 17:00, including a coffee break. Participants are also welcome to join a lunch at the university at 13:00. Participation in the workshop is included in the conference fee.

The workshop is open to conference participants who are interested in receiving constructive and developmental feedback on research papers intended for submission to JOMBS. Papers should be at an advanced stage of development. A paper can be submitted to both and the PDW simultaneously, and papers not submitted to the conference are also welcome.

All participants are asked to register for the PDW and submit their paper via this form: https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/emma2026PDW

The paper should be a maximum of 8,000 words (excluding references) and follow the JOMBS submission guidelines: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=romb20

Join us for the on Generative AI in Scholarly Publishing: Ethics, Norms and the Grey Zone on 17 April 2026 at 12:30 CET!

The use of AI in scholarly publishing raises important questions about ethics, transparency, reliability, and the boundaries of acceptable academic practice. The will discuss the ethical questions, evolving norms, and grey zone surrounding the use of generative AI in scholarly publishing.

We are excited to welcome our speakers:
Dr Nivedita Chatterjee, Associate Lecturer at the University of Surrey;
and
Gergely Lendvai, Researcher at Ludovika University of Public Service.

The is going to be held online, and you will receive the link to join after the registration. Please register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAANAAowvLwlUNDBFSzhNMDVKRzk4TTdCTkg0UERLODU3US4u

PhD students are invited to participate in the emma 2026 PhD workshop in connection to . The workshop will take place on May 27, 2026 (from 8.30 to 13.00), at LUT University in , Finland. 💡

This year‘s workshop consists of two parts: A methods session and a traditional round-table format.

The methods session addresses the growing role of in organizations. Organizations generate and store large amounts of digital material across communication platforms, collaborative tools, workflow systems, and other digital environments. These digital traces form a rich and often underutilized data source that can, for example, complement interviews and other qualitative materials.

Find out more info about how to apply and register for the emma 2026 PhD workshop in the call:https://media-management.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Invitation-to-emma-2026-PhD-workshop.pdf

Deadline for registration is April 30, 2026.







Päivi Maijanen, Kaisa Pekkala, Jukka Huhtamäki, Maria Arango Kure

media-management.eu

Conference acceptance letters are out! ✅
See you in on May 27-29! 🇫🇮😊 We are looking forward to welcoming you!

You can find important practical information about the conference here: https://www.lut.fi/en/emma2026

You can register for the conference here: https://www.lut.fi/en/emma2026/papers-registration

Thanks to all the reviewers from the emma community for your time and efforts in reviewing abstracts and special session proposals! Thanks to the conference organizing team Päivi Maijanen, Azzurra Morreale, Jarno Pasonen, Kaisa Pekkala, Amanda Piepponen.

2026 edition is welcoming applications from early-career and experienced scholars! 😊

🔔 initiative is back! 🔔 You are warmly invited to participate and spread the word among your networks.

With , we connect our early-stage researchers with more experienced scholars in an informal and temporary setup. This could take the form of a single or multiple online conversations 💻 in which the research and/or the career path 📈 of the early-stage researcher would be discussed. This could also, potentially, lead to research collaboration 🔭 with the more experienced scholar and his or her team, or, possibly, involvement of the early-stage researcher in online meetings of other researchers at the advanced scholar’s university. 🏛️

📌 The matching process among early-career and experienced scholars will take place in early April 2026. Meetings are expected to begin from 15 April 2026 onward.

💡 Interested? Get to know more details about here: https://media-management.eu/emmaconnect-2026-edition-is-welcoming-applications/
Contact emma Board member Ivana Kostovska (kostovska.I[at]outlook.com) if you have questions about .

media-management.eu