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THE CHANNEL
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JANUARY08
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11
Censorship across borders
Triggered by the declaration of
the state of emergency in
Pakistan on 3 November and the
subsequent broadcast ban on
major private news channels,
BBC Monitoring published an
interesting piece of analysis on
Dubai Media City.
Since it opened in 2001, DMC
has become a major hub for
regional and international media.
22% of the 370 Arabic satellite TV
channels are based in the UAE.
News agencies, publications and
broadcasters from Europe,
America and the Indian sub-
continent have also taken
advantage of the tax breaks,
facilities and incentives offered
by Dubai. The MTV music channel
launched its MTV Arabia venture
there, and CNN International is
reportedly planning to establish a
regional headquarters in the UAE
as part of its global expansion.
But in mid-November,
Pakistan's two leading private
news channels, Geo News and
ARY One World, based in Dubai,
were ordered to stop their
transmissions at a few hours'
notice in line with the UAE's
policy of neutrality and non-
interference. Although their
cable distribution inside Pakistan
had been halted, the channels
continued broadcasting by
satellite to international
audiences and the small number
of Pakistanis with satellite
receivers. Both private channels
claimed they were forced off air
by pressure from Pakistani
President Pervez Musharraf.
The New York-based Human
Rights Watch said that the ban
raised "serious questions about
Dubai's viability as a regional
hub for the international media".
For the record, the Pakistani
case is not the first time that the
politics of neighbouring countries
has affected broadcasters, or
would-be broadcasters, in Dubai.
The IFJ also voiced concern that
Dubai had allowed Pakistan to
reach outside its borders to stifle
independent media.
In the meantime, both Geo
News and ARY have resumed
broadcasting but both channels
are reported to be considering
moving out of Dubai.
GLOBAL BRIEFING
|
THE CHANNEL
InterMedia opens in UK
InterMedia, the media research,
evaluation and consulting
organisation (www.intermedia.
org), has announced the launch
of subsidiary InterMedia UK to
act as the focal point for the
company’s growth.
InterMedia’s European clients
include the BBC, Deutsche Welle
and Channel One Russia, as well
as NGOs such as Panos London.
“InterMedia UK’s presence in
Europe and location closer to key
centres in the Middle East and
Africa will allow us to better
serve broadcasters and other
clients who have expanding
worldwide operations,” said
Allen Cooper, InterMedia UK’s
managing director.
InterMedia conducts research
and evaluation among difficult-
to-access populations in some
60 developing countries annually.
Cooper brings more than 25
years’ experience planning and
managing international media
research, both at InterMedia and
with the BBC World Service.
War crimes justice
The Institute for War and Peace
Reporting and Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty have cooperated in
a radio programme on war
crimes justice in the Balkans.
Broadcast by RFE/RL's network
of 40 affiliate radio stations in the
region, it has combined reports
from the Inter-national Criminal
Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia and war crimes
justice-related news, features
and analysis from the Balkans.
A survey in Bosnia in December
2006 shows 15% of the population
listens to RFE/RL regularly -
around 600,000 people. 39% of
the audience is aged 25 to 44.
In November, RFE/RL launched
a weekly show on Georgian
Public TV (GPB) introducing the
young generation forgotten or
undiscovered cultural figures
and political themes of Georgia's
Soviet communist past.
In December a high-level
conference in Warsaw examined
the role of RFE in the political
transformations in Poland and
the collapse of communism.
Former Prime Minister Tadeusz
Mazowiecki said that the
Munich-based station served for
decades as the only source of
uncensored information available
to the Poles.
RadioScape, the world’s leading
developer of end-to-end digital
audio broadcasting solutions,
has created new digital radio
designs in response to manufac-
turers and brands looking for
fresh concepts to drive greater
growth in DAB adoption. Among
them are RadioScape’s DAB-on-
a-wire plug-in digital radio for
the iPod and the world’s first
portable internet radio with built
in Wi-Fi and FM antennae, 2.1
audio output, plus an option for a
128 x 64 pixels graphics LCD
display and its unique ‘touchnav’
touch-sensitive slide control.
RadioScape CEO John Hall
says DAB+ has been particularly
well received in the Asia-Pacific
region. Asia-Pacific - particularly
Greater China - plays an
increasingly significant role in
RadioScape’s global business
strategy, opening its third
regional office in Greater China.
SARFT has designated 2008
for digital switch-over to DAB in
China. RadioScape is already the
primary supplier of DAB-based
broadcast solutions in the country,
supplying 20 systems broadcasting
to most of China’s major cities.
DAB
adoption