The Channel | 2002 | September

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Global Brief
The latest news from the international broadcasting industry
US international radio collaborates in
Afghanistan
At the beginning of August, US international radio broadcasters Voice of America
and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Free Afghanistan service joined forces
to produce a 24 hour-a-day stream of Dari and Pashto programming for Afghanistan.
This unprecedented collaboration is
described by the stations as ‘easy to find
and easy to identify’ for listeners within
Afghanistan who can tune in via traditional
short wave transmissions and via a local FM relay in Kabul.
“The new, joint VOA-RFE/RL Pashto and Dari program stream into Afghanistan is
an extraordinarily important development in our efforts to bring the latest news and
information to theAfghan people,” saidVOADirector Robert Reilly. “We are delighted
to be working so closely with our colleagues at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty at
this critical time.”
RFE/RL President Thomas Dine described the coordinated Afghan radio stream as
“another demonstration of how RFE/RL and the Voice can combine forces to better
serve our listeners while maintaining each U.S. international broadcaster’s distinctive
and complementary mission.”
The new service features twelve hours each of programmes created by RFE/RL and
VOA every day, marking an increase of 1.5 hours per day of RFE/RL programming
to Afghanistan. All programmes share common sign-on music and other production
elements and a common programme clock throughout the day.
Suu Kyi gives interview to VoA Burmese service
Demonstrating the continuing importance of
international radio, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leading
Burmese democracy activist who won the Nobel Peace
Prize for her work, said during a Voice of America
interview in late August that her country’s government
must move more quickly toward democracy than it has
up to now.
Her comments to VOA Burmese reporter Aye Aye Mar
followed a statement by Burma’s military leadership
the preceding day (19 August) that it intends to install
democracy in the country “at a Burmese pace.” Suu
Kyi noted that “the process must begin as soon as
possible” and said that “it’s already been 14 years and we’ve made very little progress.”
Aung San Suu Kyi also used her interview to call for the release of all political
prisoners. She said, “there can be no democracy in Burma if people are going to be
arrested for expressing political views.”And she said, “the top priority for my political
party – the National League for Democracy – is the release of all political prisoners,
especially those who are elderly or ill. Their release would signify a significant step
towards democracy in Burma.”
Bloomberg develops newsgathering, interactivity;
gains LatAm radio distribution
Financial television channel Bloomberg is
increasing its Asia-Pacific newsgathering
capability with the installation of remote TV
studios in Seoul, Korea and Taipei, Taiwan.
Dubbed ‘mini-studios’, they allow Bloomberg
correspondents and guests to get on the air
rapidly as stories develop in key financial
centres. A familiar concept in radio, where
remote contribution studios are routinely used
on a global basis, the system is now becoming
more commonplace in international TV. Bloomberg has ambitious plans to install
NPR now portable in Europe, Africa and
the Mideast
For the first time, NPR programming can be
heard internationally 24 hours a day via
satellite broadcaster WorldSpace. NPR on
WorldSpace brings the same NPR
programming heard domestically to a vast
potential audience worldwide, allowing
listeners in Europe, Africa, Western Asia and
the Middle East to hear firsthand what’s
happening inside the U.S. and how
international news is reported by NPR.
WorldSpace estimates its potential audience
at 4 billion people.
NPR correspondents already use WorldSpace
radios to keep informed and to aid the
reporting they do for NPR. AIB member NPR
Worldwide transmits award-winning
programs to audiences around the world on
over 140 radio stations, in more than 25
million homes via direct broadcast satellite
and in 7 million homes via cable.
Advertising grows in Asia-Pacific region
In its latest survey, Nielsen Media Research
says that advertising spend has started to
recover across the Asia-Pacific region, with
double-digit growth seen in a variety of
countries compared with the same period
in 2001.
Much of this can be attributed to the World
Cup, and television advertising was one of
the key beneficiaries. The world’s two
fastest-growing consumer markets - China
and India - both experienced a phenomenal
growth rate of 33%, while South Korea
enjoyed its own World Cup success with an
increase in advertising spend of 21%,
recording the highest quarter of TV ad spend
in the country’s history, clocking up US$526
million.
Forest Didier, Nielsen’s Asia-Pacific
managing director, says “Asia’s Q2
advertising expenditure numbers certainly
indicate that things are starting to look up
in this region. While we don’t expect any
major contraction for the rest of the year,
we will have to wait for Q3’s ad spend
numbers to determine whether first half year
spending trends continue or whether the
bulk of the upturn was caused by the World
Cup alone.”
Foreign TV in Tajikistan
The first Tajik cable television company has
been licensed to rebroadcast foreign TV
programmes, Iranian radio - monitored by
BBC Monitoring - reported on 5 August.
The radio said that the TV Service company
had launched a television station in the
capital, Dushanbe, and intended “to select
and rebroadcast the programmes of 12
foreign television channels to the residents
of Dushanbe and neighbouring districts”.
The head of TV Service, Fazliddin
Najmiddinov, said that the company was
planning to increase the number of channels
from 12 to 24 and to offer viewers good-
quality music, news and sports programmes.