The Channel | 2004 | September

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brings members closer together offering the
opportunity to share ideas and to steer the
direction of their industry association, yet it only
takes an hour of anyone’s working week.
The AIB’s work in creating dialogue with
regulators and politicians is another important
activity, and one that happens not just in the
UK where the AIB’s head office is based, but in
key markets around the world. Ensuring that
opinion-formers know about the Association’s
members and the context in which they
operate is vitally important. It’s something that
goes on behind the scenes throughout the year,
helping to raise the profile of AIB members
and to ensure that issues that might affect their
businesses are explored with the people who
legislate and enforce legislation worldwide.
This year the AIB introduced a new activity that
brings members together with a range of influential
people for an off-the-record meeting over dinner
in key locations worldwide.This new networking
initiative aims to allow politicians and regulators,
as well as others from the world of journalism,
finance, education and grant-making to meet a
broad range ofAIB members for a frank and open
discussion about theworld’s broadcasting industry.
Members who have attended these events have
praised the initiative, often saying the evening has
been one of the most stimulating dinners that they
have attended for a long time.
Most decision-makers in the international
broadcasting industry know the AIB through its
publications. The Channel, the AIB’s quarterly
magazine, now reaches well over 4,500
subscribers and the number of new readers is
increasing. The Channel has doubled in size, and
also doubled its readership in the past two years.
From 24 pages and under 2,000 subscribers in
2002 to 52 pages and 4,500 regular recipients
in 2004, the magazine is a success story and it’s
been bucking the trend in trade magazines that
have been shrinking in size and reach.
“We get very positive feedback to The Channel,”
says Spanswick.“The breadth of subjects we cover
is noted by our readers, while the news pages
offer a truly global overview of developments in
the industry. Some of our readers tell us that
they’ve reduced the number of magazines they
read to two or three, but The Channel is one
they’ve decided must be among them.”
TheAIB has entered its second decade of
serving the international broadcasting industry
with strength and vigour. The range of services
that theAIB provides to its members is growing,
the reach of the organisation is increasing month
on month and the respect that it enjoys in the
broadcasting industry is more widespread than
ever before.Those are some of the thoughts of
AIB members around the world – both long
established supporters and those who have
joined the industry association recently.
“The AIB is unique,” says Simon
Spanswick, the association’s chief
executive (left). “There is no other
organisation that supports the
international broadcasting sector in the
way that theAIB provide it with
information, with lobbying, with
networking and, importantly, with
a strong voice.”
The AIB’s members cover a range of disciplines,
including broadcasters – television and radio,
public and commercial; satellite operators;
transmission companies; consulting firms;
equipment manufacturers and integrators;uplink
operators;and news agencies.Each has an interest
in the international broadcasting industry and
values their membership of the Association.
“The regular market intelligence briefing is
worth the membership fee alone,” says Dennis
Israel, director of media management
consulting at InterMedia in Washington DC.
“The briefings cover an immense amount of
subjects and they provide me with information
that I simply cannot get anywhere else.”
The AIB’s market intelligence bulletins are
provided exclusively to the Association’s
members and have been the source of serious
sales leads for many of the commercial members
who learnt of projects that were not widely
known. So as well as providing an extremely
useful briefing about every sector of the
international broadcasting industry, they offer
real business opportunities that can pay for a
membership fee many times over.
“The combination of business opportunities and
well-researched information is vital in any
industry,” says Anver Anderson, the AIB’s
business development director.“We constantly
try to provide intelligence to members that is
thoroughly relevant and to ensure that each of
the sectors theAIB serves gets value for money.”
Relevance and value are key in all the AIB’s
activities. Every six weeks,AIB members can take
part in a conference call, so that they are briefed
about theAssociation’s activities and strategy, and
can discuss issues that affect or concern them
with other AIB members – even those who may
be thousands of miles away. It’s a real benefit, and
The AIB -
more than just a publisher
The Channel is also a medium for AIB members
to tell the world’s broadcasters, suppliers,
manufacturers,regulators,consultants and others
about their products, services and solutions.
Coverage in such a widely-read magazine is
another valuable benefit of AIB membership.
Meanwhile thenewly launchedAIBDirectoryprovides
a wealth of data about broadcasters – domestic
and international – as well as about companies and
organisations that support broadcastingworldwide.
The AIB Directory carries listings for major
broadcasters with data on key personnel ranging
from heads of news or sport to technical directors.
Published in June,the first edition of the AIBDirectory
runs to 98 pages while the November 2004 issue
is likely to be almost double that size reflecting the
demand of subscribers for accurate, in-depth
information on the industry.
The AIB’s publications have joined the electronic
world,too – the monthlyAIB e-News nowreaches
around 16,000 people worldwide, up from just
3,000 two years ago. Once again, the electronic
news letter provides a platform for members to
promote their activities and reach people who
have a genuine interest in global broadcasting.
Members have access to the expertise that
exists in the AIB’s management team which
spans disciplines ranging from satellites to
marketing, digital broadcasting to audience
measurement,lobbying to licensing.From ad hoc
advice to detailed consulting work,theAIB’s staff
is there to offer help and advice to members.
“It’s difficult to summarise all the work that the
AIB undertakes,” commentsAnverAnderson.“We
carry out an immense range of activities, some of
which are very visible, while others are more in
the background yet of equal benefit to members.”
Spanswick agrees: “Every industry association
exists to serve its members and the AIB is no
different. I’ve been delighted to see more
organisations enrol over the past two years and
to take advantage of what we do.And as more
companies join,the strength of theAIB increases
- which in turn benefits all our members.
International broadcsting is a very competitive
marketplace,and whether you are a big or small
player in that global market, you need any
support you can get. What is most exciting,
though, is that the industry sector is constantly
changing and the relationship with our
members is a two-way haven’t even
begun to realise the AIB’s full potential.”
TheAssociation for International Broadcasting
PO Box 990,London SE3 9XL,United Kingdom
T+44 20 8297 3993
F +44 20 8297 0343
E
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