Page 38 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2012

38 | ISSUE 1 2012 | THE CHANNEL
The 2011 AIBs
Sir David
Attenborough
A veteran of almost 60 years in
broadcasting, Sir David
Attenborough was chosen by
judges as the 2011 AIB
International TV Personality.
Attenborough's name is
synonymous with a rich seam of
enthralling nature documentaries
produced since Zoo Quest, one of
the world's first nature
programmes, went on the air in
1954.
Attenborough's quintessential
delivery style, the judges said,
enables him to connect with his audience in an
authoritative but not patronising manner. He presents
in a clear and vibrant manner, they observed, and
noted the way he has led innovation in TV production
over the last half century. Attenborough has
embraced each new technological advance from
16mm to 3D, harnessing their potential to full effect.
His long-lasting career is testament to his on-
screen presence, his knowledge and his passion for
the natural world.
Our judges have this year selected
Farshid Manafi as international
radio personality. Manafi is an
accomplished political satirist who
has worked as a broadcaster in
Iran before the authorities deemed
his programmes to be
inappropriate. Now he's with Radio
Farda, the Farsi-language service
of RFE/RL, presenting the weekday
evening programme "Pas Farda"
(The Day After Tomorrow).
He's built up a level of
engagement with his audience our judges have rarely
seen before, with a significant following on social
networks - despite the restrictions on accessing some
web pages in Iran.
Manafi has been working in radio since he was 18
with a passion that's palpable when you listen to his
programmes.
TV personality
Radio personality
Farshid Manafi
The AIB Yahoo! Maktoob
People’s Choice
Alhurra
Through its People’s Choice award AIB aims to
increase awareness of entrants' programming beyond
the conventional core audience. In 2011, the People’s
Choice subject was “Pro-democracy uprisings across
the Middle East and North Africa”. AIB worked with
Yahoo! Maktoob who made the shortlist of six entries
- from Alhurra, Al Jazeera English, DW-TV, France 24,
NDTV and Press TV - available on Yahoo! Maktoob's
website in Arabic and in English. Yahoo! Maktoob
reaches 55m unique users a month.
When the online votes were counted the clear
winner was Alhurra for its coverage of the
Egyptian revolution. Alhurra reported the
main protests in Tahrir Square and
Alhurra’s correspondents including
Akram Khuzam and Tarek El Shamy
talked to many people throughout Egypt,
uncovering their demands and their hope.
They found passion and determination
amongst those they interviewed.
The AIB Founders Award
SRF
The AIB Founders Award went to Swiss Television for
Two Women - One Journey, a documentary following
Swiss top model Sarina Arnold as she went on a very
personal journey to Kyrgyzstan to see, alongside
paediatric surgeon Brigitte
Winkler, the work of a charity
that helps children in the
country with severe facial
deformities.
Sarina has a very personal
connection to the plight of
these children - her daughter
Felice was born in 2008 with
a cleft lip and palate. In Kyrgyzstan, more than 250
children are born with the condition every year, a huge
number for a country with a population of just 5.5m.
Viewing the documentary is a highly emotional
experience that draws you in, highlighting the extreme
contrasts between Switzerland and Kyrgyzstan.
The AIB Founders Award was presented for the way
the story was told by Swiss Television's Helen Stehli
Pfister. AIB hopes that it helps highlight the
predicament of the children of Central Asia who suffer
from this curable problem - legacy, perhaps, of
uranium mining and weapons testing when
Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union.