18 October 2013
Kenneth Weinstein was sworn in today as the newest member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the independent federal agency that oversees all US government-supported civilian media. On September 23, the Senate unanimously approved the President’s nomination of Weinstein to the board.
“The work of the BBG has never been as important as it is today given the increasingly complex geopolitical climate, multifaceted media environments, and a growing threat to human rights around the world,” Weinstein said shortly after being sworn in. “The work this organization does on a daily basis is impressive, and I am honored and humbled to become a part of such a great operation.”
“We are proud to have Ken Weinstein joining our ranks,” said Jeff Shell, chairman of the BBG Board. “His deep experience in global affairs and public policy will be of great benefit to our oversight of U.S. international media.”
 |
|
Kenneth Weinstein
|
Weinstein has served as President and CEO of the Hudson Institute since 2011 and has held several other positions in the organization since 1999, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Fellow, and Director of the Washington office. He also served as the Director of the Government Reform Project at the Heritage Foundation from 1996 to 1998. From 1994 to 1996, he was Director of Research at the New Citizenship Project. He served on the National Council of the Humanities from 2006 to 2012 and was appointed to the D.C. Advisory Board to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2010. Weinstein received a B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.Phil. from the Institut d’ Études Politiques de Paris and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Weinstein succeeds former Governor Dennis Mulhaupt. He joins Shell and fellow board members Ryan Crocker, Matt Armstrong, Susan McCue, and Michael Meehan.
he Broadcasting Board of Governors is a bipartisan board appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate; the Secretary of State serves ex officio. The Board’s next public meeting is scheduled for October 23.
16 October 2013
FRANCE 24 has concluded a new distribution agreement in India and will be available on free-to-air Direct-To-Home service (DTH) DD DIRECT +. Owned by public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, the platform will begin broadcasting FRANCE 24 English version on November 1st.
Thanks to this agreement, FRANCE 24 will also be available on DISH TV basic offer, the n°1 private satellite operator in the country.
Thanks to this new agreement, which represents the most important deployment for the channel on the Asian market, FRANCE 24 will now be available 24/7 to 31 million additional households across the country. These will be in addition to the 7 million households that already receive the channel via cable.
One in every four Indian televised households can now access FRANCE 24 and a special operation will take place in New Delhi in November to mark this major agreement.
For more real time information on FRANCE 24’s distribution worldwide, go to: http://f24.my/ijOOim
9 October 2013
Director General of Deutsche Welle (DW) Peter Limbourg has issued an appeal to the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “to take serious action on internet freedom.”
Limbourg urges Iran’s leaders to “immediately take steps towards more transparency and put an end to censorship.” The country stands only to benefit, he said, if its people were given a greater chance to express themselves freely and without fearing repression by the state. “Particularly for Iran’s young people, who form the country’s majority, social media are an important instrument for social dialogue and the formation of personal beliefs and opinions.”
Despite the cautious tendency toward greater political and social openness, internet censorship remains on the agenda for Iran, Limbourg pointed out. Deutsche Welle’s website in Persian has been blocked in Iran since 2009. Thanks to the anti-censorship tool Psiphon provided by DW, Iranian users have a chance to bypass the internet blockades.
DW Director General Limbourg noted that website hits in September rose significantly once again. “Over two million users from Iran used the Psiphon software last month to access DW content in Persian, thus getting informed about what’s going on in their own country,” Limbourg said.
If President Rouhani were to end the blockade against dw.de/persian, Limbourg believes it would “send a clear political signal.” Putting an end to the disruption of DW’s TV and radio satellite signals should also be part of the measures to be taken, said Limbourg.
DW Persian homepage: dw.de/persian
(Source: DW press release)
1 October 2013
Regional broadcaster Channel NewsAsia has launched a leading multi-platform
project that would be a foremost reference and solution for aspiring entrepreneurs, fledgling innovators and business owners.
Called Start-UP, the project will see a TV series of four episodes of factual entertainment that tracks the journey of 8 finalists with start-up ideas for businesses. They would pitch for seed funding worth more than S$2 million. Two illustrious Venture Capitalists, Mr Leslie Loh of Red Dot Ventures, and Mr Eddie Chau of TNF Ventures , would take them through the processes of seeking private capital, traps and pitfalls, and also other dynamics of the deal making world. The finalists would be mentored and their ideas tested and incubated over 8 weeks. Mr Loh once said, “Unless your idea or product delivers significantly better value propositions than the leading competitor in your space, you will not win.” Original web content will also be produced and showcased on the Start-UP website, www.thestartup.asia. This web content will capture intriguing insights and unique perspectives of the start up and venture capitalist landscape. This digital site, launched on 1st October 2013, is a long-term feature that serves the community of start-ups and investor to engage likeminded people for every question and answer. It provides
exciting new information, innovation trends, articles, resources and activities for this group of entrepreneurs. Many potential partners have already shown interest in working with the channel on this digital website.
Mr Yong Chung Jin, Assistant Vice President, Channel NewsAsia Marketing, says, “Channel NewsAsia is pushing boundaries in its engagement of viewers and partners. With its established editorial business content on TV and online, the channel is looking to further build on this environment by launching a project that spots and nurtures budding businessmen and innovators, and also inspires business owners and investor. We have
the platforms, including the “go-to” website which aggregates information and activities for the whole spectrum of entrepreneurship, and to make it a systematic and convenient stop for networking and matching of needs.” This project is founded on a comprehensive survey designed and implemented in partnership with the channel’s knowledge partner, Deloitte, over a period of two months. It essentially established the notion of “What do you
think it takes to be an entrepreneur?” – the profile of the would-be or current businessmen, what are their priorities in their ventures, their background traits and their specific outlook on businesses. The analytics helped shaped the direction and emphasis of the project to make it relevant and useful for the participants and the Venture Capitalists.
Mr Philip Yuen, CEO, Deloitte Singapore said, “We see Start-UP as a bold and dynamic long-term project based on a firm foundation of market survey of practitioners and anyone looking for a break to do business. Channel NewsAsia has applied the complete treatment, starting with a serious basic first step of researching on the background, the hopes and psyche of entrepreneurs, and generating a multi-pronged outreach via TV and online. We certainly look forward to seeing startup seekers, investors and venture capitalists using this valuable resource to help address business challenges, or just to network.”
Start-UP is now calling for entries for its TV series. The details are on the website www.thestartup.asia.
1 October 2013
Japan International Broadcasting (http://www.jibtv.com/), the distribution company of NHK, and HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (http://www.hot.net.il/), Israel’s largest communications company, have announced a new partnership which brings NHK WORLD TV (www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/) to more than 900,000 residential subscribers throughout Israel. The stand-alone, 24-hour, English-language television news and lifestyle network produced by NHK, Japan’s sole public broadcaster, launched on Sunday, September 1, 2013, on channel 165. NHK WORLD TV is now available to 100 percent of the pay TV market in Israel.
“We have always had great respect for Israel, which was the first country to send medical assistance to Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011,” said Yoshihiko Shimizu, president and CEO, Japan International Broadcasting. “We are very pleased to work with them to deliver a variety of high-quality and compelling international news and entertainment to their audience.” NHK WORLD TV provides a 24-hour programming cycle, including the network’s news show, “NEWSLINE.” Complementing Japan and Israel’s shared interests, NHK’s objective reporting, particularly in financial news originating from Asia with programs such as “ASIA BIZ FORECAST” and “ASIAN VOICES,” provides balance for a more complete perspective on world economic and other affairs. The channel also offers a variety of lifestyle and cultural shows, including “TOKYO EYE,” “Journeys in Japan,” “imagine-nation,” “Kawaii International” and “Dining with the chef,” as well as an assortment of documentaries and specials.
“As Israel’s foremost subscription TV platform, HOT is determined to bring the latest and most relevant content to our viewers,” said Ron Hermelin, Head of channels Content Division, HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. “We were honored to visit Tokyo to officially sign this agreement with Japan International Broadcasting to bring vital financial and world news, as well as dynamic entertainment, to our audience.” NHK WORLD TV is part of HOT’s basic subscription package and available on channel 165. In addition to multi-channel television, the telecommunications company provides Internet infrastructure, advanced linear telephone services, ISP (internet provider) services and cellular connection services. NHK WORLD TV is currently available in 260 million households across 140 countries and regions.
