La fecha de cierre des AIBs prolongado

29 June 2011

A petición de los radiodifusores y los independientes de todo el mundo, AIB ha decidido prolongar la fecha de cierre para los premios internacionales de excelencia en los medios de comunicación, el AIBs.

La nueva fecha límite es el 15 de julio 2011.

Toda las informaciónes para participar estan disponibles en el folleto de entrada 2011 AIBS, en formato PDF en el siguiente enlace

AP names Andrew Shaw VP Commercial for EMEA and Asia

29 June 2011

The Associated Press has appointed international media executive Andrew Shaw as vice president/commercial for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The appointment was announced by Senior Vice President Daisy Veerasingham, who heads AP’s video business.

Shaw will be part of the EMEA and Asia management team and his primary charge will be to oversee AP’s product licensing to broadcasters, print and digital media. He will have overall responsibility for how AP customizes its content to meet customer and market needs, working closely with AP’s text, photo and video editorial teams,

“Andrew has an impressive record in the media industry, with more than 15 years’ international board level experience in audio-visual content and music rights businesses, most recently as managing director of broadcast, online and recorded media for PRS for Music,” Veerasingham said. “This, plus his senior positions with Liberty Global in Japan, and Telewest and Flextech in Europe, will help AP keep an absolute focus on driving its EMEA and Asia business forward.”

“I’m delighted to be joining as prestigious an organization as the AP,” said Shaw. “The scale and breadth of AP’s output is second to none. Its journalists’ authoritative and timely coverage of breaking news, sport and entertainment is read or viewed by half the world’s population every single day. As the changing media landscape impacts the way in which our customers use news, we have to evolve our product set to anticipate and exceed their news supply requirements. I look forward to working with the sales and editorial teams across all media formats to make that evolution a reality.”

AP is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar upgrade of its newsgathering infrastructure in order to provide high-definition images to the broadcast and digital industries. At the same time, AP will also significantly increase the depth and breadth of video content available from around the world. The upgrade is the single biggest investment in the AP’s London-based video business since 1998, when the AP acquired Worldwide Television News.

AIB member-exclusive market intelligence published

29 June 2011

AIB has published the latest edition of its member-only market intelligence briefing.

Circulated exclusively to members of the AIB, the briefings report on and analyse a wide range of subjects with relevance to the Association’s global membership of broadcasters, news agencies and equipment and service providers.

This latest edition has analysis of opportunities surrounding connected – or smart – TV, as well as a summary of relevant news from South Asia, including an investment opportunity. There is also a round-up of international tenders in TV and radio broadcasting.

For information on how to become an AIB member and benefit from these intelligence briefings and other activities, contact Simon Spanswick or Roger Stone at the AIB head office in the UK.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide: budget slashed

27 June 2011

Radio Netherlands Worldwide has said the Dutch cabinet’s plan to reduce its budget by 70 percent is inconceivable. General Director Jan Hoek and Editor-in-Chief Rik Rensen say the cutback is unprecedented: “In today’s international world, each self-respecting country has to live up to its responsibilities. The Education and Culture Ministry (OCW) is making it impossible for us to do this. Without any preliminary research, nor any consultations, a decision has been taken that will leave a global audience of millions out in the cold, and will cost 250 jobs.”

Former foreign minister and RNW Board of Supervisors Chairman Bernhard Bot says he is worried: “I find this cabinet plan incomprehensible, coming from a reliable administration which should be implementing long-term foreign policies serving the interests of the Netherlands and the Dutch people.”

The figures announced today show that from 2013 Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s budget will be reduced by 70 percent, from 46 million euros to 14 million euros a year. General Director Jan Hoek says: “This radical reduction is both unnecessary and not part of the agreed government coalition programme. The Culture Ministry is opting for the cheapest solution. This is too easy a way of achieving economies in public broadcasting.”

Editor-in-Chief Rik Rensen adds, “Our country wants to be known as an important and reliable trading nation. Radio Netherlands Worldwide is contributing to this, in ten languages, around the clock. Tens of millions of people all over the world consider RNW an important source of information, and the Netherlands’ journalistic calling card. Is our country really retreating behind the dykes?”

Coalition agreement

Announcing a decision which was planned in the government coalition accord, the cabinet announced last week that Radio Netherlands Worldwide should focus exclusively on bringing reliable and independent information to people in countries without press freedom. Two of Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s core tasks – providing information for Dutch people living abroad and presenting a realistic image of the Netherlands to the rest of the world – are to be scrapped. It is still unclear how much of the output in the remaining nine languages can be continued.

RNW’s own plan

On 7 June Radio Netherlands Worldwide indicated it was prepared to deliver a proportional amount of the planned government economies in public broadcasting, that proportion being 22 percent of its budget and a loss of 100 jobs. General Director Jan Hoek said, “We put forward a plan outlining our new direction to the Education and Culture Ministry, but they never even responded. It is unbelievably slapdash of the minister to take such far-reaching decisions without any consultation.”