18 May 2011
Increased focus on television, online and mobile services
Reduction of shortwave broadcasts
Starting July 1, 2011, Deutsche Welle (DW) will be making major changes in how and when its radio programming is broadcast in Asia and Europe, as well as German
radio programming as a whole.
The measures will ensure the further development of Germanys international broadcaster to a truly multimedia organization. As stipulated in the organizations strategic plan for 2010-2013, DW will focus on modern modules that can be integrated into partners FM line-ups as well as being offered as stand-alone, ondemand
services for the Internet and mobile devices. DW will thereby increase the
cooperation with its partners throughout the world. With the exception of Africa and
parts of Asia, linear shortwave broadcasts will be discontinued due to limited usage.
The resources that have been saved will be reinvested in projects for the future especially in the development of television services with regionalized content and languages, as well as an increase in online and mobile services. DW will aim to use its available resources to offer two channels per region. This will
give viewers the opportunity to choose between a channel with predominantly
German programming and a channel with a focus on one of the regional languages English, Spanish or Arabic.
In the future, DW will work with partners in Central and Southeast Europe to broadcast regional TV magazines and produce online services each in the regional language. Starting July 1, 2011, the FM services for Bulgarian, Greek, Croatian, Macedonian, Polish and Rumanian will be discontinued. The frequencies that were purchased or rented in Sofia, Bucharest, Pristina and Tirana will be returned, as well as the corresponding licenses. The FW broadcasts for Albanian, Bosnian and Serbian
will be reduced. In the future, these services will focus on selected partnerships with local FM stations. A service in Romani will be maintained for the time being. For Ukraine, DW is currently examining whether or not an agreement can be made with a partner to broadcast a reduced amount of FM radio programming that has been tailored to fit their needs. Radio programming for Hindi will be discontinued on July 1.
Reduction of shortwave
On November 1, 2011, DW will be discontinuing the shortwave broadcast for German, Russian, Farsi and Indonesian. For English, the shortwave broadcast will be limited to
Africa. The broadcasting times for Chinese programming will be reduced from 120 minutes to 60 minutes. For these languages, DW will also be increasing the online and mobile services as well as video-on-demand and audio-on-demand. The portfolio
will also include radiophone productions for rebroadcast by partners (when applicable). Starting in November, DW will only be broadcasting radio programming via shortwave in the following languages: Amharic, Chinese, Dari, English and French for Africa, Hausa, Kiswahili, Pashtu, Portuguese for Africa and Urdu.
Closing of relay stations
The shortwave program currently broadcasts 260 hours daily with DWs own or rented relay stations with the new focus on Africa and regions in Asia that will be reduced to just 55 at the beginning of the winter season. Only the relay station in Kigali
(Rwanda) will be needed for shortwave broadcasts in Africa. The stations in
Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) und Sines (Portugal) can no longer be used to capacity. The financial operation is no longer possible and the relay stations will stop being used on
November 1, 2011 and closed at the next possible point in time.
With the reduction of rental prices and the closing of the two relay stations, DW will be able to save resources that can be reinvested in the further development of its
services.
Development of FM broadcasts with partners
DW will continue to expand its network of FM partners in Africa, which will run for the next few months parallel to the current shortwave broadcasts. Due to this fact, the
radio production for Hausa, Kiswahili, French and Portuguese for Africa will be optimized for FM broadcasts step by step. DW will also produce a regional radio magazine daily in English, to be rebroadcast by partners in Africa.
Radiophone services in Arabic will be created for the Middle East and North Africa and distributed online, via mobile or rebroadcast by partners.
DW will focus on FM partnerships for Bengali, Urdu, Dari/Pashtu und Indonesian for South Asia, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A decision will be made about the future
of these partnerships in accordance with the budget situation and following the evaluation results.
Strategic plan for 2010 to 2013
The German Bundestag approved DWs strategic plan in April 2011 with an
overwhelming majority. The core of the plan is the multimedia orientation of the broadcaster, the focus on major tasks and target regions with regards to the budgetary issues. The new strategic direction ensures that DW is prepared for the changing conditions of international media markets:
Services for certain languages and regions will be reinforced to secure DWs competitive position in the future. The focus for the coming years will be on Sub-Sahara Africa, the Middle East, Iran and North Africa, South Asia and Afghanistan, Russia and Latin America. Due to the limited budget, the development of services will only be possible when activities are reduced somewhere else. In the area of television, DW will work more closely together with the German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF and develop regionalized TV programming with selected partners. For many areas around the world, it will be necessary to further development online and mobile services in order to reach DWs target audience better: Individuals who are interested in diverse
perspectives and use a large amount and variety of media resources. That especially includes opinion leaders and future opinion leaders as well as people who lobby for democracy, freedom and progress in authoritarian countries and thereby strengthen
the civil society.
17 May 2011
Diane Zeleny, Director of Communications at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been named Director of Communications and External Relations of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). Zeleny will act as the Boards primary strategist on communications and outreach activities, and as the Boards chief advisor for Congressional and external relations.
Diane Zeleny is an excellent addition to the staff at a critical moment, said BBG Chairman, Walter Isaacson. The Board expects to enact major reform of international broadcasting for the 21st century, and Dianes international broadcasting experience, foreign affairs background, and communications expertise will be key to getting us there.
Zeleny also will advise the Board on agency-wide communications strategy and guidelines and will coordinate communications operations of the BBGs media networks — VOA, RFE, RFA, MBN, and OCB.
Diane brings a perfect mix of policy knowledge, keeping Congress informed, and creativity that will help U.S. international broadcasting adapt and succeed in a world where media platforms are rapidly changing, said BBG Governor Dana Perino.
As we look for ways to improve the efficiencies and streamline the operations of the five networks of U.S. International Broadcasting, Dianes expertise will help the board achieve our goals of doing more with less and saving the taxpayers money, said BBG Governor Michael Meehan, co-chair of the Strategy and Budget Committee.
Zeleny joined RFE in 2007. She served two years at RFEs Prague headquarters before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2009. As Director of Communications and Government Relations, she managed RFEs relationships with the U.S. and European media, Congress, and the governments of the 21 countries to which RFE broadcasts. Prior to this position, Zeleny spent over 15 years at the Department of State. From 2005-2007, she served as the Director of Communications to the Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and as the first Director of the Department of States European Media Center in Brussels. Zeleny worked at NATO headquarters where she managed the defense organizations public affairs and outreach to the United States. She also served at U.S. Embassy Paris and at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Zeleny has a B.A. from the University of Iowa where she studied at the Writers Workshop and received a double major in French and English. Fluent in French, she also speaks some Turkish and German. She grew up in Chicago and now resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.
Zeleny will assume her duties on June 6.
16 May 2011
Voice of Americas new French language program “Your HealthYour Future” (Votre SanteVotre Avenir) goes on the air Saturday, with a dynamic and focused look at the impact HIV/AIDS is having in the Democratic Republic of Congo — and the practical steps needed to ease the devastating health crisis.
The new VOA French to Africa radio show is hosted by Khalil Gueye, a documentary maker and veteran television/radio reporter who has devoted his career to health issues that disproportionally impact women in Africa like HIV/AIDS and gender-based sexual violence.
In Saturdays first program, Gueye speaks to two national and regional health officials, and begins a dialogue with four of the shows new reporters in Congo who have participated in a special VOA journalist training program that focuses on critical health issues like AIDS.
VOAs French to Africa Service, which broadcasts on radio, television and the Internet to sub-Saharan Africa, will use its network of reporters to illustrate the stories of those most affected by HIV/AIDS in Congo, where years of instability and an epidemic of rapes have exacerbated the problem.
The interactive 30-minute VOA radio program will also feature call-in segments, allowing listeners to speak out on a nationwide platform. Medical professionals and experts will share information about how to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS, in a country where recent studies suggest the prevalence of the disease may be increasing and access to health care is limited.
Gueye, who has reported extensively on health issues from Congo, says he decided to devote his career to the human suffering caused by treatable diseases when he interviewed a 12 year old Congolese rape victim who contracted AIDS and became pregnant following the rape. Doctors said she would die in months because she had no money for a simple medical procedure. Gueye says, Seeing the joy on the face of that girl when she unexpectedly received treatment was a moment that changed my life in journalism.
For more on this program and other VOA French to Africa programs, visit our website at: www.voanews.com/french/news.
(Source: VOA press release)
16 May 2011
16th May 2011
The Peoples Choice category at the 2011 AIBs, international media excellence awards, focuses on international coverage of recent popular uprisings and demonstrations in support of democracy and freedom. The Best coverage of democracy uprisings award is open to international TV coverage this year and the winner will be decided by online voting from a worldwide audience.
This important and gripping topic has attracted immense interest and huge coverage around the world in the first months of 2011, particularly with continuing events across North Africa and the Middle East, although demonstrations in other parts of Africa and Asia must not be forgotten. In nearly all cases, those struggling for democracy are unable to have their voices and views heard in their own national media which is controlled by unelected leaders.
While much has been made of the use of social media, which has indeed allowed protests to be organised and recorded quickly and effectively, the role of international television and radio has been vital both in broadcasting news to the whole world and hence gathering international support, as well as in providing independent, reliable information on unfolding events to the citizens of countries where uprisings are taking place.
This years Peoples Choice on Democracy Uprisings allows entrants to the award to show off all that is best about international broadcasting, said Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB). We have seen how international broadcasters have met the challenge of bringing audiences worldwide. They have delivered the latest news from dangerous and rapidly changing events where democratic protest and the responses of autocratic regimes under pressure make it difficult to determine what is happening and who is in control. We have heard the passionate and moving accounts from people in those countries caught in turmoil of how much they value the presence of international broadcasters and appreciate the risks they are taking. The coverage has demonstrated the finest qualities of broadcasters determination to report and analyse events fully and independently, even when the risks are high.
Now in its second year, the Peoples Choice category is the only one at the AIBs which is not judged by an independent panel of experts from the media industry. The shortlist in this category will be made available to view on online viewing platforms in September and October where viewers around the world will be able to watch six of the best entrants and vote for the most incisive and engaging coverage. AIB will also encourage discussion and debate on key social media sites about the entries and the issues they raise.
Broadcasters who enter Democracy Uprisings, this years Peoples Choice category, will have the opportunity to demonstrate the quality of their coverage and to be judged against the very best from around the world. Online viewing and voting, with the associated social media conversations, will allow them to reach a global audience, raising awareness in countries in every continent. The winner will receive their prestigious award at the awards ceremony in London in November, which attracts broadcasters from all over the world.
The entry booklet with full details of the 2011 AIBs can be seen and downloaded here
10 May 2011
euronews’ first terrestrial TV broadcast in an English-speaking African country will reach 3.4 million Ghanaians.
In April 2011, euronews became available in English on 2 channels bringing the international news channel to 3.4 million homes.
The public Ghana Broadcasting Corporation airs euronews for 2.5 hours every day. The private channel Metro TV broadcasts euronews programmes for 1 hour per day.
24,000 homes already receive euronews in Ghana 24 hrs a day via the DSTV/Multichoice satellite package.
With these two new distribution agreements, euronews is now present across the African Sub Sahara and is broadcast to over 20 million homes (satellite, cable, terrestrial and ADSL) including 12 million terrestrial links.
