6 May 2011
With his provocative examination of WikiLeaks and journalistic morality, Christian Caryl, Radio Free Europe’s (RFE) Washington Bureau Chief Editor, was awarded one of the first ever Overseas Press Club (OPC) awards for “Best Online Commentary.”
“Why WikiLeaks Changes Everything” was published on the blog of the “New York Review of Books” (NYRB) and explored the race between information technology capabilities and a journalist’s ability to make informed reporting decisions. Hugh Eakin, NYRB editorial staff member, praised Caryl’s entry saying, “Without defending a culture of secrecy, (Caryl) raised provocative questions about the effects of Julian Assange’s actions and how they have fundamentally changed the world in which journalists must now work.”
“I was trying to make the point that WikiLeaks represents a fundamentally new phenomenon,” says Caryl. “This is not a case of business as usual for information disclosure policy and freedom of the press. Any radically empowering technology comes with risks as well as opportunities.”
Caryl’s RFE blog “Outpost Washington” examines the U.S. capital from the uniquely global perspectives of RFE journalists. In addition to his RFE duties, Caryl is also a senior fellow at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a contributing editor for “Foreign Policy.” He has also served as the Moscow bureau chief for “U.S. News & World Report” and Moscow bureau chief and head of the Northeast Asia bureau for “Newsweek.”
For more than 70 years, OPC has recognized the best international coverage in newspapers, radio, television, magazines, and books. Caryl received his award at OPC’s annual awards gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York on April 28.
5 May 2011
The latest AIB industry briefing has been published, giving updates on programming, branding, people and distribution.
To see the briefing, follow the link below.
5 May 2011
The Associated Press has signed a landmark distribution deal with the Press Association which will see PAs UK video news footage integrated into APs extensive video archive.
The agreement will dramatically extend the reach of PAs video footage beyond the UK, and will significantly bolster the UK news element of APs video offering.
From today, APs archive customers are able to access over 18,000 archived UK video news, entertainment and sports stories, amounting to 35,000 minutes of PAs video footage. New PA content will continue to be added on a daily basis with around 15 new stories being added each day. The PA stories supplied to AP have been specifically designed as `archive-friendly` compilations of the rushes from which the story was created. Fully shotlisted, the stories provide customers with longer sequences and greater depth than the tightly edited packages offered by other suppliers.
The deal also heralds a breakthrough in the speed with which video content can be accessed by archive clients. PAs footage will be available on APs archive website www.aparchive.com on the day of filming and can be easily accessed via AP. This contrasts sharply with competitor commercial archives where there is usually a time lag of several days before new content becomes available. This provides AP with a considerable edge in a market that is increasingly driven by speed.
The Press Association has ramped up its production of video news in recent years and launched its own video portal for UK clients in 2010. As well as investing in a team of dedicated video journalists, PA has instigated a training programme to multi-skill its news reporters and now has over 60 journalists covering news events in words, pictures and video.
Tony Watson, Managing Director, Press Association, commented: In recent years PA has worked hard to increase its video content output, and this has proved popular with newspapers and broadcasters alike.
By integrating our high quality UK video news into APs video portal we are not only increasing our potential client base, but we are able to offer UK video news to global clients quicker than ever before.
APs director of international archives, Alwyn Lindsey added, PA is now a significant force in UK video newsgathering and the addition of PAs video to APs offering provides customers with a fast, fresh and cost-effective alternative in the market. The PA video packages supplied to AP have been configured specifically with archive customers in mind, which is a unique approach and one that we expect to be very popular.
5 May 2011
From Sunday, May 15 to Tuesday, May 17, S4M – Solutions for Media will take part at the MFM/BCCA Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA (USA).
Media Finance Focus 2011 is an exclusive source for professional education targeting media financial and business executives. It is hosted by the Media Financial Management Association (MFM) and the Broadcast Cable Credit Association (BCCA).
More than 150 speakers/panellists will provide the latest information on accounting, taxes, human resources, technology, newspaper, television, radio, cable, and credit & collection issues. S4M will present the solution S4AdOpt, a sophisticated advertising optimization engine that can be integrated in different airtime sales systems and also is available in the Cloud as software as a service.
Media Finance Focus 2011, MFM & BCCAs 51st Annual Conference, will be held at The Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, GA starting on Sunday, May 15 at 8:30am, and concluding on Tuesday, May 17 at 4:00pm.
S4M Solutions for Media GmbH
The Cologne-based company S4M Solutions for Media, a subsidiary of arvato systems and RTL Television, develops and distributes specialized software solutions for the broadcast and new media industry. Customers in 30 countries around the world use S4M systems for commercial airtime sales, video content management, program planning, rights licensing, ratings evaluation, or production planning. S4M also offers customers professional consulting services based on its experience and knowledge of media and information technology.
4 May 2011
During a joint signing ceremony at MBC Headquarters, Sam Barnett, COO MBC Group, and Irshad Contractor, Chairman of Technosat, signed a major new deal to offer MBC viewers High Definition (HD) TV as of July 1st 2011.
Elaborating further on this deal, Sam Barnett, COO, MBC Group said: As of July 1st, all MBC viewers will be able to enjoy up-to 7 of our current 10 channels in HD. Moreover, viewers can watch the channels for free. They will need to have a HD TV and theyll need a Technosat HD set top box. However, once they have the equipment, theyll be able to see most of MBC Group channels in High Definition quality. Barnett added that only the Technosat HD set top box would enable viewers to see the MBC HD channels.
On his part, Irshad Contractor, Chairman of Technosat said: We are pleased to be working closely with MBC Group on this milestone deal. We firmly believe that our set top boxes are the most affordable with state-of-art advanced technology for the High Definition satellite reception, and first of its kind in the MENA region. With our boxes and MBCs channels, we have a winning combination. Contractor added, We are one of the leading manufacturers and wholesalers of Satellite equipment in the region, and we shall be distributing the HD boxes across the Middle East.
Mohammad Windawee, Director of Distribution, MBC Group, commented on the deal: We are signing with Technosat so that our viewers across the MENA region will have the opportunity to get the right HD set top box and start to view for free. This deal cements MBCs position as a pioneer of high quality free to air TV in the region.
