6 October 2010
Distinguished journalist Christian Caryl will lead RFE’s efforts to step up news coverage from the nation’s capital as he assumes the role of Chief Editor of RFE’s Washington, D.C. bureau. Caryl is a regular contributor to Foreign Policy and the New York Review of Books and is a Senior Fellow at MIT’s Center for International Studies. He is also a former Contributing Editor at Newsweek.
“Since much of what happens in Washington directly impacts the 21 countries in which RFE broadcasts, we are adding resources to the bureau,” says RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin. “We are lucky to have Caryl there leading our team of reporters – his deep and extensive knowledge of the world is a tremendous asset.”
Over the years, Caryl has reported from 40 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, Germany, and Japan.
“At a time when many news organizations are cutting back on their international coverage, I’m thrilled to have the chance to continue reporting on countries that are generating the biggest headlines,” he says. “I’m also very excited to be working with an experienced team of reporters who know these stories better than anyone else.”
Caryl served as Moscow Bureau Chief for Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report and spent more than a dozen years as a freelance journalist in Europe. His 2003 Newsweek cover story on the misuse of government funds in the Iraq War (“The $87 Billion Money Pit”) earned his reporting team a National Magazine Award.
Caryl is a 1984 graduate of Yale College and native of Midland, Texas. He speaks Russian and German.
ABOUT RFE
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is an independent, international news and broadcast organization whose programs – radio, Internet and television – reach influential audiences in 21 countries such as Russia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. RFE/RL is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).
4 October 2010
The short-list for the 2010 AIBs, the international media excellence awards, has been published.
The 2010 AIBs have attracted a record number of entries from more broadcasters and production houses than ever before, along with technology companies keen to demonstrate innovative new technology.
You can download the short-list
here.
You can reserve places for the AIBs gala evening where the awards will be
presented to winners – it takes place at LSO St Luke’s on Tuesday 9 November
at 1800 starting with a champagne reception sponsored by
Bloomberg Television.
Reserve tables of 10 online
here, or individual places
here.
You can also download a fax-back reservation form
here.
4 October 2010
euronews, the international news channel, has signed a partnership agreement with Panasonic, a worldwide leader in consumer electronics, for the launch of euronews on Panasonics VIERA CAST platform.
From now on, every Panasonic VIERA CAST user can access euronews content in 4 languages (English, French, German and Italian, new languages to be added in the future). Viewers can easily watch the latest news bulletin as well as the lifestyle magazines cinema and le mag. In addition to that, viewers can enjoy the “No Comment” section, one of euronews’ best known and award winning programme thanks to its originality and concept based on striking images, unedited with original sound from around the world.
VIERA CAST was launched in Europe in May 2009 and is available on Panasonics VT20, V20, G20, D28 (37- and 32-inch models) and D25 VIERA TVs, as well as Panasonics 2010 line-up of Blu-ray Disc and DVD players and recorders. This innovative feature allows users to access online content directly from the living room via an Internet connection without using a computer. euronews programmes are accessible through the easy-to-use VIERA CAST interface, which users can access by pushing the VIERA CAST button on their remote control.
According to the research institute In-Stat, more than one third of the TV sets sold across the world will be connected to internet in 2013. Panasonic estimates that on the over 4 Mio.TV sets due to be sold in 2010 in Europe, over 30 % will feature VIERA CAST.
4 October 2010
NHK/NHK Educational Corporation, and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel are happy to announce that their first co-production series Discover Science is gaining interest from broadcasters around the world. Already German broadcaster SWR; UR from Sweden, and EBS from Korea have come on board as co-producers since the series started calling out for partners in April; Astro will also broadcast the series in Malaysia and Brunei.
Discover Science is a new science entertainment series that offers a chance to understand the theories of science by seeing it in action through ridiculously huge experiments. The creative visualization paired with NHKs latest shooting techniques has yielded fascinating ways to visualize scientific phenomena.
Walter Sucher, Head of the Department of Science and Education at Sudwestrundfunk (SWR), the first to come on board as a co-producer explains, Our producers were excited about this series because it brings scientific phenomena from the lab into the real world. And in doing so it also helps us to understand better what may be called ‘the unnatural nature of science’. Because what seems to be logic in little things does not necessarily have to work on a larger scale – or does it? It does, and Discover Science makes us understand why.
Kenichi Murakami, President and CEO of NHK Educational Corporation (NED) which led the production comments, We are very happy that so many broadcasters have shown interest at such an early stage. We believe this shows how much need there is for good science programs presented in a fun way. We did produce the series with the mindset to make it something that would fit in any country or any program, so we are happy to see so many people taking interest.
Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel (JCC), stated: We are pleased to see the fruit of our co-production with NHK/NED being positively received by broadcasters around the world for both English and Arabic versions; we are also looking forward to more co-productions with the NHK on science, technology and environment.
Now that the 26 episodes are complete, NHK/NED/JCC are looking to expand the territories which the program will be shown. They have appointed NHK Enterprises (NEP) as their official distributor.
Vice-President, Yukihiko Amagi, who oversees international distribution at NHK Enterprises (NEP) says NEP is very happy to be given the opportunity to be the Official Distributor of this series. We have high expectations for this series as it is designed to fit to broad genres, like science, children, education, and pure entertainment.
29 September 2010
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson tonight announced a new direction for U.S. international broadcasting that “seizes on the latest media tools and technology to stay one step ahead of those who seek to repress free information around the world.”
As Chairman of the BBG, Isaacson oversees RFE, VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio/TV Marti, Radio Sawa, and Alhurra TV, which have a combined weekly audience of more than 171 million people.
“The challenges we face in the new global struggle against repression and intolerance are as great today as they were during the Cold War,” he said at a reception marking the 60th anniversary of RFE’s first broadcast.
“And just as the founders of Radio Free Europe succeeded in developing creative and innovative ways to get news and information to people suffering behind the Iron Curtain, so too must today’s U.S. international broadcasters respond to modern threats to freedom in new and inventive ways.”
Speaking at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Isaacson said, “America cannot let itself be out-communicated by its enemies.”
“Our traditional role of delivering the news top down needs to be complimented by a new approach that catalyzes social networks,” said Isaacson. “By creating peer-to-peer global communities, we help guarantee the universal human right of access to the free flow of information.”
Tonight’s reception honored six decades of RFE. On July 4, 1950, Radio Free Europe went on the air for the first time with a broadcast to communist Czechoslovakia from a studio in New York City’s Empire State Building.
Today, RFE reaches nearly 20 million people in 28 languages and 21 countries from Europe to the Middle East. In Afghanistan, RFE’s Radio Azadi is the most popular media outlet in the country. In Iran, RFE’s Radio Farda is influential – its Facebook page has more than 50,000 fans.
“We remain a lifeline for people living in war zones and under authoritarian rule who seek accurate and reliable news,” said RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin, who moderated tonight’s reception.
ABOUT RFE
RFE is an independent, international news and broadcast organization whose programs — radio, Internet and television — reach influential audiences in 21 countries such as Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the republics of Central Asia. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). You can follow RFE on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
