6 May 2009
During a press conference at the Delegation of the European Commission in Washington, European Commission, euronews and MHz Networks announced on Tuesday that euronews is available 24/7 in the U.S. capital city.
John Bruton, Ambassador and Head of the European Commission in Washington, marked on 4 May the launch of euronews together with Frederick Thomas, MHz Networks CEO & Founder and Philippe Cayla, Chairman of the Executive Board of Euronews.
They announced that euronews launches its full-time channel in the influential nations capital area, to an audience of 2.3 million households. euronews is available on MHz Networks 10 local distribution via cable (on Comcast since April 14) as a first step, before it debuts on the MHz Networks broadcast transmitter June 12.
The addition of the 24/7 euronews channel also lines up with the newsworthy 30th anniversary of the election of the European Parliament. euronews will present viewers in Washington in-depth coverage of the elections, when 375 million European citizens will be asked to renew the Parliament of the European Unions 27 member states from June 4-7, 2009.
euronews in 20 million U.S. homes with MHz Networks
Nearly a year ago, MHz Networks incorporated euronews daily newscasts on its national channel, MHz Worldview.
Today, euronews is available in over half of the top-20 U.S. television markets – nearly 20 million households- through broadcast/cable affiliates in:
Chicago, IL- WYCC; San Francisco,CA- KCSM; Philadelphia, PA- WYBE (26 May); Washington, DC- WNVC/MHz Networks; Tacoma-Seattle, WA- KBTC; Minneapolis, MN- MPS Cable; Miami, FL- WLRN; Denver, CO- KBDI; Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL- WCEU; Salt Lake City, UT- UEN (statewide); New Orleans, LA- WLAE; Las Vegas, NV- Vegas PBS; Richmond, VA- WCVE; Flint, MI- WDCQ; Charleston, IL- WEIU; Topeka, KS- KTWU; Warrensburg, MO- KMOS; Rochester-Austin, MN- KSMQ; Charlottesville, VA- WHTJ; St.Paul, MN- St. Paul Neighborhood Network; Stanford, CA- Stanford University Cable, as well as nationally via DirecTV and WorldTV (powered by GlobeCast, G19) satellite.
5 May 2009
Voice of America’s (VOA) Persian News Network (PNN) has launched a new interactive television program which aims to promote engagement and interaction between Iranians and Americans.
Roya Khat (Straight Talk), which airs Monday through Friday at 1730 UTC (10:00 p.m. local Iranian time), will look at a topic of great interest to a youthful audience for an entire week, examining it in-depth, from different angles. Accomplished guests may discuss science, technology, social issues, the environment, politics, economics, art or culture. News on the United States and information about the lives of Americans will also be featured.
For its debut week, Roya Khat focuses on press freedom, highlighting World Press Freedom Day. Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi participated live from Atlanta in today’s program, discussing media restrictions and censorship in Iran.
Regarding the show’s format, host Mehdi Falahati said, “Subjects will be designed to generate debate and will be very interactive. The audience is expected to play a major role, contributing and voting on topics of interest through our website, e-mails, SMS, blogs and phone calls to the show.”
Before joining VOA’s PNN last year, Falahati was previously a freelance reporter for the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Persian service and also served as chief London correspondent, senior editor, and broadcaster for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Radio Farda. He has published ten books in Persian in Iran and abroad, including one featuring 50 interviews with prominent Iranian authors, politicians, poets and intellectuals.
VOA’s PNN has the largest combined radio and television audience of all international broadcasters in Iran, with one in four adult Iranians tuning in to a VOA show at least once a week. VOA’s PNN broadcasts seven hours of television daily, repeated in a 24-hour format, and five hours of radio. Broadcasts are available round-the-clock on the Internet at www.VOAPNN.com.
5 May 2009
In its latest market intelligence briefing, the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) says that its time for broadcasters to move from a wait and see approach to delivering content on mobile to acting now.
The report draws parallels with the situation faced in the late 1990s when media companies had to decide whether to move on to the Web, unsure of what that meant for them either in terms of investment or whether the public would use the Internet in large numbers. The AIB report highlights that with mobile today we see similar hesitation and resistance within some media companies, despite the fact that there are now probably double the number of mobile phones in use than there are desktop and laptop PCS.
International industry association AIB is working on a number of projects to make sure its broadcaster members can harness the power of the mobile in a highly innovative way for radio, TV as well as text and beat the competition. In 2008, AIB linked up with Nokia to get AIB-member content onto its Internet Radio and Video Center platforms. In a recent initiative the AIB is working with an innovative mobile TV start-up to enable AIB members to place their news, current affairs, science, technology and lifestyle programming onto mobile handsets in Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, South Korea and a range of other territories.
Mirroring the overall trend, the AIBs work in mobile will continue to expand throughout 2009, says AIB CEO Simon Spanswick, adding that traditional delivery methods remain relevant for broadcasters choosing the most effective platforms to reach audiences in specific markets. For example, the latest AIB market intelligence briefing also includes an update on pay-TV developments in the South African market. The briefings, delivered exclusively to AIB members around the world, are a key benefit of AIB membership.
5 May 2009
As reported by BBC News, an appeal will begin next week for US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, who was sentenced to eight years in jail for spying, an Iranian official has said. ‘There has been a date set for next week,’ judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi told a news conference, giving no further details.
Ms Saberi, 32, was sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran last month. US President Barack Obama has appealed for her release. Mr Obama and the Saberi family have dismissed the charges as baseless, insisting that she is not a US spy.
Ms Saberi’s father says she has been on hunger strike since 21 April in protest at the sentence. But Iranian officials have denied that she was refusing to eat or that her health had been affected.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has refused to intervene in the case, saying the courts acted independently and that she will be accorded her full rights. Iranian authorities earlier said they would hear her appeal fairly and quickly. The journalist has been in jail in Tehran since January.
5 May 2009
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day being celebrated on 3 May, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has promised a review of the country’s law on information which has been in force since 1990. Speaking on national television, Bouteflika said the State should do its best to facilitate and promote journalism in a bid to improve the profession.
The new law will take into account strides made through information and communication technologies and the development of new processes in training and improving services. Bouteflika also called on journalists to use the press as a ‘tool to preserve democracy and its noble values’, ading ‘Journalists must be effective in their work and shun attempts to use them as tools of destabilization,’ he said.
During his first two terms, from 1999 to 2009, relations between the Algerian Head of State and the press were tense with the president accusing the press of spreading rumours about his private life and the way the State affairs were conducted.
