5 March 2008
Radio Farda has launched an SMS text messaging service for Iranians that’s receiving comments from hundreds of listeners on subjects ranging from politics to music to jokes.
Radio Farda Editorial Director Golnaz Esfandiari says the SMS, launched on February 29, was an instant hit: “In less than three days, we received over 300 messages from Marivan, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tehran and many other places.” She said listeners are sending praise and criticism of Radio Farda programs, as well as comments on the forthcoming March 14 parliamentary elections and a range of problems in Iran.
A listener in the Eastern Azerbaijan province of Iran complained that the government was giving huge amounts of money to Iraq, Afghanistan and Hizbullah. Another listener sent a complaint about president Ahmadinejad’s trip to Iraq this week, urging Radio Farda to “ask these gentlemen why they give loans to Iraq and invest there while backward regions of Iran need that investment much more urgently… I asked a year ago for an employment loan and they haven’t responded yet to my request.” Others said they would go to the polls March 14 to show America how democratic Iran is; yet others said they will ignore the elections because “our vote does not count, why should we bother.” Workers in one town complained they have not been paid and asked Radio Farda to “let people know we are suffering.” Another message complained of inflation and corruption in the country, appealing to Radio Farda: “please help the people.” One listener wrote: “the major achievement of (president) Ahmadinejad is to have isolated Iran.”
5 March 2008
RRsat Global Communications Network has announced that SVT (Sveriges Television), Swedens public television broadcasting service, has chosen RRsat to expand its coverage all over Europe.
Over the past three years, RRsat has been distributing the SVT channel over its Global Network to Asia through the Thaicom-5 Satellite. Under the current agreement, RRsat also distributes the SVT channel to Europe, Northern Africa & the Middle East through the Direct-To-Home distribution network, over Eurobird-9 satellite.
After using RRsat´s turnaround services since 2005 for SVT Europa´s Direct-To-Home distribution to Asia, Australia and Africa, we are very pleased to expand our cooperation with RRsat to include Direct-To-Home services through Eurobird-9 satellite to Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East, said Riffa Hänninen, Head of SVT Europa, the international channel of the Swedish public service broadcaster SVT.
“We are very pleased that SVT, the Swedish national television, has chosen RRsat to expand its channels coverage to be accessible throughout Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East over the Eurobird-9 satellite, our rapidly expanding Direct-To-Home and cable platform,” commented Lior Rival, VP Sales and Marketing of RRsat. “Once again, RRsat, leveraging its broad global network and leading fiber infrastructure, will enable the channel to be reached by millions of new households.
5 March 2008
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty broadcasts to Armenia went off the air on 2 March while its Internet site has been blocked in a blackout on independent news, imposed as part of a state of emergency that went into effect on March 2.
Under an emergency decree issued by Armenian president Robert Kocharian, media may use only government-sanctioned news for a 20-day period. RFE/RL’s Armenian Service broadcasts to Armenia four hours daily in Armenian on FM frequencies of two local affiliates who, in compliance with the decree, took RFE/RL programs off the air, filling the time slot with music instead. RFE/RL is the only Armenian language foreign radio in the country.
RFE/RL’s main Armenian language website, azatutyun.am has also been blocked, but still managed to register during the first day of March as many unique visitors (23,000) as it averages in an entire month. Two thirds of the visitors are from within Armenia. RFE/RL’s Armenian Service is adding website domains to get around the blockage and continue broadcasting independent news in Armenian for Internet listeners.
In the last RFE/RL broadcast on Saturday 1 March, correspondents in Yerevan reported live from the scene of protest rallies, which were forcefully dispersed by police and Interior Ministry troops. Despite media identification, a driver for RFE/RL was beaten by police. The young female correspondent he was accompanying managed to escape, running from the violence. Another RFE/RL correspondent in the Armenian town of Gumri, covering a similar demonstration, was manhandled and threatened by Interior Ministry troops, but stood her ground. She was pushed around until the troops realized she was broadcasting live and their threats were clearly audible to listeners.
Until the Sunday curfew, protesters in Armenia had held daily rallies since the February 19 presidential election they say was rigged by the government. At least eight people are reported dead in the government’s violent crackdown on the demonstrators over the weekend.
21 February 2008
The Kyrgyz Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, known locally as Radio Azattyk, in partnership with Kyrgyz state television has launched a new youth programme that aired for the first time on January 16.
Called “Azattyk Plus TV Show,” the 30-minute programme is aimed at young people aged 15 to 29. RFE/RL Acting President Jeff Trimble noted that latest census figures show nearly 30 percent of the Kyrgyz population, or one and a half million people, belong into this age bracket. “We aim to attract these young people to Radio Azattyk and its message of democracy,” Trimble said.
The first Azattyk Plus TV Show aired at 5:30 PM Kyrgyz time (6:30 AM EST) with segments on Internet cafes in Kyrgyzstan, the meaning and practice of flash-mobbing, how the Internet brings families together and other topics. RFE/RL’s partner, the Kyrgyz National Broadcasting Corporation (KTR) is the only nation-wide TV network in the country. It will carry Azattyk Plus TV Show as a weekly, live programme, providing technical support. Under the partnership agreement, RFE/RL has full editorial control. The show is prepared and moderated by broadcasters in RFE/RL’s Bishkek bureau and the audio will be rebroadcast the next day on Radio Azattyk.
Azattyk Plus TV Show is RFE/RL’s second programme on Kyrgyz television. Radio Azattyk’s award-winning talk show, “Inconvenient Questions,” has been on KTR since May 2005. The weekly programme features one guest answering tough questions from an RFE/RL host on business, politics, social problems and the economy. The independent “Zamandash” magazine last month gave “Inconvenient Questions” an award for “the best TV show of 2005.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international communications service to Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia, funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
21 February 2008
Alain de Pouzilhac, CEO of France 24, has been named by French President Nikolas Sarkozy as the Chairman of the new France Monde organisation that will oversee all French international broadcasting.
The move by Sarkozy may indicate a change in heart by the French President who had called into question the future of France 24’s English- and Arabic-language services, saying in January that he did not see a need for France to spend taxpayers’ money broadcasting TV services in languages other than French.
The new France Monde grouping will bring together Radio France Internationale and France 24. Its CEO will be French journalist Christine Ockrent.
