Joanna Shields, Google’s European MD of Strategic Partnerships and Syndication, has left the search engine for social networking company Bebo.
Shields, who comes from an engineering background, is credited with putting together Google’s deal with the UK’s BSkyB last year and will now head up Bebo’s new international division.
Shields will be based at Bebo’s offices in Carnaby Street, central London.
Broadcasting Board of Governors Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson has asked President Bush not to put his name in nomination for another term. Tomlinson said he serves at the pleasure of the President and plans to remain in office until his successor is confirmed.
In a letter to President Bush dated January 9, Tomlinson said he is proud of his record of service and appreciated deeply your repeatedly submitting my name to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for reconfirmation to this position. However, I have concluded that it would be far more constructive to write a book about my experiences rather than to seek to continue government service.
In the letter, Tomlinson cited the role he has played in launching Arabic-language satellite television across the Middle East, daily Persian-language satellite television to Iran, expansion of radio and television to Afghanistan and significantly increasing radio and television transmissions to Cuba.
Tomlinsons chairmanship of the BBG began in 2002. He previously served as Editor-In-Chief of Readers Digest following a 28-year career with the magazine. In 1982, he was appointed by President Reagan and served two years as Director of Voice of America. He later served as a member of the Board for International Broadcasting (which supervised Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) for eight years beginning in 1986.
The latest baby of Skype’s founders, The Venice Project, has been rebranded Joost. The peer-to-peer video network has acquired its new Dutch-sounding name as part of the company’s intention to “become synonymous
with the best of TV and the best of the Web”.
Presently beta-testing (the AIB is one of those test beds), Joost will have a new release in the next few weeks. We’re already impressed with the quality of the video delivered to an AIB computer, and we believe that this could mark the start of the future of web-delivered video content in a secure, DRM-compliant way.
Autocue, the leading provider of prompting and newsroom automation solutions, has today announced its partnership with highly regarded UAE-based distributor, United Broadcast & Media Solutions (UBMS), further strengthening its presence in the Middle East market.
Founded in 1997, UBMS offers a variety of cutting-edge products and services in the broadcast field. The company is promoting the full Autocue portfolio of newsroom and prompting systems in UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Yemen. As part of this agreement, UBMS will represent Autocue at CABSAT, in March 2007 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Hero Bhatia UBMS, Senior Vice President commented, Autocue is a leading global brand and we are delighted to partner with them. The company has an excellent line up of professional prompters and newsroom automation software that is a perfect fit for the Middle East market. The addition of the QNxt solution is particularly exciting, offering significant benefits for our customers, and providing us with clear competitive differentiation. UBMS is the only player in the broadcast industry that has a state-of-the-art broadcast showroom in the Middle East and a very experienced team of technical experts that offer customised solutions. This alliance of Autocue with UBMS is a win-win situation for customers – first-class products from Autocue combined with excellent service from UBMS.
We are delighted to announce this new partnership with UBMS. The Autocue brand is synonymous with quality products and is recognised by broadcasters worldwide. The alliance between Autocue and UBMS further strengthens Autocues commitment to the Middle East broadcast market and we look forward to announcing some major sales in 2007, concluded Frank Hyman, Autocues Sales & Marketing Director.
WRN, the UK-based radio and television transmission company, and WorldSpace Satellite Radio, one of the world leaders in satellite-based digital radio services, have signed a facilities hosting agreement in which WorldSpace’s London broadcast operation will move to the headquarters of WRN.
WRN is expanding its Master Control Room to house WorldSpace’s satellite radio broadcast operations equipment and will provide access to studio facilities and office space for its technical staff. WorldSpace’s London team is expected to move to the WRN facilities in March 2007.
“We are pleased with the availability of capacity in WRN’s state-of-the-art operations facility and look forward to building on our long-standing relationship,” said Randall Scott, Vice President, Production Engineering and Operations for WorldSpace Satellite Radio.
Gary Edgerton, WRN’s Managing Director, said: “WRN is delighted to offer WorldSpace Satellite Radio a new home in London and this agreement builds on the synergies between our two organisations.”