14 November 2005
On 10 November 2005, Al Jazeera Channel issued the following statement:
“Al Jazeera journalist and presenter Ahmad Mansour was the subject of an unprovoked physical assault while in Cairo, Egypt to present a television programme as part of covering the parliamentary elections there.
Al Jazeera condemns in the strongest terms this violence against one of its journalists. We reiterate our full support for Mr. Mansour and the freedom of expression for journalists the world over.
We call upon Egyptian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and to expose and to bring before the court the perpetrators and instigators of this shameful act.
At the same time, Al Jazeera calls on media organizations, professional bodies, trade unions and human rights organisations to condemn this attack, and to stand firmly in support of the sanctity of journalistic freedom and journalists’ right to seek the truth and inform the public.”
14 November 2005
Microsoft has announced that it is developing a news video distribution network for The Associated Press and share in advertising revenue generated by the newspapers and broadcasters that use it.
The AP Online Video Network will be available to the news service’s 3,500 US newspaper and broadcast members at no charge in the first quarter of next year, the companies said.
The AP will initially provide about 50 video clips a day covering national, international, entertainment, technology and business news. The AP said it would retain full editorial control over the content. The MSN unit of Microsoft will provide the software-based video player, the technical support and the network capacity for the service. MSN will also sell the advertising and develop other network products.
14 November 2005
SES Global has issued its financial results for the third quarter of 2005.
Revenues were up 21 per cent to E313 m (Q3 2004: E259m) Q3 EBITDA increased 10 per cent to E216 m (Q3 2004: E196 m). Net profit rose 48 per cent to E108 m (Q3 2004: E73 m) and year-to-date net profit of E277 m (YTD 2004 – including an exceptional tax credit of E60 m – E293 m). Net debt rose to E1.979bn from EUR 1.716bn at June 30.
Romain Bausch, President & CEO of SES Global, commented: “SES has continued to make active progress during the quarter, building on the success of the first six months of 2005. In addition to the new transponder contracts signed with video broadcasting customers, we have also introduced new service platforms for video services such as blucom and IP-Prime. These will generate new, profitable revenue streams alongside that of our core satellite infrastructure business.”
14 November 2005
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s longest-serving President, Thomas A. Dine departed the US government-funded international broadcaster on October 31. Dine, who served as RFE/RL’s chief executive for more than eight years, will now take up new responsibilities as the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco. The U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors has appointed Jeffrey N. Trimble as Acting President of RFE/RL. Mr. Trimble has served as Director of Policy and Strategic Planning at RFE/RL for the last three years.
Mr. Dine became the President of RFE/RL in August 1997 and shaped the radios into a multiple media company with the ability to reach its audiences on the radio, via email and the Internet. RFE/RL’s total weekly audience has more than doubled during Dine’s eight years as president.
RFE/RL now broadcasts to 19 countries in 28 languages and most of these broadcasts are directed at majority-Muslim populations. With a mandate from the U.S. Congress, Dine expanded RFE/RL’s broadcasts beyond its traditional focus, the former Soviet Union to Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, demonstrating the effectiveness of U.S. surrogate broadcasting in conducting the war on terrorism.
In earlier remarks to RFE/RL staff informing them of his decision to leave RFE/RL, Dine said: “I know that the company I am leaving is healthier and stronger than the one I took over in 1997 — and I derive great comfort from knowing that its fate going forward rests in the hands of the most talented, motivated, and creative staff I have ever had the pleasure of working with… and, it will be better positioned than ever to fulfill its crucial role in the spread of freedom and democracy around the world.”
Jeffrey Trimble took over on November 1 as Acting President of RFE/RL. He joined RFE/RL in May 1997, first as Associate Director of Broadcasting, but soon thereafter was appointed Director of Broadcasting. From 2002 until this week, he has served as RFE/RL’s Director of Policy and Strategic Planning. Before coming to RFE/RL, Trimble worked for 15 years at U.S. News & World Report magazine in a variety of positions, including Assistant Managing Editor, Foreign Editor, and Moscow Bureau chief (from 1986 until 1991). As Mediterranean Bureau Chief, based in Rome, Italy (1983-1986), Trimble reported on developments in more than 20 countries in the Middle East and Africa, as well as the Mediterranean region. Earlier, he was a diplomatic correspondent in Washington (1983) and a regional corrrespondent in New York (1982-1983), where his duties included covering the United Nations.
In accepting his new appointment, Trimble said “It is an honor to serve as Acting President of RFE/RL, and I look forward to supporting the work of RFE/RL’s dedicated staff to promote freedom and democracy with information products that are balanced, accurate and comprehensive.”
8 November 2005
The Canadian broadcasting Corporation has joined the satellite radio revolution as satellite operator SIRIUS Canada unveiled its channel line-up for its soon-to-launch satellite radio service for the Canadian marketplace on 2 November.
Almost two years in the making, CBC/Radio-Canada is a key part of what promises to be an unbeatable channel line-up and Canadian offering.
With a full 100 channels of the best music, news, sports, and entertainment available, SIRIUS Canada will provide the most comprehensive satellite radio service in the country. Of the ten Canadian channels on offer, six of them are ours, including CBC Radio One , CBC Radio 3, Première Plus and Bandeapart .
For AIB member Radio Canada International, the international service operated by CBC from its Montreal studios, the big news is that Radio Canada International Plus (RCI Plus) is being added to the line-up, providing RCI a marvellous opportunity to reach new Canadian audiences with RCI’s diverse and content-rich multilingual programming, to be augmented by additional content from other Canadian and international partners.
Similarly important is the addition of Infoplus, which is an innovative new offering – 24/7 news radio taken from all of Radio-Canada’s existing radio and television sources, as well as Radios francophones publiques and Radio France Internationale (RFI).
This announcement means an exciting time for radio at CBC/Radio-Canada: a new platform thatll cover every corner of the country – on the road, a boat, at home, etc. – and vastly enhanced reach for our radio services, which so many listeners at home and abroad have already come to know, trust and love.
