19 October 2005
The Foundation for New Latin American Journalism (FNPI in Spanish), chaired by Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Gabriel García Márquez, recently joined University of Guadalajara Radio to announce plans to produce a CD anthology of reports that won or were nominated for 2002 and 2004 New Latin American Journalism Awards.
The anthology will include Nunavut, el camino a nuestra tierra. This report by Radio Canada Internationals Latin American section eloquently presents the realities faced by the inhabitants of Canadas Far North in a series of touching testimonials produced in Spanish. Nunavut, el camino a nuestra tierra was a 2004 official selectiononly 15 of 110 entries were shortlisted.
Radio Canada International congratulates its Latin American team, and is very pleased about this landmark anthology that will be released this coming December at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.
19 October 2005
After concluding a deal with the National Radio Society in Kiev, German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s Ukrainian programme is now on air nationwide on FM.
DW-Radio’s editor-in-chief Miodrag Soric welcomed the development as an opening of state media in the Ukraine towards Europe. Germany is one of Ukraine’s most important partners in Europe.
The station in Kiev rebroadcasts DW news during the week and on Saturdays DW magazine programmes such as Germany Report, Europe Magazine and Culture Magazine. DW-RADIO /Ukrainian is broadcast on the Promin channel, targetting mainly young listeners. The station reaches 2,5 million listeners, about 7 percent of all listeners. DW-RADIO’s daily one-hour programme in Ukrainian is being rebroadcast by 14 regional stations in the area.
19 October 2005
SES ASTRA has concluded an agreement with Channel 4 from the UK for a third transponder on its satellite ASTRA 2A in the orbital position 28.2° East. The new long-term agreement follows a successful two-transponder deal with Channel 4 in autumn 2004. Channel 4 will use the additional capacity to support the expansion of new services, including the launch of new channels and associated data services.
The new channels include the recently launched Quiz Call and More4+1, which is scheduled for launch today. Quiz Call is devoted to quiz and game-show programming that gives viewers the chance to compete for cash prizes. More4+1 will offer a blend of documentaries, films, drama, current affairs and a daily news program, and may include a late-night studio discussion show.
Alexander Oudendijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA, said: “Channel 4 is one of Britain’s most prominent and innovative terrestrial broadcasters whose programs are watched by more than three-quarters of the UK population during an average week. Channel 4 is also an important customer for us and we are delighted that the company has once again come to us for additional transmission capacity.”
Kevin Burrows, Channel 4’s Chief Technology Officer, said: “We will be exploring several projects over the coming year and this third transponder will give us the capacity to launch new and supporting services as these plans develop. We chose SES ASTRA because we have a long-term relationship with our current contracts, and the company was able to provide a flexible option for us to take additional capacity as our needs develop. We have also found the service to be extremely reliable, which is a crucial broadcasting requirement.”
18 October 2005
AP Television News can now send news stories directly from the heart of Beirut to anywhere in the world thanks to the installation of a fixed satellite dish on the roof of its eight-storey building in the city.
Independent systems integration specialists Megahertz Broadcast Systems carried out the installation to AP requirements and specification, which involved positioning a 2.4m Ku-band transmit/receive antenna on the roof and linking this to an equipment rack on the 4th floor where AP has its offices. Apart from the antenna, the system comprises a Tandberg MPEG encoder and a pair of redundant 750W outdoor Xicom HPA controllers with built-in linearizers enabling it to simultaneously uplink multiple channels. The complete system can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the world.
This enhancement to our technical infrastructure demonstrates the APs commitment to providing customers with the material they require in the quickest possible time frame said Nick Evansky, APs Director of International Services & Technology.
Steve Burgess, Megahertzs technical director, adds: The system we have installed has multi-channel capability, which makes it future-proof.
13 October 2005
Since August 1, 2005 AXN (Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.) has been using RR Satellite Communications Ltd’s playout center for transmission of their 24 hour per day channel.
RRSat’s playout center was chosen after a rigorous selection process. RRSat’s playout center now transmits more than 60 TV channels 24 hours per day.
A partial list of the satellite company can be found at: http://rrsat.com/clients.php
