21 April 2005
Mr. David Johnson has joined Wohler Technologies as Chief Operating
Officer. A San Francisco native, Mr. Johnson has held senior management
positions with several high-technology companies including Maxtor,
Iomega, and Amdahl.
At NAB 2005, Wohler Technologies announced the release of a complete high quality audio/video monitoring system concentrated in a space-saving 2 RU by Wohler Technologies. The VAMP2-S8MDA offers premium quality 8 channel Analog, AES/EBU, HD-SDI/ SD-SDI digital multi-channel audio monitoring & conversion with professional level metering.
Wohler also introduced a uniquely designed full broadcast quality HD test signal generator that has all the functionality for most HD standards and several other user friendly features. The Penpal-HD is ideal for checking signal path integrity or to determine system performance and calibration.
Another new Wohler Technologies product is the series of high resolution HD-SDI LCD video monitors. The HR-3270W and HR-T170W feature as many pixels as you will find in most modern HD plasmas, but in 7 LCD. The high resolution HD-SDI LCD video monitors are ideal for mobile trucks, news and transmission control rooms, duplication and post production applications. The two series of high resolution LCD video monitors give you the benefit from the crystal clear picture and high resolution from the all digital signal features. The HR-3270W has 16:9 aspect ratio, fits in the standard 3U rack space, with 2 HD-SDI Inputs with reclocked HD-SDI outputs, 2 outputs for your computer monitor in the original input resolution. The HR-T170W conveniently fits in the standard Tektronix half tub form factor alongside your scope or other HD monitoring equipment. The 1 HD-SDI input with reclocked HD-SDI output.
Wohler Technologies also showcased a sunlight viewable LCD Video Monitor LCD monitor, the Daylite Series, which gives exceptionally, clear picture quality in all sunlight conditions.
21 April 2005
VOA Director David Jackson has announced that every day between midnight until 7 a.m., Washington time, the Voice’s new state of the art multimedia newsroom will be closed. The news will be contracted out to a team of eight editors and writers (reportedly Americans, British and Australians) in Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China. Some sources project cost savings at about $300,000 annually, in a VOA budget of approximately $168 million.
The VOA Office of External Affairs commented:
Simply put, VOA is taking steps to expand its presence in East Asia, an
increasingly important part of the world for us. In the months ahead,
VOA will hire a half dozen or so new writers in Hong Kong and move
writers currently on Washington’s overnight newsroom shift to other
shifts in Washington.
We believe that the move will position VOA to offer better and
faster-reacting coverage of news from Hong Kong, and the rest of East
Asia. The move will also include adding internet staff in Hong Kong who
will enable VOA to update its web presence 24 hours a day, something
that is sorely needed.
No jobs will be eliminated. Members of the current overnight shift will
be moved to day and evening shifts in Washington. Three editors and five
writers will be hired as contractors in Hong Kong to handle the
news operation in our bureau there.
Stories produced in Hong Kong will be edited by full-time VOA staff
editors currently based there and also overseen and vetted by their
counterparts who will remain on the midnight shift in Washington. So the
news room here is not exactly going dark. Final editorial responsibility
will remain in those overnight editors in Washington.
The overnight shift in Washington has long been the least popular among
employees, and vacancies have been difficult to fill. The unpopular
hours also have been a recruitment obstacle. People are reluctant to
come here once told about the prospect of having to put in overnight
hours.
Hong Kong’s day of course coincides with Washington’s overnight hours,
and the city has a skilled local English-speaking workforce of
journalists who can be hired to write and edit the same news stories now
produced in the Washington newsroom, following the same high
journalistic standards that have long distinguished VOA broadcasts
around the world.
VOA has had foreign stringers throughout the world for many years, just as have most other major international news organizations. So there is nothing new there. Also, VOA has had a bureau in Hong Kong for many years, as have many other international news organizations.
There is already in place total communications and computer connectivity between VOA’s Washington headquarters and its Hong Kong bureau. Since we already have a bureau in Hong Kong, no new office space will have to
be acquired.
The Hong Kong move and resulting savings will allow VOA to add two
people to the Hong Kong staff to edit the English-language Web site
during U.S. overnight hours. This will be an effective and efficient way
to keep our Web site up to date seven days a week.
At current Hong Kong rates for local hires (no benefits or other perks
required), the staff would cost about $380,000 per year. Although this
shift will result in a small savings, that is not the main point of the
move. It is rather to extend and enhance our presence in Asia, assure
quality coverage during Washington’s overnight hours, and achieve true
24-hour web coverage. We think the move makes sense, and we also think
that now is a good time to make it.
18 April 2005
Join the AIB at this year’s NAB in Las Vegas. The annual NAB event brings together more than 90,000 people involved in electronic media from all over the world. The AIB is exhibiting at the show – our booth number is C11041 and the show is open Monday 18 – Wednesday 20 April from 0900 to 1800 and Thursday 21 April from 0900 to 1600.
12 April 2005
Al Jazeera is preparing to launch yet another first in Arab broadcasting in the shape of Al Jazeera Live, a new specialised media service that will air live conferences, meetings, discussions and other gatherings covering political, social, cultural, economic and other issues of relevance. The new service is similar to c-span in the USA, and will entail neither anchor people nor an editing process.
The new service is expected to start transmission on 15th April, 2005, and will take in Al Jazeera Television Production Festival, an event planned to be held in Doha on 18-21 April, 2005 as one of its early broadcasts.
Managing Director Wadah Khanfar said that initially the service will be received via Arabsat satellite, adding that it is planned to widen the footprint by utilizing other satellites in the near future.
Al Jazeera Live joins existing media services, namely its flagship, the Arabic language news service, the two web sites (in Arabic and English) and Al Jazeera Sports. Al Jazeera will also be launching new services in Al Jazeera International (the English language news service) as well as a documentary and childrens channels. Al Jazeeras Media Training and Development Centre has been operational for over a year now, accommodating media needs domestically and regionally.
12 April 2005
PanAmSat Corporation has entered into a multi-year agreement with China Radio International (CRI), China’s sole overseas radio network. Under the terms of the agreement, CRI will leverage the power of three of PanAmSat’s satellites – the PAS-8 Pacific Ocean Region satellite, the PAS-9 Atlantic Ocean Region satellite and the PAS-10 Indian Ocean Region satellite. Through PanAmSat, China Radio International will reach listeners around the world in eight different languages via its 36 audio channels.
PanAmSat will provide C-band capacity on PAS-8, PAS-9 and PAS-10 and turn-around service at its Napa, California teleport to facilitate the global distribution of CRI’s programming. The network will initially broadcast in eight languages and plans to expand to 39 over time. Its programming fare includes 200 hours of daily airtime comprised of news, music, commentary and entertainment.
