9 December 2004
As reported on the EBU web site, France’s international news channel which the government had planned to launch in 2004 will eventually go on air in the last quarter of 2005.
Some 30m euros will be allocated for the launch, half the 60m euros yearly budget needed to run the channel. The project brings together, on an equal footing, TF1 and Francetélévisions, to create a rolling-news channel drawing on the resources of TF1, LCI (La Chaîne Info), France 2 and France 3.
The European Commission is not opposed to the project which, being primarily aimed at Africa, the Middle East and Asia, will not have a significant impact on the EU broadcasting scene. The channel will broadcast in English and French, Arab-language programmes have been put on hold for the time being. Partnership agreements are reportedly planned with AFP, RFI and possibly EuroNews.
9 December 2004
OmniBus Systems, provider of broadcast automation and content management solutions, announced on 6 December that NY1, a 24-hour Time Warner Cable news channel covering New York City, has expanded its Columbus automation system to accommodate locally originated news programming and advertising in other areas of the region. As part of the system expansion, OmniBus worked closely with Avid Technology Inc. to develop and deliver an enhanced interface for Avid news editing systems and playout servers.
NY1s expansion involved the addition of regional bureaus that produce locally originated programming tailored to viewers in Staten Island and Bergen County, N.J. The bureau studio designs are virtually identical to the NY1 studio, and by using the same graphics and automation packages, NY1 is able to maintain continuity in the look and feel of its programming, as if the bureau anchor were sitting at NY1s desk in the Chelsea Market building instead of miles away.
Significant cooperation between OmniBus and Avid was required to meet the workflow needs of NY1. Content created at the Staten Island and Bergen County bureaus is edited by reporters using Avids NewsCutter XP software and published to Avid AirSPACE servers, where it can be accessed by the NY1 control room and played out via the OmniBus Columbus automation control system. At the quarter hour, NY1 broadcasts several minutes of bureau-originated content to viewers in those locations. Households in each region receive programming that covers local news and events, and local businesses are able to purchase advertising specific to their locality.
We chose OmniBus to handle our automation because their systems delivered top performance in handling the complex GPI clip triggers that our studio relies on, said Joseph Truncale, NY1s director of operations and engineering. W are very pleased that the system has been able to accommodate our needs as weve grown. OmniBus and Avid have been extremely responsive and cooperative, and the system is performing to our expectations.
Time Warner Cables NY1 station was the first 24-hour news station to employ an OmniBus-based production template, which has since been reproduced in similar Time Warner Cable local news outlets across the country. These templates feature an OmniBus automation system integrated with a Pinnacle Systems Vortex video server, APs ENPS newsroom production system, and VertigoXmedia graphics automation.
The OmniBus system serves as the central interface for controlling devices, getting feedback, and relaying playout messages, and the OmniBus Desktop Control interface gives users the ability to search and browse archived material, create graphics, put production elements for studio events into the script, and control a variety of other functions from a single desktop.
3 December 2004
Live football on TV at sea – possibly the best thing to happen to sailors since a cure was found for scurvy. Until recently, only the largest aircraft carriers, such as HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious were equipped to receive live TV at sea.
But life on the ocean wave has changed beyond recognition in the last two years. Live Grand Prix, World Cup Rugby, Premier League footie and internationals, not forgetting Big Brother, West Wing, Coronation Street and EastEnders!
All these programmes and more are now available to the Royal Navy following a two pronged attack by SSVC to get live BFBS TV to sailors at sea: TOMS or Television Over Military Satellite; and stabilised tracking dishes which will provide multi-channel TV.
The British Forces Broadcasting Division of SSVC (BFBS) produces a 24-hr mosaic channel a mixture of BFBS1, BFBS2, Sky News and Sky Sports which is uplinked to the Skynet satellite and uses spare bandwidth on the military data stream. Ships can receive this channel via their Scot antenna almost anywhere in the world under the Skynet footprint. Thirty-nine ships are now equipped and can get live TOMS TV. A few years ago, it was unimaginable to suggest the Navy would be enjoying all the Euro 2004 matches live at sea, but this year it became a reality. There will shortly be capacity for a second TOMS TV channel which will be Sky News, which means that ships will have a choice of viewing 24 hours a day.
BFBS were determined the Royal Navy should have an even wider choice of channels, and hence the second prong of the attack. The SSVC Operational Welfare Fund has donated £511,000 worth of receiver equipment and the Royal Navy has found the funds to provide and fit stabilised tracking dishes for 44 ships, which will be done over the next two to three years. This will mean that whenever these ships are anywhere under the Eutelsat W3 footprint they will have a choice of 6 channels – BFBS1, BFBS2, Sky News, BBC News 24, and two Sky Sports channels.
Plans are also afoot so that when they are under the NewSkies satellites covering Africa, the Falklands, and most of the Atlantic, they will be able to receive up to three channels as well as the two via Skynet.
3 December 2004
Video highlights of the AIB’s 2004 Global Media Business Conference are now available online in Windows Media format.
Download the file using the link below (note – it is 5MB in size), or play directly in Windows Media (if you have a good Internet connection).
A high-quality DVD version of the video is available on request from AIB head office.
