30 November 2004
The Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Panamericana have announced that VOA Spanish-language programming will air on Bolivia’s largest national radio network, beginning Wednesday, December 1.
Thanks to an agreement between VOA and Radio Panamericana, VOA programming in Spanish will now reach an additional 8.6 million listeners weekly through Panamericana’s network of eight affiliate stations in Bolivia’s major cities, including La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Cochabamba. The new partnership with Panamericana builds on VOA’s current network of 15 smaller affiliate stations in Bolivia. An inaugural ceremony in La Paz will accompany the launch on December 1, 2004.
Each day, Radio Panamericana will carry Reportaje Desde Washington (Report from Washington). The exclusive, live question-and-answer news report from VOA’s Washington, D.C. studios will be customized for the region. Monday through Friday will feature Luis Facal at 0825 local time (0125 UTC), and Tuesdays and Fridays will feature Mercedes Antezana at 1645 local time (2145 UTC). Finally, a two-minute segment of VOANoticias will air daily at 1130 local time (1630 UTC).
Other VOA Spanish programming includes Foro Interamericano, a weekly, hour-long public affairs television program that examines issues of interest to the Americas. VOA also broadcasts the daily Desde Washington (From Washington), a five-minute, Spanish-language television newscast for more than three-dozen affiliates in 10 countries throughout Latin America. In addition, VOA Spanish broadcasts programs directly to listeners via shortwave and by satellite to AM and FM affiliates in the region.
Programmes are also available on the Internet at www.VOANews.com/Spanish.
25 November 2004
British troops around the world have raised a staggering £103,000 for British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWFB) through the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS). The money will be used to purchase over 700 radios for registered blind members of the charity.
For almost 60 years British Forces charity the Services Sound and Vision Corporation has been raising funds through their worldwide network of BFBS radio stations. This years activities included music marathons, golf days in Gibraltar, catamaran cruising in Cyprus, chest waxing and a raffle to win a brand new MG Rover car.
Controller of BFBS radio, Charles Foster said, Service personnel are among those who tragically lose their sight and radio provides a window to the world for them. Our listeners can identify with this and over the last 10 years have raised over £2 million for the BWBF fund.
Margaret Grainger, Chief Executive for BWBF added, Thanks to BFBS radios fundraising efforts this year, over 700 registered blind have benefited from receiving the latest audio equipment that we provide. These are necessarily adapted, designed and custom built to be easy to operate. Weve found that radio provides a constant and vital link to the outside world and offers a whole new life to our members.
25 November 2004
Negotiators have made progress toward agreeing a new international treaty on broadcasting, helped by a US concession that webcasting need not necessarily be included, UN officials have said.
Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are seeking to update the 1961 Rome Convention on the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations, which has been under discussion at the United Nations’ body since 1997.
But many developing countries had been resisting pressure from the United States, and to a lesser extent the European Union, to include at least aspects of webcasting in any pact. “It was a big move to take it (webcasting) out,” said Rita Hayes, deputy WIPO director-general, who is overseeing the work on the new treaty.
25 November 2004
TVNZ, New Zealand’s public service broadcaster, has chosen SysMedia, leading specialist in subtitling solutions and content management and production systems for interactive TV and teletext, to supply its WinCAPS subtitling solutions for both offline programme and live news subtitling.
The contract, which was secured in conjunction with SysMedia’s New Zealand partner Magna Systems and engineering in Auckland, who will also provide ongoing local support, includes licenses for 10 offline workstations and four live workstations as well as two replay/transmission systems.
WinCAPS Multimedia, versatile subtitle preparation software for both live and pre-recorded content that boasts a host of time-saving and accuracy-enhancing features, has been selected to replace an existing WinCAPS Classic system that was installed in 1998. TVNZ has also added additional capacity to the new installation, which will enable them to meet its strategic objectives around enhancements to the captioning service.
25 November 2004
Its been in the pipeline for years; now it’s on the web. The Dutch international broadcaster has cleverly packed a mountain of content into its new web pages, folding pages and entire indexes into collapsible compartments. The subject headings are active links that take you to an index page for that topic.
There is a lot of content you wont easily find anywhere else, e.g. the daily review of the main stories in the Dutch newspapers. Apart from the extensive Current Affairs archive, you can find Dutch Horizons which deals with everything to do with the Netherlands.
Every programme from the past week can be downloaded; every major feature programme is available online indefinitely, connected to a web story. The web site also supports RNs traditional broadcasting role, with details on what programmes are coming up next and how to tune in.
Importantly, there is a Feedback section. And you can even check on the Dutch weather with the webcam perched on the PTT telecommunications tower behind the Radio Netherlands building in Hilversum.
