10 May 2004
Radio Aap ki Dunyaa, a new Urdu-language service of the Voice of America (VOA) began transmitting 12 hours a day today, providing millions of Pakistanis and other Urdu-speakers in India and the diaspora with news, information and entertainment.
Aap ki Dunyaa – “Your World” in English – features 10-minute newscasts twice an hour during prime time, and hourly newscasts throughout the night, with in-depth coverage of events affecting South Asia and the world; features on topics such as health, education, and political issues; call-in shows; roundtable discussions; and a mix of Pakistani, Indian, and Western music. With its combination of news and features, about half of Aap ki Dunyaa’s unique programming consists of information. The program runs from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. Pakistan time.
“We’re delighted we’re able to provide balanced and accurate news and to help promote a better understanding of the United States in such an important part of the world,” said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which supervises all U.S. nonmilitary international broadcasting, including VOA.
Steven J. Simmons, the BBG member who has spearheaded creation of Aap ki Dunyaa, said, “With this station, we are reaching out to millions of listeners primarily between the ages of 15 and 39. We want to interact with our listeners and to let them learn more about us while we learn about them. We’ll be using the latest research techniques to make sure this station becomes part of our listeners’ lives.”
Aap ki Dunyaa will be staffed by 27 people in Washington as well as a network of more than 15 stringers in Pakistan, India and North America. Dr. Brian Q. Silver is chief of the service. All staffers from the original VOA Urdu Service are now part of the Aap ki Dunyaa team.
The station will be distributed on a medium wave (AM) signal that reaches millions of listeners in Pakistan and northeast India. It can be found at 972 kHz. It will also be broadcast for three hours on shortwave (7 to 8 p.m., 10 to 11 p.m., and 6 to 7 a.m. Pakistan time). It will be carried for 12 hours on digital audio satellite and via the Internet. Internet enhancements will be phased in, providing audience interaction through e-mail, and texts of selected feeds, interviews, and other programs of interest to the listening audience.
10 May 2004
VT Merlin has launched two new weekly digital streams, bringing the benefits of Digital Radio MondialeTM (DRMTM) to a number of its most important international broadcast customers.
This new service ‘vtdigital’ features news and general programming from broadcasters compiled into a stream, interspersed with informative continuity announcements. Two streams are broadcast, one on Friday and one on Saturday on 9770 kHz. They are carried from VT Merlin’s Rampisham site in the UK on digital short wave into Central Europe in near FM quality. Broadcasters including Radio New Zealand International, Radio Australia, Radio Japan (NHK), Radio Taiwan International and Radio France International have joined and are keen to experience the benefits of the DRM system and range of services offered by VT Merlin.
These streams complement the highly successful Sunday stream based on religious programming, which began in February 2004.
Peter Gordon, VT Merlin’s Head of Digitalisation commented: “We are very proud to have brought some of the world’s leading international broadcasters together onto our DRM platform in an innovative way. Their commitment to DRM is a major boost for this new broadcast technology. We look forward to growing and expanding the stream concept over the coming months”. VT Merlin is a founder member of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), a consortium of broadcast related organisations working to bring digital AM radio to the market place.
10 May 2004
Following a new distribution agreement with Portugals biggest cable and satellite operator, TV Cabo, Extreme Sports Channel launched in Portugal on 8 May. This latest major platform deal opens up a new country for Extreme, making 53 in total. Portuguese is now the tenth language in which the channel is available.
Extreme launches in Portugal in grand style with live coverage of one of Europe’s biggest extreme sports events, the Lisbon Downtown mountain bike race. This race through Alfama, the old town of Lisbon, is also expected to draw in at least twenty thousand live spectators to see the world’s best mountain bikers battling it out on Saturday.
This is the latest European launch for the channel, following the conclusion of deals with a number of networks including 27 new deals in Poland, 12 in Romania, 20 in the Ukraine and several others in Croatia and Slovenia.
Extreme Sports Channel is the world’s first television channel totally dedicated to the world’s fastest growing participatory sports and the music, fashion and way of life that accompanies them. The channel was launched in 1999 and is now available in 53 countries across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It transmits in 10 languages and broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to nearly 18 million households.
6 May 2004
Athens Broadcast Services partners, represented by GlobeCast, Gearhouse Broadcast and Stefi Productions, announced today that leading international broadcasters have selected the Athens Broadcast Base 2004 for their Olympics coverage. These broadcasters include: Sky News, Sky Sports News, ITN (ITV3 News) and Reuters from the UK; 9 Network Australia; Italian group Mediaset and global news network CNN.
The state-of-the-art Broadcast Base launched in May last year by GlobeCast, the global satellite transmissions provider, Gearhouse Broadcast, the equipment rental, sales & project solutions company, and Greek production company Stefi Productions offers non-rights holders a one-stop-shop for all of their production and broadcast requirements, including studios, work space, broadcast equipment, worldwide satellite transmissions, uplinking facilities, playout, conversion, encoding and mobile SNG facilities. It is located in central Athens, just 400 metres from the Olympic Stadium and the IBC, and features premium stand-up positions overlooking historical backdrops emphasising the return of the Olympics to their original Greek home.
High Definition equipment will be available for rental from the facility, including LDK 6000 cameras, Sony HDW-F900/HDW-750P camcorders, Sony HDW-F500 VTR’s, a full range of Canon HD lenses, Leitch routers and Grass Valley vision mixers. The Broadcast Base will also offer the latest technology on the market including the XDCAM range for rental incorporating Professional Disc technology launched by Sony including the PDW-530P camcorder, PDW-V1, PDW-1500 & PDW-3000 decks.
6 May 2004
Lucia Annunziata, the Chairwoman of Italys public service broadcaster RAI, has resigned in a dispute that rekindled controversy over the influence exerted over the national media by PM Silvio Berlusconi. Ms Annunziata announced her departure at a news conference in Milan where she accused Berlusconi’s centre-right government and its supporters of trying to pack RAI with political appointees.
RAI has three of Italy’s seven main television channels, as does Mediaset, the company that forms part of the Berlusconi family business empire. Together RAI and Mediaset account for 90 per cent of Italy’s prime-time TV viewers. Berlusconi’s unusual position as media magnate and premier was criticised last month in a European parliament report that argued it was not right for one man to be in a position to influence so much TV content in one country.
Ms Annunziata described the proposed job appointments at RAI as “the final act in an organised campaign by the government majority aimed at full control over public service broadcasting”. Last week, Italy’s parliament approved a controversial media law which, critics say, strengthens Mr Berlusconi’s hold over the media. Ms Annunziata, once one of the country’s leading journalists, had said she would resign if the Italian government passed the bill.
