CNBC Europe scores a first in Russia

In an impressive cross-border move, AIB member CNBC Europe’s daily market reports from Europe, Asia and the United States are now being carried on Russia’s first 24-hour business news channel, RBC-TV.

Russian-language RBC-TV is to be “equal to leading Western news and analytical TV channels and adapted for the Russian audience,” the company said in a statement.

RBC-TV has partnered with CNBC Europe and CNN International. CNBC employees were brought in to help train the new staff, and CNBC has a two-year agreement with RBC to allow the network to translate and use its daily market reports from Europe, Asia and the United States. CNN will provide general world news coverage in exchange for the rights to use RBC-TV’s reporting.

RosBusinessConsulting, a Russian business information agency founded a decade ago, has secured $23 million for the project; $17 million from the agency itself and the remaining $6 million through a private debt placement with Western investors, according to the Moscow Times.

New hope for international freelancers

The Iraq war and its bloody aftermath have brought home, through such graphic coverage, the risks faced by journalists. UK charity The Rory Peck Trust is particularly concerned about freelancers and their families.

And now the Trust, not yet well known globally, will be able to help in a very practical way. Substantial funding from the Sigrid Rausing Trust has given The Rory Peck Trust a unique opportunity to increase help for freelancers and their families around the world, who are often unsupported by the broadcasters who use them in dangerous assignments.

Chairman of The Rory Peck Trust, Bob Jobbins says, “The main aim of the project this year is to identify those people who need the Trust’s help. The grant will allow us to give assistance to the families of freelancers who have been killed, to freelancers who have been injured and to begin work that will enable more freelancers worldwide to take hostile environment training courses.”

Linx cleans up

If you need to clear up the studio clutter as you go digital, UK-based Link Reseaarch, winner of an award at last year’s IBC, this year invite you to inspect their Link XP2 wireless camera.

You can catch the XP2 and the XP1 in action at stand 1.271. The LinkXP2 wireless camera system and its new “Digital Pathway” solution for Triax will be on view for the first time ever.

Already fully tested and working, this is the next and final step towards end-to-end digital acquisition / broadcasting with wireless camera systems.

Besides wireless cameras, Link make encoders, modulators and receivers. Partnered with some of the big names in the business, Link offer wide-ranging solutions.

Indian cable banned in Pakistan

Although Indian-Pakistan relations are not as tense as a few months ago, when war seemed a possibility, PEMRA (the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) has ordered the closing of all Indian TV cable channels in Pakistan. The ban has seriously affected business as viewers are discontinuing cable subscriptions when they do not get any popular entertainment in their language. “Over 98 per cent of the viewers on our cable system want to watch popular Urdu (Indian) channels” said Malik Furgan, president of the Cable Operator Association.

Cable operators will observe a seven-day countrywide strike if a ban on showing Indian programmes is not lifted.

Pan-euro HDTV channel to launch

Euro1080, a brand new European TV channel, starts broadcasting exclusively in high definition throughout Europe, on January 1st 2004.

The channel will distribute high quality content like sports, music, shows and cultural events.
Euro 1080 will consist of 2 channels: The “Main Channel”, distributing a daily 4 hours’ program to European households and small venues. The “Event Channel” distributing event programs (live or delayed live) to event cinemas.

There will be a press conference at 1730 at the Heineken Music Hall, on Saturday, September 13th in Amsterdam.