12 August 2016
Regional broadcaster Channel NewsAsia unveils a one-hour special documentary dealing with the difficult issue of race in Singapore. A first on national television, Regardless of Race… examines where multiracial Singapore really stands on race relations and aims to answer some tough questions – Why are people afraid to talk about race? Do parents tell their children that racism is bad? How colour-blind are Singaporeans?
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Chairperson of OnePeople.sg, the organisation that advocates multiracialism and racial harmony in Singapore, goes on a journey to find answers to these questions. From taxi drivers to primary school children, he speaks to Singaporeans from all walks of life to find out what people are not willing to say about race.
Among the profiles are one of Singapore’s S League teams, former Nominated Member of Parliament Mr Zulkifli Baharudin, consulting editor of The Middle Ground Ms Bertha Henson, Vice Dean & Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Dr Kenneth Paul Tan, and Singaporean entertainer, Kumar.
Some highlights of the programme include a social experiment exploring the presence of a privilege gap between majority and minority racial groups, as well as new statistical findings from a large nation-wide survey done in collaboration with the Institute of Policy Studies.
Ms Sharon Hun, Senior Executive Producer of Current Affairs, says, “Having just celebrated 50 years of independence, we wanted to explore a topic that might confront Singapore as we move into the next 50 years. We have never dealt with race relations as a topic on national television, but we believe that it is the right time to examine who we really are as a people. We didn’t want it to be purely anecdotal, but based on a comprehensive nation-wide survey on race relations. We also asked people from all walks of life and of all ages, to find out if it is time we talk more about race.”
Special Screening
A special screening of Regardless of Race… was organised for some 100 invited guests and members of the media before its telecast on Channel NewsAsia.
The screening was followed by a short dialogue with Dr Janil Puthucheary.
Regardless of Race… will telecast on Channel NewsAsia on Monday, 15 August 2016 at 8pm (Sin/HK/MNL time). It will also be available as video-on-demand on www.channelnewsasia.com/tv and www.toggle.sg a week from its telecast.
(Source: Channel NewsAsia press release)
12 August 2016
Medical Frontiers Special: Search for Japanese Superfoods
Sep 2 Fri 23:10/ Sat 5:10/ 10:10/ 17:10 (UTC) <49 min.>
Japan is a world leader in health care. This program explores cutting-edge Japanese medical technologies and tips for a healthy lifestyle. On this special edition, we take a journey to uncover the secrets of seafood and green tea – both Japanese “superfoods.” We’ll also share effective and delicious ways to maximize their potential.
70 Years of Wandering: Storytelling Artist Koryu
Sep 16 Fri 23:10/ Sat 5:10/ 10:10/ 17:10 (UTC) <49 min.>
Having lived for 89 years, Minatoya Koryu has plenty of tales to tell. She has performed as a storyteller for 70 years, 50 of those on the road. The art of Rokyoku storytelling – performing stories sung along with the melody of a shamisen – was all but forgotten during Japan’s high economic growth era. Now, it’s being rediscovered. The program shows the relationship between Koryu and her young disciple Koyuki, bringing the appeal of the tradition to a new generation.
At Home with Venetia in Kyoto Summer 2016
Sep 23 Fri 23:10/ Sat 5:10/ 10:10/ 17:10 (UTC) <49 min.>
British-born Venetia moved to Japan some 45 years ago. Twenty of those years have been spent in Kyoto’s Ohara area, where she leads an eco-friendly life. The aroma of herbs fills the air in summer. In the program, she tends the plants in her “Mediterranean garden” and makes her own hand cream. She also travels north to Hokkaido, meeting Ainu people, whose traditions emphasize coexistence with nature. A Hokkaido gardener introduces her to a “dream garden” amidst a vast landscape.
(Source: NHK WORLD TV)
12 August 2016
The BBC Pashto TV programme BBC Naray Da Wakht (BBC World Right Now) will be part of the daily schedule of Pakistan’s new Pashto-language channel, Mashriq TV, which starts broadcasting on Sunday 14 August.
Broadcast live from London in prime time – 18.30 Pakistan Standard Time – and presented by Sana Safi and Amanullah Atta, BBC Naray Da Wakht brings 24 minutes of key global and regional news reporting. The Friday sports supplement, Lobay, includes in-depth coverage of sporting developments that are of special interest to regional audiences.
The move to bring BBC Naray Da Wakht to Pashto-speakers in Pakistan via Mashriq TV builds on the show’s success in Afghanistan where it has a weekly viewership of 1.6 million via Shamshad TV. It adds to the BBC’ presence in Pakistan where it reaches a weekly audience of 13.1 million people on TV, radio and digital platforms, in Urdu, Pashto and English (2015).
BBC Afghan Editor, Meena Baktash, said: “We are proud that Mashriq TV will carry BBC Naray Da Wakht as part of its inaugural broadcast. A quarter of BBC Pashto’s global weekly audience of 6.7 million people is in Pakistan, and we hope that our programme’s daily broadcasts via Mashriq TV will make our content even more accessible to them. We are looking forward to this collaboration.”
Based in Peshawar, Mashriq TV aims at reaching Pashto-speaking audiences in north-western Pakistan and Islamabad. CEO, Mashriq TV, Syed Ayaz Badshah commented: “Launching a channel from Peshawar has been a great endeavour which we hope will help revive the entrepreneurial spirit in the region. We welcome this rebroadcasting collaboration with the BBC and are looking forward to the daily broadcasts of the BBC Pashto programme – they set a high standard for our editorial team to live up to.”
BBC Naray Da Wakht is also available on demand via the BBC Pashto channel on YouTube and the website bbcpashto.com. BBC Pashto is part of BBC World Service.
(Source: BBC press release)
8 August 2016
For the first time ever, BBC Burmese radio programmes will be rebroadcast by Myanmar’s state broadcaster, Myanmar Athan (Myanmar Radio) expanding the BBC Burmese service’s footprint in Myanmar further. Three programmes – the BBC Burmese youth show, Mobigeno, the technology and digital innovations programme, Cool Tech, and the programme introducing innovative farming methods, San Thit Tehtwin Lai Myay Ta Kwin, are now part of the Myanmar Athan programming aired on FM, medium- and shortwave.
Collaboration with Myanmar Athan further expands BBC Burmese availability in Myanmar. BBC Burmese is currently broadcast through major local broadcasters, on TV and radio. Its audio news bulletins are available on mobile phones in the country.
BBC Burmese Editor, Tin Htar Swe, commented: “Our collaboration with Myanmar Athan means that now, for the first time for BBC Burmese in Myanmar, our content will be available via a state broadcaster. In addition to medium- and shortwave availability, airing these programmes on FM will help us capture a new radio audience which will include a lot of young people who listen to FM on their mobile phones. This is great news for the BBC in Myanmar, further reinforcing our multiplatform presence in Myanmar.”
MRTV Director-General, U Myint Htwe, said: “In such a good time of openness, Myanmar Athan will be carrying BBC content for the first time, and I am really proud of it. By adding the BBC’s high-quality radio programmes to the schedule of Myanmar Athan, we are further diversifying our radio offer. I am looking forward to continuing MRTV’s cooperation with the BBC.”
The BBC Burmese 10-minute bi-weekly programmes will be re-broadcast by Myanmar Athan and repeated the following week at these times:
Mobigeno (Mobile Generation) – 15.15 Myanmar Time on Monday
Cool Tech – 14.20 on Tuesday
San Thit Tethwin Lai Myay Ta Kwin (Innovative Methods of Farming) – 11.45 on Thursday
The BBC Burmese radio programming is broadcast from London on shortwave and on Asiasat5 satellite television channel and streamed online via bbcburmese.com. In addition to availability on MNTV, BBC Burmese TV news bulletins are streamed live on the website bbcburmese.com at 20.45 local time (14.15 GMT) Monday to Friday. The BBC Burmese Facebook page has around 6.5 million fans while the BBC Burmese channel on Viber has around 200,000 followers (August 2016). BBC Burmese also connects with its audiences on Twitter.
BBC Burmese is part of BBC World Service. (Source: BBC press release)
4 August 2016
On the day of the Rio 2016 opening ceremony on Friday 5 August, BBC Brasil will start piloting its new daily Facebook Live, #BBCporaí, which will bring unique stories from the Olympic city. The programme will run live from 12.15 Brazil time (16.15 GMT) Monday to Friday throughout the Games on the BBC Brasil Facebook page as well as the website bbcbrasil.com. The inaugural edition of #BBCporaí will test the mood in Brazil as the country announces the start of the biggest global sports event.
#BBCporaí benefits from innovative software that allows real-time editing and multimedia inserts from BBC reporters as well as contributions from social-media audiences on platforms such as Skype and WhatsApp. #BBCporaí is presented from Rio de Janeiro by BBC Brasil’s Ricardo Senra, whose movements through the streets of the city will be filmed and broadcast live from 12.15, Monday to Friday. #BBCporaí seeks the widest possible audience engagement which will in fact define the running time of each edition.
“With #BBCporaí, we tried to create a format and a tone that we believe works best with our audiences connecting with us via social media,” says BBC Brasil Editor, Silvia Salek. “#BBCporaí is a pilot project based on the strategy that has helped BBC Brazil massively increase its reach. It’s all about making the most of our proximity to our audience via our social-media presence, understanding what they want and bringing high-quality content to as many people as possible.”
The impact of BBC Brasil has increased significantly over the last year. Its website bbcbrasil.com reached 20.1 million unique users in June 2016 (Source: ComScore). In addition to the website, the BBC Brasil content is available via its channels on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Instagram.
BBC Brasil is part of BBC World Service. (Source: BBC press release)
