2 June 2016
RFE/RL welcomed the publication this week of an online, fully searchable database of audio programs produced over decades by its Russian Service, known as Radio Svoboda.
RFE/RL Editor in Chief Nenad Pejic called the initiative a “shining example of cooperation and commitment” among RFE/RL and its partners, the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives (OSA) and the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Citing the extensive efforts of OSA to organize, preserve and afford public access to these historical materials, Pejic said, “Today, when Russians are again relying on RFE/RL and Radio Svoboda for credible news, these archived programs take on a new meaning.”
The archive includes more than 26,000 audio clips broadcast into the Soviet Union and Russian Federation by Radio Svoboda from 1953, the year the service was established in Munich, West Germany, to 1995, when RFE/RL moved from Munich to Prague, Czech Republic.
Highlights of the collection include news and political programs about the U.S.S.R. and the world as reported by distinguished émigré journalists, writers and historians, on-air readings of banned literary works and poetry recitals; and unique radio plays authored by such luminaries of Russian letters as Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Viktor Nekrasov, Joseph Brodsky, Vladimir Voinovich, Alexander Ginzburg, andEugenia Ginzburg.
The archive also includes Radio Svoboda’s collection of samizdat, or clandestinely published materials that provided news about trials, imprisonments, and forbidden expressions of life behind the Iron Curtain; and talk shows that connected Soviet audiences with Russian exile culture.
Cooperation on the project started in 2014 with the intent, expressed by OSA, that providing free and unlimited on-line access to this collection of more than 10,000 hours of broadcasts would facilitate free and critical thinking, and encourage expanded research into Soviet era culture and politics. The Hoover Institution Archives provided support to Radio Svoboda journalists who digitized and described the contents of the Russian audio archive. The Hoover Archives then authorized OSA to complete the creation of metadata for the digitized audio and prepare the archive for publication online.
Public access to RFE/RL’s broadcast and corporate archives at the Hoover Institution has expanded significantly in recent years, with updated finding aids for both the broadcast and corporate archives now available in the Online Archive of California. Several parts of RFE/RL’s vast research archives, which are deposited at OSA, are now available for online research, including collections of RFE Information Items, RFE/RL Situation Reports, RFE/RL Background Reports, RFE/RL Polish Underground Press, and Soviet and Russian Television Monitoring. OSA has also made available online parts of the pre-1971 corporate records of the Free Europe Committee (FEC), the legal predecessor of RFE/RL), including digital copies of encrypted Telex messages between FEC’s office in New York and RFE headquarters in Munich from 1960 to 1964. (Source: RFE/RL press release)
1 June 2016
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, announced today that KDDI Corporation (KDDI), a Japan-based global telecommunications company, is utilizing Intelsat’s next-generation high throughput satellite platform, Intelsat EpicNG SM, to provide cost-effective, regionalized, video contribution and backhaul services at the upcoming Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Using Intelsat 29e at 310˚ East, the broadcasters will make history as breaking news is carried from Rio via Intelsat EpicNG. Intelsat will support KDDI’s contribution services for a Tier 1 global media customer via a regionalized C-band beam from Intelsat 29e, enabling more cost efficient transmission of High Definition (HD) video signals from sports venues at the Games to the International Broadcast Center in Rio de Janeiro.
“The ability of Intelsat EpicNG to deliver more megabits per megahertz enables us to provide more efficient, high-quality, video contribution services for our leading media customers,” said Mr. Ikuo Mochizuki, General Manager, Media Sales Department, KDDI. “By providing lower-cost, HD video transmission solutions, we are able to differentiate our services offerings to our subscribers. We are leveraging the efficiencies generated by the Intelsat EpicNG platform to grow our business.”
“Our globalized network has supported every Games since 1968 and we continue to innovate and work closely with our media customers to ensure that we deliver the most immersive, compelling experience to viewers regardless of location,” said Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice President, Asia-Pacific, Intelsat. “Intelsat EpicNG is poised to be a game changer this summer, bringing high power and better economics that will enable our customers to extend their reach in a much more efficient manner. We look forward to working closely with KDDI to bring the spirit of the Games into millions of homes across the Asia Pacific.”
Supporting Resources:
(Source: Intelsat press release)
1 June 2016
Algerian channel DTV and Arab Satellite Communication Organization (ARABSAT) signed a contract today to broadcast DTV channel over the Maghreb and North-West Africa on Arabsat satellite Badr-5, which will enable viewers in the Maghreb and North West African to watch DTV around the clock.
DTV is a general entertainment channel that includes many prominent West Algerian editors, and programming features entertainment, music, soap operas, and Arab and Western films for all age groups.
Nabil Shanti, VP&CCO of Arabsat, said, “DTV broadcast on Arabsat satellite Badr-5 represents another step on the way to enrich what Arabsat has to offer to its viewers in Algeria, Morocco and the Arab world, as DTV enjoys an increasingly wide viewership.”
DTV can be watched on the following frequencies:
ARABSAT BADR-5 at 26⁰ E
Frequency: 12,303 MHz (Horizontal)
QPSK, Symbol Rate: 27.5MSymb/s, FEC: ¾
(Source: Arabsat press release)
27 May 2016
Intelsat (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, announced today that the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) of Myanmar will utilize services on two Intelsat satellites to advance the deployment of the country’s wireless communications infrastructure, and expand broadband access for businesses.
The multi-year, multi-transponder agreement awarded under the authority of the MOTC will allow the Government of Myanmar to significantly enhance the Myanmar government’s network as well as other mobile operators’ networks, hastening the expansion of high speed broadband and internet connectivity to business and communities throughout Myanmar.
“Over the past few years, Myanmar has made significant strides in expanding access to faster and more reliable broadband connectivity throughout the country,” said Khin Maung Thet, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Communications. ”With the help of Intelsat’s Globalized Network, we will leverage their satellite solutions to extend 2G and 3G communications services beyond urban centers and ensure that all of our citizens have access to higher bandwidth, superior quality and more affordable mobile broadband connectivity. Today’s announcement further underscores our commitment to building a more digitally inclusive society.”
MOTC will use C-band satellite services on Intelsat 902 located at 62° East, and Ku-band services on Intelsat 906 located at 64° East for VSAT network and cellular backhaul services. By 2018, MOTC will move to the new, high power services on the recently announced Intelsat 39 satellite, the replacement spacecraft at the 62E orbital location. By integrating satellite solutions into its own mobile networks, MOTC will be able to dramatically increase overall network bandwidth and reliability as it expands 2G and 3G services into the more remote areas of Myanmar.
“Access to affordable broadband connectivity is essential to the exchange of data and ideas that support economic growth of individuals, communities and countries, and it is rewarding to be part of such an important project in Myanmar,” said Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “Our services will help enrich the lives of the communities it serves by improving medical and educational access, providing a lifeline during times of crisis and enabling Myanmar to foster strong relationships within and outside of the country.” (Source: Intelsat press release)
27 May 2016
NHK WORLD TV, a 24-hr English language channel, has inked a deal to offer its channel on Tata Sky Limited, one of the largest pay DTH operators in India.
The successful launch on Friday, May 6th, 2016 sees four million Tata Sky subscribers accessing NHK WORLD TV which broadcasts around the clock, fulfilling the need for immediate and timely news updates and entertainment.
“With the longstanding close cultural and economic ties shared between Japan and India, NHK WORLD TV’s programs will further strengthen those bonds by offering subscribers a source of information from a Japanese- and Asian-centric perspective. We are confident Indian viewers will find the channel useful as a first choice option for news from around Asia, and our lifestyle programs a source of quality entertainment,” said Yoshihiko Shimizu, President and CEO, Japan International Broadcasting.
Operating from Japan, NHK WORLD TV is a 24-hour English language television service for international viewers; providing the latest Asia-centered informative and entertainment programs. NHK WORLD TV is available to 290 million households in 150 countries and regions. It is accessible via free mobile app, online live-streaming and video-on-demand on its website.
(Source: NHK WORLD TV press release)
Read more about Tata Sky in this article from our international media magazine, The Channel: Installed in Four Hours
