3 July 2009
As reported on the ABU web site:
According to AFP, China’s official news agency said today it will begin broadcasting in Europe this week, in the country’s latest bid to project its “soft power” through an overseas media blitz.
The state-run Xinhua news agency’s English-language television service will launch in Europe starting on Wednesday, Xinhua’s deputy editor Wu Jincai said. “The service will be on screens in supermarkets, and in Chinese embassies in Europe too,” he said.
He gave no further details but state media this year launched a global expansion, apparently aimed at shaping the communist-ruled country’s image.
The chief of the Communist Party’s overseas propaganda bureau, Wang Chen, said in January that expanding the global reach of China’s media was an important way to engineer a better image for the country and its government.
“We must… increase our capacity to broadcast, to positively influence international public opinion and establish a good image of our nation,” Xinhua quoted Mr Wang saying at the time.
After setting up French and Spanish channels ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China Central Television (CCTV) has also announced plans for Russian and Arabic channels this year.
3 July 2009
As reported by Tornado Insider:
NXVision, a UK-based provider of place-shifting technology, has secured a follow-on investment. Investors in the 300,000 funding round included Braveheart, Scottish Enterprise, LINC Scotland and the companys management. The funds will help the company boost sales.
NXVision (previously known as Inxstor) has developed technology for the place-shifting market. Place shifting allows users to watch TV in any location on devices other than TV sets. They can access audio and video content from a mobile device by processing images and sound from home video equipment into digital signals and transmitting them to the new viewing location over the home internet connection.
NXVisions first is product is embedded into set top boxes incorporating media processors (STi7109 or equivalent) and runs alongside existing content protection and middleware. It has been evaluated by a number of operators and allowed them to access Freeview and satellite set-top boxes remotely from personal computers, laptops and mobile phones over Internet Protocol through 3G or WiFi networks. The companys technology currently works with Apple iPhone/ iPod Touch, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, Google Android, RIM and Windows Mobile handsets.
Late last year, the company introduced a side-loading product (push TV) which allows programs to be tagged for mobile recording through the electronic program guide. Once recorded the program is transferred either via WiFi or 3G to a selected mobile device for viewing.
3 July 2009
Satellite communications firm TerreStar has successfully launched what is believed to be the world’s largest communications satellite, which will provide mobile broadband coverage across North America.
Launched by Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana, yesterday, the satellite – called ‘TerreStar-1’ – is the foundation for TerreStar’s satellite communications network targeted at government users, emergency responders, enterprises and those in rural communities without conventional mobile network coverage. The all-IP-based mobile broadband network supports voice, data and video services. “We are creating a new paradigm in mobile broadband network services and devices that will leverage our integrated satellite and terrestrial communications components to enable true ubiquity and reliability – anywhere in the United States and Canada,” said Dennis Matheson, CTO of TerreStar.
TerreStar’s network will operate in two 10MHz blocks of contiguous MSS spectrum in the 2GHz band throughout the US and Canada, and claims to have a spectrum footprint that covers a population of nearly 330 million.
The firm has already launched a handset compatible with the network in collaboration with partner firm, EB (Elektrobit). Launched at the CTIA Wireless trade show in April, the ‘TerreStar smartphone’ claims to be the world’s first quad-band GSM and tri-band WCDMA/HSPA smartphone with integrated all-IP satellite-terrestrial voice and data capabilities. TerreStar has a nationwide roaming agreement in place with AT&T in the US.
3 July 2009
The international arm of NHK, Japans renowned public service broadcaster, has recently contracted for an increased range of services with WRN, the London based broadcasting and transmission company.
Starting from the summer season of 2009, WRN is providing new platforms for Radio Japans Arabic services to be heard in the Middle East via a 1000kW Medium Wave station on 1377kHz AM, and on FM for the Palestinian Territories, parts of Israel and Jordan. This adds to WRNs existing agreement to place NHKs Arabic programming on its own station Sawt Al-Alam (Arabic for Voice of the World) which is an aggregation of programming from leading world broadcasters and is available on the Arabsat, Hot Bird and Nilesat satellite services.
Mr Yuki Sakagami, Associate Director of NHKs International Planning & Broadcasting Department said, Within current media development in the world of international broadcasting, NHK World Radio Japan is now taking the initiative to broadcast its programmes on the most suitable media, including FM and Medium Wave, in each target area, and commencing these new transmission platforms in the Middle East is one such example.
NHKs Russian language programming is now heard on WRNs Russian channel Vsimirniya Radioset (which is Russian for World Radio Network) on both satellite and locally on 738 AM (Medium Wave) in Moscow. Karl Miosga, Chairman of WRN, said Radio Japan adds the new dimension of a Japanese perspective to the programming we offer in Russia and we are delighted they join us as a partner broadcaster with their extremely high quality content.
Meanwhile in South Asia, Radio Japan in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu is now available via one of the shortwave relay facilities offered by WRN. Jeff Cohen, who looks after shortwave transmission at WRN, says, Though use of shortwave has been declining in recent years in western nations it is still essential for reaching Asia and this is attested by the high demand for frequency spectrum in the region.
Atsushi Terauchi, Senior Manager at NHKs International Planning & Broadcasting Department, spoke of the general widening of NHKs use of relay facilities, It is essential that the 18 language services of Radio Japan from NHK World, reach the highest possible audience worldwide. So we constantly review transmission platforms and add new ways that audiences can tune to our programmes.
David Treadway, Managing Director of WRN, expressed his delight at the new business with NHK, We really appreciate the confidence of Japans public broadcaster in WRN shown by this significant increase in the global transmission services we provide.
30 June 2009
Entries are arriving at the AIB head office in the UK for the 2009 AIBs – the fifth annual international media excellence awards.
Many broadcasters and production companies have contacted us to ask for an extension to the entry deadline – so we’ve responded!
The closing date for the 2009 AIBs is now Friday 31 July 2009.
Full details of how to enter are in the entry booklet you can download using the link below, and if you have questions, call us on +44 20 7993 2557 or e-mail awards2009 [@] aib.org.uk.
23 June 2009
The Broadcasting Board of Governors increased television, radio and Internet transmissions of the Persian-language programs of the Voice of America (VOA)’s Persian News Network and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda to fight jamming and signal interference in Iran.
“Despite accusations about foreign media, our broadcasters are simply reporting the news, increasingly by drawing upon the eye-witness accounts of Iranians themselves,” said D. Jeffrey Hirschberg of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees both VOA and RFE/RL. “This Iranian interference with our television and radio signals is against international agreements and, most importantly, an injustice to the Iranian people.”
Jamming of satellite television broadcasts has increased in recent weeks beginning in May and twice in June including interference with BBG and other broadcasters’ satellite uplink and downlink signals. To combat this censorship, VOA’s Persian News Network (PNN) television programs are now beamed through five satellites with six different distribution channels.
Shortwave transmissions of Radio Farda were increased beginning June 21 as part of an effort to counteract jamming by the Iranian government. With the recent shortwave additions, the most popular morning and early-to-mid evening hours have at least five simultaneous transmissions and ten at peak times. The shortwave jamming of international broadcasters began on June 14.
As well reported, use of the Internet new media has been an information lifeline for many Iranians during the aftermath of the elections. Visits to VOA’s PNN website and RFE/RL’s Radio Farda website the weekend of June 20 were both over 400% more than at the start of the month.
Iranian government censorship of external news sites has increased. VOA’s PNN and RFE/RL’s Radio Farda have seen a 200% growth in use of proxy servers and web censorship circumvention software from the day before the Friday election to three days later. Over the weekend, the response to the VOA and RFE/RL Persian-language Web sites has been so great that our proxy service reached full capacity, resulting in some visitors not reaching the site. We are adding additional infrastructure to handle this increased traffic.
To better serve their audiences in Iran with breaking news of events as they unfold, VOA and RFE/RL implemented a number of program expansions in the last week including:
– VOA added a one-hour morning satellite TV news program and replaced two hours of its normal evening program line up with a two-hour Special Report on the latest developments inside Iran following the disputed Presidential election. – RFE/RL extended its evening and midnight news magazine shows from 30 to 90 minutes, and is interrupting non-news programming as necessary with breaking updates. – VOA established a new Twitter account in Persian, which attracted over 3,500 followers in less than a week. PNN’s main Web site, plus its YouTube, related blogs and Facebook pages all increased their postings of news, video and viewer comments. PNN has received, verified and broadcast hundreds of user-generated videos from inside Iran. – RFE/RL posted a special blog to follow the election and aftermath, which is updated with photos, videos and comments from inside Iran. Radio Farda is also providing instant updates and analysis on its website, and Twitter.
VOA Persian News Network: Reaching nearly 30% of adults each week, VOA broadcasts seven hours of original TV programming daily, including a new one-hour breakfast show added to cover the aftermath of the election, repeated for a full 24 hours on satellite and streamed online. VOA simulcasts four hours of TV programs on medium wave and shortwave radio and produces a one-hour daily radio program.
RFE/RL Radio Farda: Broadcasts 24 hours a day on shortwave, medium wave and satellite, and streams online. Seventeen hours is live news, including evening and midnight magazine shows, and seven hours (off-peak) is music.
More than 30% of Iranians tune in to BBG broadcasts at least once a week.
