New marketing guru at BBC Global News

The BBC has announced the appointment of marketing industry
heavyweight, Sanjay Nazerali as Controller of Marketing,
Communications and Audiences
for the BBC’s Global News Division.

Sanjay, who joins the BBC in September, will be responsible for leading the MC&A
teams at BBC World Service, BBC World television, BBC Monitoring and the BBC’s
international facing online news services. He will be responsible for building a
single brand platform across the Global News Division and developing the
marketing communications strategy to ensure that each part of the division has
maximum impact in a converging media environment.

Sanjay will report to Richard Sambrook, the Director of BBC Global News who
says, “We created this pan-divisional post to enable us to communicate a unified
and compelling Global News message around the world, and we’re delighted that
Sanjay is joining the Global News Board of Directors to lead this new
department. He has a wealth of international experience in developing brand
strategies within the broadcast, entertainment and retail industries, and I
believe that with Sanjay on board we are now ideally positioned to take our
international news brands to the next level.”

A graduate in philosophy from Oxford University and MBA graduate from INSEAD,
Sanjay is a former Senior Vice President, Marketing, at MTV Europe. During his
time at MTV he supported its distribution growth from 18m to 80m households and
grew creative sales from £750k to £5m. He was also the Launch Director for
Viacom channels including VH-1 UK, VH-1 Germany and MTV India.

Most recently Sanjay has been the Managing Director of The Depot, a marketing
consultancy he co-founded in 1998, where he worked with media clients such as
Channel 4, ITV, Discovery, the Sci-fi Channel, FX Channel, as well as BBC World
Service and BBC World television.

Commenting on his BBC appointment Sanjay says, “In an age where newspapers are
becoming ‘viewspapers’ and the numbers of blogs are increasing exponentially,
audiences around the world are crying out for credible news, but delivered in an
engaging way. The time is absolutely right for the world’s best known news
organisation to connect with these audiences as a compelling and dynamic brand
in an increasingly competitive and complex news arena. I’m genuinely honoured to
be part of this organisation, as I believe it can really make a difference to
how the world receives and interacts with news in the future”.

Wohler Technologies announces expansions in sales, service and products

Wohler Technologies, Inc., the leading manufacturer of in-rack audio and video monitoring equipment for the IAB member broadcasters, is pleased to announce the opening of our new sales and service division, Wohler Europe with offices located in Bedford, England. This facility will serve the IAB community as an extension of the company’s headquarters in Hayward, CA, expanding Wohler’s high quality sales and customer service throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

“Over the last several months, we have carefully mapped out the service and support required by the expanding clientele base found in this region,” said Carl J. Dempsey, CEO and president of Wohler Technologies. “The strategic location of Wohler Europe will allow us to better serve this expanding market. As the demand for our products continues to increase at an average of 20 percent, we are serious about exceeding the needs and application requirements of our customers in this area.”

Thom Belford, the company’s Director of Marketing, agrees, “There are many opportunities for business development in this market. The opening of our new Europe based office only further solidifies our commitment to expanding our presence in this region and providing superior levels of service and support to our existing customer base.”

Staffed with sales, customer service, and technical support, in addition to on-hand inventory, Wohler Europe will provide direct support to its customers in this region and provide a strong link to the established resources of its home office located in San Francisco’s Bay Area. Wohler Europe will also serve as the voice of the customer throughout all divisions of the corporation including engineering research and development. Providing a closer point of contact, IAB members in this area will benefit from reduced lead times, shorter turn-around for repairs, and technical support in their local time zone.

Through the end of 2007, Wohler, and their Panoramadtv division will be introducing several new models specifically geared to the needs of the IAB membership broadcasters. Several very exciting new product lines are planned for introduction at IBC-2007 in early September. Touch-It Digital is an innovative new product that combines the functions of 16 channel HD/SD-SDI multi-viewer, router, and control system into a single compact package. “All the features offered with the Touch-It Digital, plus the affordable purchase price make this model a logical alternative to many multi-view products available in the market today”, according to Mr. Belford.
The company is also excited about the introduction of their new HD/SD Closed Captioning systems plus a wide range of specialized modules to meet the expanding needs of today’s digital video plant. Other new models include MetaData monitoring and Audio Level Alarm systems. A new line of larger screen video monitors-the HDMon, which is now available in wide screen formats from 9-inch to 37-inch. The company will also give IBC attendees a sneak peak of their new modular audio monitors, plus mini block and high-density frame installed conversion products.

Wohler Europe is located at Bedford Heights, Bedford, MK41 7PH, in the United Kingdom.

S4M opens Asia-Office in Kuala Lumpur

S4M – Solutions for Media took the next step to broaden its presence on the Asian Market and opened a new S4M branch in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. That way S4M’s know-how also is available locally for Asian customers and prospects as well. So far air-time for 9 different Asian countries is managed by S4M solutions and the German broadcast experts presented their software twice at Broadcast Asia. The new S4M Asia office can be reached as follows:

S4M – Solutions for Media GmbH

arvato systems Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Level 25, Menara IMC, No. 8, Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Tel: +60 (0)3 / 2330 1988

Fax: +60 (0)3 / 2330 1989

Kuala Lumpur accommodates nearly 1.5 million residents and is situated about 35 kilometres from the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula. It is an ideal starting basis to cover promising markets of the broadcast industry. The Malaysian S4M office is managed by S4M’s Asia specialist Michael Henkel (michael.henkel@s4m.de). arvato systems, S4M’s parent company, already has got offices in Kuala Lumpur since more than two years.

Visit S4M at IBC 2007, Amsterdam, September 07-11, Hall 3, Stand 328!

S4M – Solutions for Media GmbH
The Cologne based company S4M – Solutions for Media, a subsidiary of arvato systems and RTL Television, develops and distributes software solutions specialized on the broadcast- and newmedia industry. Today, S4M systems are used in 30 countries around the world. Whether commercial air time sales or video content management; whether program planning, rights licensing, ratings evaluation or production planning: S4M has got the solution. Furthermore, the S4M portfolio includes professional consulting services to pass along combined knowledge of media and IT to customers.

Statement from Broadcasting Board of Governors Chairman James K. Glassman and Voice of America Director Danforth W. Austin

We deeply regret and condemn the senseless murder of Ali Iman Sharmarke, a longtime friend of the Voice of America, and a courageous journalist committed to establishing a free press in his native Somalia.

On Saturday, August 11, 2007, Mr. Sharmarke, co-owner and founder of HornAfrik Media Company, and Mahad Ahmed Elmi, director of HornAfrik’s Capitol Voice FM station, were murdered in two separate incidents in yet another example of attempts to silence the independent media in Somalia. Their deaths bring to a total of six the number of media workers murdered in the country this year.

Mr. Sharmarke was educated in the United States and Canada and held dual Somali-Canadian citizenship. He sacrificed a comfortable life in Canada to return to his homeland in 1999, where he established the country’s first independent radio station, HornAfrik, in Mogadishu. The station’s broadcasts often focused on the plight of civilians caught in the conflict between Somali government forces and Islamist insurgents.

HornAfrik has been a VOA affiliate for several years, broadcasting both English to Africa and, more recently, Somali-language programs.

The loss is profound, not just for his countrymen and family, but for the international community. He understood the risk to his life and faced great personal hardship in the name of contributing to the greater good of society through peaceful means. Sharmarke was a courageous and uncompromising force for good in the world.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Voice of America appeal to the government of Somalia to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice and to take substantive measures to protect its journalists and support free media.

AIB Awards 2007 – entries invited



The AIB is delighted to
announce that its 2007 Media Excellence Awards are
now open for entries – and the
closing date
has been extended to 10 August 2007!

This is the third year that the Association
for International Broadcasting has celebrated excellence in the field of
international broadcasting and new media. In 2006, we received almost 100
entries from broadcasters and other organisations in the international
broadcasting sector, all of the very highest quality. This year, we expect the
number of entries to be higher still and to come from more countries (in 2006,
more than 20 countries were represented in the Awards entries).

We have extended the number of categories
to reflect changes happening in international media. We’ve recruited a truly
international panel of judges who will provide peer review of the work of
colleagues. We have maintained the AIB’s reputation for independence and
non-commercialism. And now it’s up to you.

You can download the entry form
here,
and we’ve also made paying the entry fee simple using our online payment system
– click

here
. And remember, Members of the AIB receive complimentary access to the
Awards as part of their membership benefits.

The presentation of the AIB Media
Excellence Awards 2007
will take place in central London on
Tuesday 20 November – we’ll be
holding a Diner Pensant and Awards at a superb venue that will help us
celebrate excellence in international broadcasting and new media on a grand
scale.

For more information about
the 2007 AIB Media Excellence Awards, call the AIB in London on +44 (0) 20 7993
2557 or e-mail us: awards2007(at)aib.org.uk.


Remember – closing date now 10 August.

InterMedia strengthens its global team

InterMedia, a Washington, D.C.-based research, evaluation and consulting organization, has expanded its talented team of professionals, enhancing its position as a leading one-stop source for media and communications analysis and data from the developing world.

“These new appointments will help InterMedia meet a growing demand for its services, particularly in the areas of media and strategic communications research, evaluation and consulting for public and private organizations,” says Dr. Mark Rhodes, InterMedia’s president. “Our clients rely on InterMedia for insightful analysis and advice, and we are continually working to enhance this capacity in terms of the range and level of services we can offer.”

The newest members of the InterMedia team join a roster of more than 30 global research and evaluation professionals. They include eight talented individuals, all of whom have earned advanced degrees from some of the world’s most prestigious programs, at universities including the London School of Economics, Cornell, University of Michigan and the University of Sussex.

Nadra Garas is InterMedia’s Quantitative Research Director and head of the in-house Research and Analysis Unit. She has an extensive background in survey methodology and design, including for development organizations. Prior to joining InterMedia, Nadra spent five years at Development Associates managing complex research and evaluation projects for USAID, the IRS and the U.S. Census Bureau. Before that, she spent five years at the Survey Research Center of the University of Maryland. She has an MPA from the American University in Cairo, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at American University’s School of Public Affairs.

Heading up InterMedia’s newly established Global Unit, Denise O’Reilly also serves as the company’s Qualitative Research Director. Denise has more than 14 years’ industry research and consulting experience and served as project director on InterMedia’s multi-country strategic research project for the BBC. Previously, she held senior positions with market research firms Millward Brown and Diageo Ireland, managing complex strategic planning for telecoms and media, helping to increase brand awareness. Her educational background includes a degree in marketing as well as advanced diplomas in international trade and marketing, and law.
Greta Uehling brings to InterMedia’s Eurasia team 10 years’ experience managing and conducting research and evaluation on the former Soviet states. Most recently she was with the Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit of the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, where she managed complex international research projects. Greta’s research consultancy portfolio covers topics including the first Ukrainian census, refugees from Chechnya in Russia and asylum seekers in Europe. As a consultant, she has served government (the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan), development agencies (USAID), and research institutes such as the European Centre for Minority Issues. She received her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Joining the Eurasian and Southeastern Europe teams are Lyuda Andriyevska and Sonja Gloeckle. Prior to conducting place-branding research and online studies for several international companies, Lyuda, who holds a MPA in policy analysis from Indiana University, worked on international development projects with USAID and USIA. Sonja joined InterMedia following her work in the areas of social responsibility and homeland security in several developing and transitional countries. She holds a Master’s in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics; her focus was the interconnection of media, politics and public diplomacy.

Lynn Lee joins the Asia team after earning her Ph.D. in Development Studies from Sussex University in England. She oversaw poverty reduction and re-building social institutions programs in Cambodia, and worked on evaluating socio-economic programs throughout Central Asia. Her research areas also include sustainable livelihood strategies, project/program planning and needs assessment. Raul Roman joins the Asia team after more than a decade of experience as a research and strategy consultant in communication and international development programs in South Asia, Latin America and Africa, for a range of organizations that include UNESCO, USAID, Rockefeller Foundation, the government of Taiwan, Microsoft and Intel. His work has focused on the design of communication strategies and innovative uses of communication technologies for development goals across a wide range of practice areas. Raul earned both a Master’s and Ph.D. in Communication and International Development from Cornell University.
Dunia Andary joins InterMedia’s Middle East and North Africa team having worked as a consultant and co-coordinator for the Program for the Reconstruction and Redevelopment of South Lebanon. She is a doctoral candidate in American Politics and International Relations at Texas A&M University, where her dissertation focuses on the effects of media and elite discourse on foreign policy public opinion in the United States.

“Our staff is our most important asset,” says Ambassador Richard Carlson, chair of InterMedia’s board of directors, “and these appointments reflect an ongoing commitment to having in place people with the highest technical skills—the foundation of InterMedia’s research-based offering to clients. Each of these professionals brings exceptional qualifications to our team, and will be in a position to advise current and potential clients for years to come.”

InterMedia is a leading international media research, public opinion, evaluation and consulting organization creatively equipping clients to understand their audiences, gauge their effectiveness and target their communications in transitional and developing societies worldwide. Based in Washington, D.C., and active year-round in more than 60 countries, InterMedia helps clients understand complex issues in challenging research environments. The company’s strengths include its people—area experts skilled in scientifically-based research and focused on client solutions—its vast global network of local research partners and contacts and its rich data archive of more than 600 media and opinion surveys carried out over the past 15 years.