29 January 2007
The ABU is pushing for more of its members to join the Asian Monitoring Network (AMN), to monitor collisions in frequency usage among shortwave broadcasters in a move which could save millions of dollars in wastage. Through its ABU-High Frequency Coordination (HFC) Committee, the ABU is hoping to establish the network to cut costs arising from wastage, said the ABU-HFC Steering Committee Chairman, IRIB Irans Yousef Ghadaksaz. Currently, DW-Germany, IRIB-Iran and TRT-Turkey have already installed the software. PBC-Pakistan, AIR-India and RTPRC-China have expressed interest in becoming a part of the network.
Mr Ghadaksaz said monitoring reports were important to alert frequency managers in various organisations of collisions and help them work out an interference-free solution. He said all broadcasters needed to set up a simple monitoring system are a radio receiver, a schedule recording software and Internet access. The SIOFT software can be downloaded free at www.Nschall.de.
We need to promote shortwave monitoring among our members. It is desirable to involve as many ABU-HFC organisations in the monitoring process as possible so that they put in place their own bilateral monitoring arrangements, he said during the ABU-HFC (High Frequency Coordination) Conference in Kuala Lumpur, which ended today.
The five-day coordination conference organised by the ABU was held to enable shortwave broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the world to coordinate frequency channels on a seasonal basis. This is done with a view to reducing interference in their services caused by clashing frequency usage. The ABU-HFC group includes some 40 shortwave broadcasters who broadcast some 5,000 shortwave services every day, totaling over 10,000 hours of transmissions.
25 January 2007
Viacom Germany is the new name for MTV Networks in Europe’s German-speaking territories. The name change reflects the increasingly diverse on-air brands operated by the company, which now includes VH1, Nick, Comedy Central and VIVA.
Contact details for the company remain the same – they can be found on page 56 of the current edition of the
AIB Directory of Global Broadcasting, available to purchase by clicking
here.
23 January 2007
Vizrt Ltd.,provider of real-time 2D and 3D broadcast graphics solutions, has begun supplying the BBC with a USD 0.5 million graphics system as the first part of a four-year nationwide framework agreement signed between the two parties in 2006.
The first live implementation is BBC World and News 24. From the beginning of this week both stations use Vizrt to produce on-screen graphics and captions.
BBC London is also piloting Vizrt software on behalf of regional stations and will be conducting a soft launch later this month. The roll-out continues during 2007. The framework agreement is designed to facilitate purchasing from a tested and approved supplier and although created primarily for News departments throughout the country, any department or region can take advantage of it.
Vizrt’s software suite provides a complete graphics solution including caption generation, content management and newsroom integration, template graphics, 3D tickers, virtual studio sets, weather forecasts, virtual sports graphics, SMS interactivity and large-scale displays. All Vizrt’s graphics products are powered by a single core renderer, the Viz|Engine, and include highly-customised user interfaces for the designer, operator, journalist and engineer.
As part of the framework agreement, Vizrt UK is also assisting with training and support to help BBC staff adapt to the new software.
23 January 2007
Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, will provide its premier traffic application, OSi-Traffic, to CN8, The Comcast Network. CN8, the nations largest and most diverse multiregional cable network reaching more than nine million cable homes in 20 television markets, chose OSi-Traffic for its real-time network and zone capabilities.
Harris® OSi-Traffic gives us real-time, cutting-edge tools and responses with minimal wait time, said Ellen Aulson, director of Special Operations at CN8. This, combined with the softwares ability to handle our zone and network requirements, was the primary reason we chose OSi.
CN8s ability to manage its mission-critical operations will be enhanced by OSi-Traffics real-time traffic, accounting and yield management tools. The multizone, multinetwork functionalities of OSi-Traffic application facilitate CN8s delivery of customized programming to its different zones. The scheduling component of OSi-Traffic ensures that broadcast schedules need only to be entered one time and will immediately filter to all zones. The system provides each zone with the ability to override the network log at anytime to accommodate local spot insertion. This will enable CN8 to further streamline its operations, eliminate redundant data-entry of information and increase revenue by maximizing station inventory.
CN8 joins a growing number of cable providers that have selected Harris® OSi Sales, Traffic and Research Solutions for the systems agility in catering to a wide variety of media operations. Designed for multi-environment solutions, OSi-Traffic ensures that clients have a cost-effective business environment that provides efficiencies of scale and growth.
With OSi-Traffic, clients receive an innovative solution that gives them a high level of functionality customized to their individual needs, said Tim Thorsteinson, president of the Harris Broadcast Communications Division.
22 January 2007
Grahame Lucas (51) has been appointed Head of DW-RADIO’s South Asia programmes. He is responsible for the German international broadcaster’s radio programmes in Hindi, Urdu and Bengali, as well as regional English-language programming for Asia. “This region is a definite focus for Deutsche Welle. By putting responsibility into one pair of hands we are strengthening our commitment in this target area, which is developing very rapidly, said DW director general Erik Bettermann.
Lucas took up his new post at the beginning of 2007. t, ist seit 1983 beim deutschen Auslandsrundfunk. Leaving his London roots behind, Lucas joined the German public broadcaster in 1983 and is now a German citizen.
He has worked in the central newsroom, in the English for North America service, did a tour of duty as political correspondent in Bonn, and headed news and current affairs in the English programme of DW-RADIO. Since 2001 he has been deputy director programmes.
22 January 2007
SES ASTRA, an SES company, has announced that it has signed a new long-term contract with the French Pay-TV operator CANAL+ Group for the satellite transmission of its programme bouquet for the French market from ASTRA`s prime orbital position 19.2° East. Based on this new contract, SES ASTRA will transmit the full programming line up of CANAL+ Group from a single orbital position. CANAL+ Group has recently merged its pay-TV operations in France with that of TPS.
In the agreement, CANAL+ Group takes several ASTRA transponders in addition to those currently contracted from SES ASTRA. The agreement therefore provides the satellite capacity which is necessary to consolidate the complete newly merged CANALSAT bouquet on a single orbital position. It will allow CANAL+ Group to broadcast and develop its complete High Definition (HD) satellite bouquet and will also provide further room for growth for Standard Definition (SD) services. Furthermore, the agreement provides and foresees a framework for the long-term growth requirements of CANAL+ Group.
With this contract, we significantly enhance our position in the French market and further strengthen our relationship with CANAL+ as one of our most important European customers, says Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA. SES ASTRA and CANAL+ have developed a strong partnership over the past ten years, and we look forward to continuing to provide satellite services of the highest quality and reliability to the merged bouquet. Broadcasting the new offer from one orbital position is undoubtedly the best solution for CANAL+ and its subscribers and viewers. SES ASTRA once again demonstrates its strengths and shows that it is the satellite provider of choice for important blue chip customers.
