9 November 2006
Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) has decided to distribute 100 shortwave radios to inhabitants in the interior of Surinam. Last May, these inhabitants were hit by floods, and since then deprived of communication with the capital, Paramaribo, and the rest of the world. In addition, Radio Netherlands Worldwide is making a powerful shortwave frequency available for the radio initiative of the Surinamese aid organisations.
During the flooding, a lot of villages in the interior of Surinam fell under water. Inhabitants can still receive no FM radio or television signals, so shortwave is their only means of getting information, explains RNW Director-General Jan Hoek. RNW will distribute at least one shortwave receiver per village.
RNW can be heard in Surinam via shortwave, Internet and local partner stations. In the near future, listeners in Surinam will be able to hear special programmes produced by various aid organisations, to better inform them over measures they can take to prevent a repeat of the flooding.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide often provides transmission facilities for radio initatives that promote pluriformity and press freedom. In this instance, we can improve the supply of information, says Jan Hoek.
9 November 2006
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly which took place in Beijing has adopted a declaration to implement an Emergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS) in ABU member countries.
The declaration called for the development of an EWBS to minimise the damage and impact of disasters in the region, and for ABU members to urge their national regulators to enact provisions to implement such a system.
The declaration, which also called for ABU members to encourage manufacturers to produce receivers with the EWBS feature, was based on a recommendation by the ABU Technical Committee which has studied the feasibility of implementing such a system.
The ABU Technical Committee recommended that the EWBS control signals to be used for analogue broadcasting in the ABU countries should be those developed by ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector, an agency of the United Nations).
In order to minimise the damage and impact of disasters, ABU members would support the development of EWBS systems for the Asia-Pacific region in close coordination with national or international organisations identified for issuing disaster forecasts. ABU members would also urge their national regulators to enact provisions to implement EWBS systems in the Asia-Pacific region and encourage manufacturers to produce receivers with the EWBS feature.
“Conveying timely warning to the public before the occurrence of disasters must be a high priority. ABU members will coordinate closely with international organisations to enable the flow of time-critical information through the most appropriate and effective channels,” said David Astley, ABU Secretary-General.
Even though it is nearly two years after the disasters of the Asian tsunami, we still have a situation where most countries in the region do not have a system whereby they can receive early warnings of potential tsunamis and other natural occurrences which may cause disasters.
“It is therefore timely that we take some action to try and rectify this situation and will actively help countries that do not have these alert systems set up yet, said Mr Astley.
31 October 2006
Al Jazeera Network has announced that it will launch Al Jazeera International, the new English-language news and current affairs channel on Wednesday 15th November 2006, with the inaugural broadcast starting from its Doha headquarters at 12 GMT.
As the world’s first international English-language news and current affairs channel headquartered in the Middle East, Al Jazeera International is uniquely positioned to reverse the information flow from South to North and to provide a voice to under-reported regions around the world. With broadcast centres strategically placed in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC, and supporting bureaux worldwide, Al Jazeera International is a new force in the global English speaking media with the ability to seek out and cover different perspectives of news through on-the-ground reporting wherever news is made.
On 15th November Al Jazeera International will provide a fresh approach to news and current affairs to a worldwide audience with a combination of 12 hours of live news plus interview programmes and in-depth features and analysis from the worlds hot spots over a 24 hour day. Click on the link at the bottom of this story for a behind-the-scenes look at Al Jazeera International.
Wadah Khanfar, Director General of the Al Jazeera Network said: “We are extremely proud of what Al Jazeera has achieved over the past ten years. Al Jazeera today is an international media organisation. Al Jazeera International will build on the pioneering spirit of Al Jazeera and will carry our media model, based in the South, to the entire world. The launching of the English channel offers the chance to reach out to a new audience that is used to hearing the name of ‘Al Jazeera’ without being able to watch it or to understand its language. The new channel will provide the same ground-breaking news and impartial and balanced journalism to the English speaking world.”
“It has been a fantastic endeavour to build this TV channel over the last two years with the support of the Al Jazeera Network. Everyone involved in the project deserves credit,” said Nigel Parsons, Managing Director, Al Jazeera International. “We will extend the Al Jazeera spirit into the English-speaking world.”
Al Jazeera International is part of the Al Jazeera Network (which includes Al Jazeera Sports and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel) and the sister channel to Al Jazeera. The announcement of the channel’s forthcoming launch on November 15th coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Al Jazeera Arabic language channel.
Al Jazeeras English language website, aljazeera.net/english, is being re-launched with the launch of the English language channel to reflect the channel’s look and feel and editorial content. It will showcase Al Jazeera International’s agenda setting editorial mission and will provide constantly updated coverage of news events from around the world, along with in-depth analysis and background. It will provide RSS feeds, live streams and downloadable clips from the channel, as well as interactive discussions and polling. Programme and presenter information as well as weather reports, live business data and sport will also be available via the website.
26 October 2006
For the first time in the history of the Asian Games, eight major sports will be produced in HDTV. In response, GlobeCast – the global content management and delivery company – has been chosen by Qatar Telecom (QTel) to provide satellite distribution, both SD and HD, beyond the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) for rightsholders of the 2006 Asian Games. This partnership means that GlobeCast will service international broadcasters with worldwide satellite delivery. In addition GlobeCast will also be providing non-rightsholder services such as live stand-up positions, studio, and tape playout from Doha.
The Fifteenth Asian Games will be held in Doha, Qatar from 1-15 December 2006 and are set to be the biggest Asian games to date. A record 45 nations will compete in 39 sports ranging from the conventional athletics, gymnastics and swimming, to the more traditional judo and taekwondo. Over the 15 days of the event, around 50 countries are expected to produce more than 3,000 hours of television for an anticipated cumulative audience of approximately 1.5 billion viewers.
26 October 2006
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has announced the appointment of Danforth W. Austin as the Director of the Voice of America (VOA). He will have the overall responsibility for the planning, organization, direction and policy application of all VOA broadcasting activities. Austin will replace David Jackson who will be returning to the private sector. The BBG also announced the appointment of Russell Hodge as Director of VOA Television.
In making the announcement, the BBG said it looks forward to the leadership and vision that Austin and Hodge will provide in developing a strategic plan to implement VOA’s increased use of 21st century technologies to reach its worldwide audience, including satellite television, the Internet as well as FM and AM radio.
Austin is a news media executive with a business and journalism background. He has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc., the community media subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co., with 3,000 employees in nine states, overseeing both operating and support functions, including news, advertising, circulation, Internet development, production, technology, finance and human resources.
Austin also served in a number of senior positions with the Wall Street Journal, including Vice President and General Manager, where he was responsible for U.S. advertising, circulation, marketing and production operations. His other positions included Deputy National News Editor, Editor, Wall Street Journal Reports and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Bureau Chief.
Jackson is one of the longest serving Directors in VOA history, having served since September, 2002, and made significant contributions to its reputation and its future. These include the merging of Worldnet Television with VOA, the exceptional increase in VOA’s broadcast audience in television and on the Internet, and VOA’s remarkable expansion of broadcasting to crisis regions of the world in response to the War on Terrorism. The members of the Board of Governors join all members of the Voice of America in extending their sincere appreciation for his contributions and their best wishes for the future.
Hodge will serve as the Director of all VOA television programming and advise the Director of VOA on the editorial, production, program development, talent and day-to-day operations of all television programming produced or broadcast by VOA. He will also provide guidance to VOA’s Associate Directors for Language Programming, Central Programming, and Operations with regard to the development and production of television programming.
Hodge is the Founder and President of 3 Roads Communications, Inc., a television programming, video production, and strategic communications firm. He is also the President of Three Roads Media Partners, LLC, an affiliated company that focuses on domestic and foreign acquisition and distribution. Hodge is an Emmy Award-winning producer with more than two decades of experience in news, public affairs and documentary production and programming. His credits include projects for HBO, PBS, NBC, CNBC, CBS, Fox and Comedy Central. He has produced dozens of hours of television programming for network, Cable and Public Television and numerous foreign broadcasters. He has received more than three dozen awards, including an Emmy, Cable ACE, Telly, Aurora, Addy, Communicator, Aegis, and several other broadcasting awards.
26 October 2006
Radio Romania International (RRI) has commenced its first ever broadcast using DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), the international standard for digital Medium Wave, Long Wave and Short Wave, with the assistance of WRN, the London-based digital radio and television transmission provider.
Since 16th October 2006, RRI, the international voice of Romania, has been broadcasting a daily, 30 minute, English language show to Europe from 1400 UTC during the Summer season on 7160 kHz and during the Winter season from 1500 UTC on 7340 kHz at 60kW (RMS DRM power). WRN has organised these DRM broadcasts for RRI using a transmitter site in Germany and is undertaking service monitoring and technical support.
Eugen Cojocariu, Head of Radio Romania International, says, “It is our great pleasure to announce that Radio Romania International is the first Romanian radio station to enter the DRM Club. We are very happy to be there because we are sure that the future is digital with DRM. I hope our European listeners will enjoy the daily half an hour English show coming from Bucharest.
Gary Edgerton, Managing Director of WRN, adds, WRN is delighted to assist Radio Romania International to remain ahead of the changes in digital radio broadcasting. DRM is a vital new digital platform for international radio and WRN is pleased to be providing RRI with a world-class service solution for its digital broadcasting requirements.
