8 May 2006
Harris Corporation announced that its comprehensive Leitch high-definition (HD) conversion portfolio continues to gain momentum in customer acceptance, as demonstrated by the recent surge in worldwide sales during the company’s third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2006, which saw Leitch product sales increase significantly over the previous quarter.
“High definition is taking hold strong and fast, and broadcasters are increasingly looking for advanced, cost-effective, integrated solutions that will see them through the transition,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president elect of Harris Broadcast Communications Division. “This stream of recent successes in HD conversion follows a heavy period of new product introductions that provide customers more advanced HD conversion feature sets, higher-quality processing and more cost-effective solutions.”
The growth is attributed to broad acceptance from leading broadcast customers such as CBC/Radio-Canada; EchoStar, Hearst-Argyle Television and Mobile TV Group in the United States; and Gearhouse in the United Kingdom.
“Our station group needs are really diverse, so we need a full offering of HD conversion solutions – not just a few products,” said Martin Faubell, vice president of engineering, Hearst-Argyle Television. “The Leitch HD conversion products provide us with the feature sets, quality and price points that meet the stations’ needs.”
Harris offers a wide range of HD processing applications within its industry-leading Leitch modular platforms, NEO(tm) and 6800+(tm), as well as the award-winning X75(tm)HD standalone processor. With this HD conversion portfolio, Harris provides customers with the broadest set of applications, feature sets, processing choice and price points in the industry.
8 May 2006
The first Arab Broadcast Forum, the most important gathering to date in the Arab world of regional and international broadcast news journalists and executives, will take place on June 4 and 5 at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi. The inaugural event, hosted by Al Arabiya News Channel and Abu Dhabi TV, will be announced today at a press conference and will provide a global forum for hundreds of news professionals to discuss the most powerful issues in the Arab media.
The Arab Broadcast Forum will provide a dynamic interactive forum where broadcast news professionals, journalists and political leaders can exchange views, ideas and experiences. We will engage in in-depth and thought-provoking debate from the beginning and we invite all media in the region to participate in this industry first, says Jim Gold, Managing Director of the Arab Broadcast Forum.
Leading executives from top Arab and global broadcasters have defined a content-rich agenda that will shape the perceptions and behaviour of the Arab media in the 21st century. The interactive forum will address: – Embedded in Danger: The continuing dangers of covering Iraq; – New Technology and Citizen Journalism: How does it affect Arab news broadcasters; – Technological Minaret: How media savvy Islamicists reach new audiences by using all aspects of the media; – Women & Arab Media: A look at how women are faring in the Arab broadcast news media; – Lost in Translation: How global broadcasters are now focusing on reaching the Arab viewer and a look at the new players; – Thinking Global/Reporting Local: Do Arab broadcasters focus too heavily on pan-Arab and international issues to avoid covering local stories?; – Arab Perceptions of the West: Results of a major new comprehensive study are released.
Jihad Ballout, Director of Communications at Al Arabiya adds: The forum is a vital opportunity to promote the rise of investigative journalism and technological advancement of the Arab media, while addressing the challenges of transparency and risks in reporting the truth. Debate will challenge perceptions and ultimately drive change towards more professional, balanced reporting.
We believe the Arab Broadcast Forum is needed in this region, says Nart Bouran, head of news at Abu Dhabi TV. The revolution in news broadcasting on the Arab airwaves has been remarkable in the past 15 years and its now time for the industry and its leaders to look back, take a hard look at where weve come and how we can all improve over the next 15 years.
8 May 2006
Al Jazeera International, the 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel, headquartered in Doha, announced that Divya Gopalan and Hamish MacDonald have joined the channels team of on-screen talent.
Divya and Hamish will be the channels weekend news anchors for Al Jazeera Internationals Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre, one of four regional broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC. They join the award winning weekday news anchors Veronica Pedrosa and Teymoor Nabili, formerly of CNN International and CNBC Asia respectively.
Divya brings the channel over 10 years experience in international journalism including roles with BBC News, CNN and American networks NBC and CNBC. Hamish meanwhile joins Al Jazeera International from the UKs Channel 4 News where he built a career as a news producer and reporter covering a range of international stories.
Nigel Parsons, Managing Director of Al Jazeera International said, I am pleased to confirm our weekend presenters who bring a dynamic approach to news reporting in keeping with the channels aim of bringing a fresh perspective on world news while maintaining the highest journalistic standards.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to be part of Al Jazeera International. I’m looking forward to the challenge of helping shape what I believe will be this century’s defining news station,” said Divya Gopalan.
“I am hugely excited to be joining Al Jazeera International. This truly is a dream job and I am honoured to be part of an on-air team which includes the likes of Sir David Frost, Veronica Pedrosa and Riz Khan,” said Hamish MacDonald.
“Working on the Asia pacific patch for Al Jazeera International is an enormous opportunity for me and I am looking forward to the challenge of producing distinctive journalism which is meaningful to people living both inside and outside of this region, he continued.
At the BBC Divya worked on daily news and current affairs programmes such as Hard Talk. Her portfolio included major news stories such as the Iraq war, the Asian Tsunami, the Bali and London bombings. She also covered the 1997 Hong Kong handover for NBC and at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival interviewed Palm Dor winner for best actress Maggie Cheung and best director nominee Wong Kar Wai. Divya was the first ethnic Indian newsreader on Hong Kong television.
Starting her on-air career as a sports reporter, Divya interviewed some of the biggest names in the sporting world like tennis stars Steffi Graf, the Williams sisters, Anna Kournikova, F1 star Jensen Button, and International soccer players including Gianfranco Zola and Andy Cole.
Divya has a truly global background, she is of Indian origin and was born in Hong Kong. She was also brought up in the Philippines, educated in North America and spent five years living and working in London and is fluent in four languages.
Hamish has covered major stories at Channel 4 including the Asian Tsunami and the London bombings. He reported live for Channel 4 and ITV news and reported as an eyewitness for Australian Networks 9, 7 and ABC.
He began his TV career with WIN television in Canberra as a politics reporter and presenter. From there he moved to the UK and freelanced for a short period, before joining the Channel 4 news team as a producer.
Hamish trained in journalism at Charles University in Australia and began his career as a Talk Radio presenter and newsreader on Radio 2BS Gold. He is the first Australian news anchor to join the Al Jazeera International news line-up of on-screen talent.
8 May 2006
Independent media in the countries of the former Soviet Union, already operating under extreme duress, came under further assault over the course of the last year. The political, legal, and economic environments in most of the non-Baltic former Soviet countries remain distinctly inhospitable to independent journalism.
This reality is reflected in ‘Freedom Of The Press 2006,’ the latest edition of Freedom House’s annual global survey of media independence. Ten of the 12 Soviet countries are ranked ‘Not Free’ in the new edition of the survey. Of the 10 Not Free countries, five saw a further erosion in their performance over the course of last year.
Of the 12 non-Baltic former Soviet states only Georgia and Ukraine, which are categorised as ‘Partly Free,’ escape the Not Free designation. No country in the region achieves the designation of ‘Free.’ The degree to which each country permits the free flow of information determines the classification of its media as ‘Free,’ ‘Partly Free,’ or ‘Not Free.’
The downward trend was particularly evident in countries with regimes that place a premium on controlling the airwaves. Among the Not Free states, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan experienced declines. Uzbekistan and Russia suffered the most dramatic backslide.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
8 May 2006
The ABU has announced the appointment of a senior Japanese broadcaster as the new Director of its Programme Department. He is Tatsuya Nakamura, currently working as an Executive Producer with NHK International Inc.
Mr Nakamura, 53, will be joining the ABU Secretariat, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, in early June.
He will be responsible for the overall management and supervision of the Programme Department, preparing its annual activity plan and budget, and advising the Secretary-General on programme matters, among other things.
Mr Nakamuras career with NHK-Japan spans over 30 years – and among his earliest positions with the public broadcaster was as Programme Director for an overseas shortwave radio service for Radio Japan.
He rose through the ranks, working in various NHK departments as well as affiliate companies before being promoted to his current position in June 2003.
On working with the ABU, Mr Nakamura said: I have been working for the broadcasting industry for almost 30 years and was able to gain a lot of expertise in this field. I firmly believe that broadcasters have a great responsibility in creating cultures based on the latest technologies.
I am confident I will be able to contribute effectively as the ABU meets the challenges of our rapidly changing media world. I like taking up challenges and the new post at the ABU is another big challenge to me.
The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) is a member of ABU.
3 May 2006
The AIB is holding its second International Broadcasting Awards.
International broadcasting is a dynamic industry that has more to celebrate every year. Yet, since most broadcasting is national or local, the craftsmanship in our part of the industry too often goes unrecognised. AIB members argue that trying to share ideas across cultures is one of the hardest aspects of broadcasting to do well. Last year, AIB members suggested the establishment of annual International Broadcasting Awards to celebrate our industrys achievements in this sector, and to recognise excellence in international television, radio and cross media programming. We also need to reward contributions by the industrys leading presenters and personalities. They act as role models for others.
Many people have recognised that some traditional TV and radio awards have been devalued by overt commercialism. There are so many categories and awards that every entrant seems to win a prize. The judges report, if it is exists, has little or no value in helping to improve standards the following year. I believe AIB has now established a different approach. The AIB Awards are focused purely on the international broadcasting industry. Entries are judged by prominent media critics, broadcasters and specialists who understand the challenges producers face. They appreciate that culture, budgets and facilities all play a role in the final production. But such a peer review can encourage emerging talent, spotting creativity, passion and objectivity in covering sensitive subjects. Above all, the awards are authentic.
Full details of the Awards are available online – click the link at the bottom of this page. The categories in 2006 are:
Category 1 International channel of the year – radio
Category 2 International channel of the year – television
Category 3 Best coverage of a single news event by an international broadcaster radio
Category 4 Best coverage of a single news event by an international broadcaster television
Category 5 Best documentary or magazine programme for an international audience radio
Category 6 Best documentary or magazine programme for an international audience television
Category 7 Most innovative use of technology in international broadcasting
Category 8 International presenter of the year radio
Category 9 International presenter of the year television
In addition, the 2006 Awards will include a very special Recognition Award that will be presented to someone who has worked within the international broadcasting sector and has made a lasting, positive impact on the industry.
REMEMBER: entries must be received at the AIB’s head office in the UK no later than 8 May 2006! DON’t DELAY – ENTER TODAY!
And to make life easier, entry fees can now be paid by American Express,
Diners Club, Mastercard and Visa. Use our secure WorldPay facility by clicking
here to pay for one or more entries – then simply include the
confirmation of payment with your entry when you send it to the AIB.
