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.
8 May 2006
Arqiva to distribute and transmit Fives analogue terrestrial TV channel
New digital satellite-based distribution network to be commissioned
New uplink facility at Chalfont Grove
Arqiva today announced that Five has renewed its existing ten-year distribution and transmission management contract. The extension to the contract will see Arqiva manage Fives distribution and analogue transmission through to the closure of analogue TV.
Arqivas end-to-end solution distributes the signals to transmitters via satellite. As part of the renewal agreement Arqiva will re-engineer the existing distribution network to gain from improvements in compression technology and will distribute commercial regional variants of Five continuously on two separate satellites. A new uplink facility will be built at Arqivas Chalfont Grove site to complement the existing uplink in Winchester.
David Burge, Controller of Broadcasting, Five commented, It is important for us to ensure an extremely reliable distribution network in the run-up to Digital Switchover and, as Arqiva built and installed our uplink and transmitter system for our launch ten years ago, were confident that they can provide us with the service and expertise needed to achieve this.
Steve Holebrook, Arqivas managing director of Terrestrial Media Solutions, said, Were delighted to continue working with Five. Our one-stop shop solution delivers a reliable and cost-effective satellite digital distribution system to complement the existing nationwide network of analogue TV transmitters. The new satellite network will also provide additional levels of resilience to protect Fives regional advertising.
8 May 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company , has announced today that it has signed a fourth transponder contract with the UK transmission service company Arqiva. The capacity subcontracted by SES ASTRA at the orbital position 28.2°/ 28.5° East will be used by Arqiva to help meet the demand from the rapidly growing number of UK channels launching on the Sky platform.
Arqiva provides a comprehensive range of end-to-end media solutions for content and channel providers and is a highly respected supplier of quality satellite solutions for the UK Direct-to-Home (DTH) market.
With this new contract, we further strengthen our position in the UK and Ireland DTH satellite market, said Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. “We are delighted that a company with such a distinguished pedigree as Arqiva has again chosen to source their satellite capacity via SES ASTRA.
“The new agreement with SES ASTRA allows us to further improve our offer and expand our business in this important and growing sector, added Nick Thompson, Arqiva’s Managing Director for satellite media solutions. We are pleased that we are able to strengthen our relationship with SES ASTRA by concluding another agreement with our partner of choice.
8 May 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has announced today that it has signed a long-term satellite capacity agreement with Discovery Communications.
As of 1st February this year, XXP, a German factual based mainstream entertainment channel, has extended its analogue transmission from four to 24 hours per day (transponder 12, frequency 11,376.50 MHz, vertical polarisation). XXP has been using analogue capacity from ASTRA on the prime orbital position 19.2° East since May 2001. XXP is also distributed in digital on ASTRA.
Discovery Communications acquired a controlling stake in XXP in March 2006.
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.
