17 March 2004
Destination, a Prague-based travel agency, has been appointed by the AIB to handle hotel reservations for delegates attending the Global Media Business Conference 2004.
A range of hotels to suit delegates’ budgets has been secured, with the Prague Holiday Inn as the main conference hotel. You can only reserve the Holiday Inn through Destination Travel.
We recommend that delegates make their hotel reservations as early as possible as Prague is a very busy destination, particularly in May. Our travel agency can also handle delegates’ requirements for sightseeing, golfing and other recreational activities and with Prague a major tourist city, you may wish to extend your stay to include the weekend following the Conference.
Download the hotel reservation form
here
and fax to +420 222 210 553.
16 March 2004
Eutelsats W3A communications satellite was successfully launched on 15 March by a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Eutelsat will bring its new satellite into service at 7 degrees East in May. It will replace W3 and substantially increase the business potential at a strategic orbital location in Eutelsat’s system, able to serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“W3A has been designed to optimise the business potential at one of our longstanding orbital locations that already serves blue chip clients such as the EBU, Reuters, Digiturk and Hughes Network Systems,” said Giuliano Berretta, Eutelsat CEO. “In addition to supporting delivery of a full range of services to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, this new satellite almost doubles our capacity over sub-Saharan Africa, thereby increasing our ability to serve users for business networks and for broadband services such as voice over IP, Internet access and distance-learning services.”
W3A’s full payload of 58 transponders (of which 50 can be simultaneously operated) is divided into four missions:
– 35 Ku-band transponders for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which will assume the full range of services currently carried by W3. This capacity can also be used in conjunction with Eutelsat’s Skyplex on-board processing facility which enables individual digital carriers to be uplinked to the satellite and multiplexed on-board. Up to eleven of the 35 transponders can be connected on the downlink into the widebeam over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, or into a high-power beam optimised for south-east Europe and Turkey and reaching south into Ethiopia and Somalia.
– Up to 12 new Ku-band transponders over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa that will provide additional capacity for broadband services and can also be used with Eutelsat’s Skyplex on-board processing facility.
– Up to eight transponders for two-way communications between Europe and Africa. Six are forward-link transponders providing communications from Europe to Africa and two are return link transponders for communications from Africa to Europe. Communications over Africa are in the Ku-band and over Europe in Ka-band, with switching managed by the satellite. This is ideally suited for access networks with hub stations in Europe and terminals in Africa. Applications for this capacity include broadband Internet access, WAN/LAN interconnection, voice over IP, distance-learning and other videoconferencing services for businesses, government and aid agencies.
– Up to 3 Ku-band transponders for regional telecommunications in sub-Saharan Africa, also with possible access to Skyplex.
16 March 2004
Tribune Entertainment, a developer and distributor of first-run television programming for the Tribune station group and for national syndication, has reached an agreement with Teletrax to electronically track its show promotions on local television stations. Under the terms of the contract, Tribune will use Teletrax technology to verify broadcast airings of promotions for distributed shows including Andromeda, Mutant X and Family Feud.
Teletraxs precise, real-time usage reporting will deliver the accuracy and speed we need to immediately calibrate our programming distribution strategy, ensuring that we continue to generate the best results for our efforts, said Lee Gonsalves, Vice President, Marketing and Creative Services, Tribune Entertainment Company.
Since its launch in 2002 as a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands and Medialink, Teletrax has rapidly expanded its global monitoring network to nearly 50 nations with more than 800 channels currently tracked around the world. Teletraxs coverage in North America comprises more than 100 major U.S. markets, as well as Canada and Mexico.
Teletrax is pleased to put the power of its technology to work for an entertainment industry leader such as Tribune, said Andy Nobbs, Managing Director of Teletrax. We believe that the entertainment sector represents an abundance of similar opportunities for Teletrax’s diverse applications, especially verification of airings for television network and syndicated programming, and copyright management of films and sports programming.
Tribune Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based entertainment division of Tribune Company, is one of the fastest-growing suppliers of television series, creating a diverse portfolio of programming for syndication, network and cable. Tribune Entertainment has entered into a variety of distribution, production, and ad sales relationships with such major partners as DreamWorks SKG, FremantleMedia North America, Hearst Entertainment, New Line Television, and Universal Domestic Television.
Teletrax is a member of the AIB.
15 March 2004
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe announced that Miklos Haraszti has been appointed OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media for a period of three years.
Haraszti, a Hungarian writer and former dissident, was born on 2 January 1945 in Jerusalem. He studied Hungarian Language and Philosophy at Budapest University. In 1976 he was one of the founders of the Hungarian Democratic Opposition Movement. In the 1980s he edited the underground periodical Beszelo. In the early 1990s he became a member of the Hungarian Parliament. He is the author of several books, including “A Worker in a Worker’s State” (Paris, 1983) and “The Velvet Prison” (New York, 1987).
The task of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media is to observe relevant media developments in OSCE participating states and, in close coordination with the chairman-in-office, to advocate and promote full compliance with OSCE principles and commitments in respect of freedom of expression and free media. The first OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve of Germany, held the position from January 1998 until December 2003.
15 March 2004
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited (AsiaSat) has appointed Ko Fai Wong, Deputy General Manager of Shortridge Limited and previously an alternate director of Asiasat, as a director of AsiaSat with effect from 11 March. Mr. Ko succeeds Li Tong Zhou.
12 March 2004
BBC World Service radio will become available across Australia on FOXTEL Digital’s new FOXTEL Air audio system from 14 March 2004.
This is the first time that BBC World Service will be available through direct to home satellite and digital cable television in Australian cities. Subscribers to FOXTEL Digital’s channel line-up will be able to hear the station in CD quality stereo sound, 24 hours a day.
Miles Palmer, Head of BBC World Service Business Development, said: “BBC World Service seeks to be available to listeners in an increasingly diverse multimedia world – and on the most convenient platform for them. We see Digital DTH platforms as a key long term provider of high quality services to widespread audiences.”
Michelle Rowland, the Australasian Representative of BBC World Service, added: “This agreement will ensure that BBC World Service radio will reach a greater number of potential listeners in Australia than ever before. It is significant because it means that we can expand further into parts of the country that have not previously been able to access the station in digital quality sound.”
The inclusion of BBC World Service on FOXTEL Digital complements the availability of BBC World television, the BBC’s commercially funded 24-hour international news and information channel, which will also be seen on the new platform.
BBC World Service is available on short wave in Australia.
FOXTEL Director of Digital Patrick Delany said: “The BBC World Service is a well-known and credible brand and we are delighted that we can now offer this channel to our FOXTEL Digital subscribers as one of the 30 digital quality audio channels on the FOXTEL AIR service.”
BBC World Service is a member of the AIB.
