2 October 2003
AsiaSat is making steady progress with the finishing works and pre-opening testing and commissioning of its new Tai Po earth station. Operation is expected to start in January next
year.
The new Satellite Control Centre will be manned 24/7. Duplicating many of the circuits and facilities currently provided by the Tracking, Telemetry & Control station in Stanley, the new earth station will strengthen AsiaSats service integrity and reinforce the companys commitment to service reliability and quality.
With the new facility and the new satellite AsiaSat 4 in place, AsiaSat will be able to offer customers a range of additional value-added services including uplink and back up.
2 October 2003
More moves from the Murdoch empire. US entertainment group Liberty Media is using its right to buy $500 million of stock in The News Corporation.
This is good for News Corp, which now can finance its aim of getting a controlling interest in US satellite TV broadcaster DirectTV.
And Liberty benefits, as the group will now have a stake in News Corporation of nearly 20%, and is buying the shares at a discount.
News Corps earnings are expected to rise by 8 to 12 per cent, because of advertising growth.
1 October 2003
The AIB is pleased to announce that it is introducing a White Papers Library, powered by BroadcastPapers.com.
This new service will be available late in 2003.
1 October 2003
A new exhibit at The George Washington Universitys Media and Public Affairs Building in Washington DC, USA, entitled “Voice of America, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: On the Front Lines of the Worlds Hot Spots for More Than 60 Years” opens on Wednesday, October 1.
George Washington Universitys Vice-President for Communications, Michael Freedman, will be the master of ceremonies for the event, which will also include comments from local media personality Ed Walker and from VOA Director David Jackson.
29 September 2003
According to the London-based newspaper Al-Zaman there is to be a television and radio Iraq Broadcasting Corporation (IBC).
The programmes will be available locally and via satellite. A number of Iraqi businessmen and media experts are behind the project.
The IBC aims to stay above any political obedience to a group, a party, a category, a faction, a religion or an individual. The corporation will be open to all prevailing cultures, religions. It will also endeavour to “introduce cheerfulness after years of gloom and isolation”.
The project, which has 10 millions dollars of finance but needs more, will start experimental transmissions within the next six months. The IBC will be administered by a board of governors and an executive. It will work under the supervision of a council of trustees.
29 September 2003
Chris Cramer becomes the new Managing Director of CNN International, as part of a move to bring together the programming and newsgathering parts of the organisation.
Cramer will continue to oversee the international editorial and programming side, with extra responsibility for the worldwide newsgathering operation of 28 bureaus outside the USA.
The new CNN International directorate now includes the five flagship CNN International services: in English, CNN en Espanol, CNNj (Japan) and joint ventures such as n-tv, CNN+ and CNN Turk, in addition to the international newsgathering operation
