19 September 2003
The US Broadcasting Board of Governors has been busy strengthening the signals of Radio and TV Marti, to allow the people of Cuba access to news and information not censored by the Cuban government. The next move is to see if TV Marti can be sent to the Cuban people by satellite. This would allow viewers in Cuba to receive the TV Marti signal via free-to-air reception, so that TV Marti can be viewed by anyone with a dish and an ordinary digital receiver. Radio Marti’s signal would also be included in the transmission.
Satellite power will be provided by Hispasat, with a footprint covering all of Cuba and nearly all of Latin America. Satellite receivers now on the island can be easily tuned to receive the signal. According to various commercial sources, satellite dishes are being used by more and more Cubans, and the numbers continue to rise.
Said BBG Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson: We expect that as a powerful television signal with reliable, objective news and information becomes available to the Cuban people, it will inevitably find viewers. If we build it, they will come.
19 September 2003
German company Sonarics Labs has unveiled a high-performance DAB radio reference design that may be a significant step towards more affordable digital radio receivers.
Sonarics Labs CSM1 DAB-ready reference design breaks the DAB module cost barrier of 25 dollars, enabling digital radio manufacturers to advance towards high-performance, cost-effective products. This was possible because of Sonarics’ unique technology for implementing the radio in software on a low-cost general-purpose DSP.
The chip used in CSM1 is from the Analog Devices BlackfinT DSP family and sells for less than US $5. Sonarics software enables key radio features required by modern electronic device consumers, including DAB Band III and L-Band reception, MP3 playback from MMC and digital sound recording.
The design could aid the transition from early-adopter to mass-market, as it is aimed at manufacturers of the next generation of low-cost, high-performance digital radios. It enables swift engineering and production cycle.
19 September 2003
FollowingIn a pattern seen recently in Australia, Austria and Israel, Swissinfo/SRI [Swiss Radio International] could lose all its government funding by 2006. It would then be up to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation to guarantee its future financing.
That’s one of the possibilities under consideration as the Swiss parliament debates controversial proposals to cut public spending by SFr3.3 billion (about 2.4 billion US dollars) to avoid massive deficits over the next few years. Switzerland’s national debt is currently SFr120 billion, and the government expects this to increase by SFr3 billion a year. So the government has drafted a radical savings plan which represents the biggest spending cut in Swiss history.
17 September 2003
James Murdoch, youngest son of Rupert, seems set to become CEO of UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB. The company, Britains 18th largest, has 6.8 million subscribers, moved into profit last year for the first time for 5 years, and is 35.4 % owned by the News Corporation.
The contract of current CEO Tony Ball runs out next May, and it is said that there are few UK broadcasting executives able to step into his job. James Murdoch has some qualifications, having been chief executive of News Corps Asian satellite broadcaster for three years, and before that being responsible for the groups US internet activities.
The News Corp group meanwhile is expected to show a profit of 20% over the next two years.
17 September 2003
BBC Post Production is to launch a facility to cater for factual and learning programming in November 2003. The facility will provide both BBC and external production teams with more flexibility in their post production workflows, enabling more streamlined ways of working and potential cost savings, all within a newly designed, comfortable and inspiring environment.
The facility will allow production teams to use new working methods including direct to online editing. Fourteen Avid Media Composer Adrenaline systems are being installed which feature new technology that allows material to be ingested from different formats and mixed on the same timeline. Production teams will have the flexibility to choose to either edit at online resolution or use the traditional offline-conform-online editing route.
In addition, the system offers enhanced effects capabilities, including the ability to animate multiple layers as well as a draft mode to easily preview and refine the final look. The Adrenalines will be linked to the Avid Unity MediaNetwork system allowing teams to work simultaneously on the same material. With an initial storage capacity of 5.7 Terrabytes, production teams will be able to keep their programmes as current as possible.
17 September 2003
Kingston Communications started life as a humble telephone company in the English town of Hull. For a time the company rode high on the technology boom, and spawned numerous divisions. Among these was the business-to-business division which has had a considerable impact on international broadcasting
But all of a sudden, CEO Steve Maine resigned after six years in the saddle, with no reason is given. Malcolm Fallen, who has been Chief Financial Officer of the Group since January 2001, took over.
The word from the company was that trading overall was “within the range of current market expectations”. But it warned the performance of its business-to-business telecoms division was “considerably below our earlier expectations”. Kingston will report its interim results on 25 November 2003.
Chairman, Michael Abrahams said, “Kingston Communications is a strong business in which we have made a substantial investment, supported by an experienced, committed team. “We are confident that Malcolm Fallen, Group CFO, has the skills, knowledge and energy to provide the leadership to initiate this renewed drive. We are grateful for the contribution Steve Maine has made to the development of the Group, and we wish him well for future.”
