Weather Channel blows into Spanish-speaking communities

4 May 2022

Weather Channel blows into Spanish-speaking communities

We all like talking about the weather (particularly Brits, we know!), and it seems that there’s a global appetite for watching the weather on TV.

The Allen Media Group television network The Weather Channel – which the company says is the #1 source for weather news and information on television – has launched a brand-new free television network The Weather Channel en Español. The company says this is the first 24/7 Spanish-language free-streaming weather news network in the United States. The Weather Channel en Español makes its debut on the 40th anniversary of the launch of The Weather Channel television network. The Weather Channel en Español has signed major sponsors including Ford, GEICO, General Motors, Toyota, Walmart among others.

The Weather Channel en Español features a variety of Spanish language weather content, including locally specific forecasting, storytelling that will help viewers understand the variation behind weather events, climate science, and its human impact. Also, the new free-streaming network will utilise the full resources of The Weather Channel. Viewers can expect the same exceptional quality and timely reporting they rely on from The Weather Channel, along with seamless collaboration among other Allen Media Group platforms such as Pattrn – The Weather Channel’s climate, environment and sustainability network.

“The Hispanic marketplace is indexing extremely well with streaming services and is severely underserved. Our launch of The Weather Channel en Español is historic, and is a recognition of the continued and significant growth of the U.S. Hispanic population and the constant need to keep the entire public informed and safe as multi-billion dollar weather disasters are on the rise – especially in communities where Spanish is spoken as both the primary and secondary language in millions of households throughout America,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Weather Channel parent company, Allen Media Group. “I am proud to say viewers of The Weather Channel en Español will be able to increase their safety and awareness of extreme weather events with the full support of the number one weather news network, and its vast resources, infrastructure, technology, and scientists.”

“I’m very proud to be a part of Allen Media Group’s significant investment in The Weather Channel en Español,” said Sussy Ruiz, Editor-in-Chief of The Weather Channel en Español (pictured). “The Weather Channel has been voted the most-trusted news brand in America for 11 consecutive years, and the fifth most-trusted brand overall. The full resources of The Weather Channel have been dedicated to ensure The Weather Channel en Español achieves The Weather Channel’s 40-year history of excellence.”

“The Weather Channel en Español represents the continued commitment of The Weather Channel to keep the entire public informed and safe when severe weather is about to strike,” said Nora Zimmett, President, News and Original Series for Weather Group. “In addition to vital weather and climate information, The Weather Channel en Español also provides cutting edge technology, comprehensive storytelling, plus compelling and engaging original programming.”

The first on-camera meteorologists to join The Weather Channel en Español are Albert Martinez, Henry Golac, Milmar Ramirez, Jessica Fernandez, Abel Hernandez and Lorena Lim.

Martinez brings over 13 years of experience to The Weather Channel en Español and is known as one of the most trusted names in weather coverage, particularly among the Hispanic audience. He is a 13-time Emmy® award recipient, 5-time Telly award recipient and one of the highest rated meteorologists in the industry. His experience includes extensive live and field reporting of climate change, science, and astronomy. In his new role as Senior Meteorologist, Martinez will be responsible for directing and managing all aspects of weather content for The Weather Channel en Español, including integrating his previous experience in augmented and immersive mixed reality as a Max Reality Ambassador for The Weather Company (IBM). Prior to joining The Weather Channel en Español, Martinez anchored as Chief Meteorologist for Univision Network’s Despierta America, Edicion Digital, Noticiero Univision, and PrendeTV.
Golac is an 11-time Emmy® award-winning meteorologist and is the 2021 Rocky Mountain Emmy® award recipient for Best Weather Anchor in Arizona. Most recently, Golac served as Chief Meteorologist at Telemundo in Arizona. Golac has also held various roles at Univision Orlando, Radio Exito 105.5 FM and America Teve Channel 41.
Ramirez is also an Emmy® award-winning meteorologist with extensive experience in Spanish-language reporting. Previously, Ramirez was an anchor at Telemundo and Univision in Dallas, where she presented the weather forecast, as well as planned and coordinated severe weather coverage.
Fernandez joins the network from Univision 23 Miami and previously held positions as a meteorologist at NBC KGNS 8 Gray Television in Laredo, Texas and WSVN Channel 7 Miami/Sunbeam Television. She earned a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Broadcast Meteorology from the University of Miami.
Hernandez brings more than 20 years of experience as a weather presenter in major Hispanic markets like New York, Miami, Dallas, and San Antonio. Hernandez has won multiple Emmy® Awards in various categories such as, best weathercaster, best weather anchor during severe weather and best video journalist for an environmental report in Texas.
Lim joins The Weather Channel en Español from Salt Lake City, Utah where she was a chief meteorologist for the Telemundo local station. Lim was responsible for forecasting and planning for significant weather events in the area, as well as coordinating and producing weather coverage for markets like Sacramento, Tampa, Denver, Las Vegas, and Arizona. Previously, she was the chief meteorologist at a local Oklahoma news station, and held roles as a forecaster and researcher at Cuba’s National Institute of Oceanography and the National Institute of Meteorology.

The Weather Channel en Español is 100% free and available across over-the-top streaming platforms and all mobile devices. The content is focused on the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America. The Weather Channel en Español is also accessible via The Weather Channel app.

RFE/RL Journalist Dies In Russian Air Strikes On Kyiv

29 April 2022

RFE/RL Journalist Dies In Russian Air Strikes On Kyiv

RFE/RL journalist Vira Hyrych has died in Kyiv after a Russian air strike hit the residential building where she lived in the Ukrainian capital.

Hyrych’s body was found early in the morning on April 29 amid the wreckage of the building, which was hit by a Russian missile the night before, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was visiting Kyiv on April 28 as air strikes hit the capital, including the apartment block.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of our Ukrainian Service staffer Vira Hyrych in Kyiv overnight. We have lost a dear colleague who will be remembered for her professionalism and dedication to our mission,” RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement.

“We are shocked and angered by the senseless nature of her death at home in a country and city she loved. Her memory will inspire our work in Ukraine and beyond for years to come,” he added.

Videos and pictures from the site showed the lower floors of the building heavily damaged. Cars in the area had their windows blown out.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed “long-range, high-precision” missiles had hit factory buildings in Kyiv of Ukrainian rocket manufacturer Artem on April 28.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on whether the factory had been hit during the attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram on April 29 that one body had been retrieved from the rubble and another 10 people had been injured in the strikes. He gave no further details.

Hyrych, born in 1967, began working for RFE/RL in February 2018. Before that she worked at a leading television channel in Ukraine.

Source: RFE/RL; main photo: Facebook; Kyiv bomb damage photo: Aleksandr Sinitsa/UNIAN

Mali withdraws RFI and France 24 licences

28 April 2022

Mali withdraws RFI and France 24 licences

The Malian government has withdrawn the operating licences of the international radio and TV services RFI and France 24.

The country’s High Authority of Communication said: “The licence granted to France Medias Monde [FMM] to establish and operate Radio France International, RFI, services in Mali under convention No. 055/HAC-MALI/2018 of 11 June 2018 is hereby permanently withdrawn.”

The ruling means that the two services cannot be carried by any Malian TV or radio distributor, and it also means that the online services of the broadcasters cannot be carried on Mali-based mobile phone operators.

Reacting, France Médias Monde condemned the move, saying: “France Médias Monde strongly contests such a measure and intends to appeal this decision. It will use all other possible means of appeal.

“We will continue to cover the news in Mali, which is of interest to the whole of Africa as well as the rest of the world. All technical solutions will be implemented to make our media accessible to Malians who wish to continue to receive free, expert information that is open to the world. FMM stresses its commitment to the independence and freedom of information.”

Update

Media watchdog RSF unblocks RFI and France 24 in Mali

29th April 2022

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it has unblocked French media outlets in Mali a day after the country’s military rulers revoked their operating licences.

RSF said in a tweet that RFI and France 24 were back online as part of its Operation Collateral Freedom, which was launched in 2015 and “is currently enabling 47 websites in 24 countries (including eight sites in Russia) to circumvent censorship by their governments”.

BBC publishes results of deprivation study

28 April 2022

BBC publishes results of deprivation study

The BBC has published the full findings of a “deprivation study” in which 80 homes had no access to any BBC content or services for nine days.

The results suggest many of those taking part underestimated the value their household gets from the BBC.

The study, conducted by research company MTM on behalf of the BBC, found that 70% of those who initially said they would rather do without the BBC, or would prefer to pay less for it, changed their minds and were willing to pay the full licence fee or more in order to keep BBC content and services.

Just under 200 people, based in 16 different locations in the UK and with a mix of views about the BBC, took part.

This study produced a near identical result to one conducted in 2014/2015 despite significant changes in the media market in the last seven years and a significant increase in global competition from other broadcasters, subscription services and platforms.

Since 2014 23 mainstream content streamers have launched, with a total of 38 now available to UK audiences.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie says: “It is great to see the role the BBC plays in people’s lives up and down the UK and it not only shows the importance of public service broadcasting it reinforces that we must continue the hard work to maintain that support and ensure we offer something for everyone.”

The new research focused primarily on licence-fee paying households who felt the BBC was of no or little value to them.

Of the 80 households involved, 30 initially said they wanted to pay nothing and not receive the BBC and another 30 only wanted to pay less than the full licence fee. A control group of 20 who were willing to pay the full licence fee was also included.

Households varied in size, age range and background and included singles, couples, young and older families, and shared homes.

They were unable to access any BBC services, across TV, radio, online and apps, for nine days, covering two full weekends. They were also not permitted to watch any BBC content available on other services such as Netflix or YouTube. In return they received the cost of the licence fee for those days, which works out at about £3.90.

On completing the study 42 of the 60 households, or 70%, who initially wanted to either pay nothing or less said they were willing to pay the full licence fee or more in return for the BBC.

Reasons for changing views included a realisation that they had underestimated the value their households get from the BBC and the amount of BBC content and services they consumed in their daily lives. This included missing out on high-profile dramas, event TV and live sport that brings the country together; missing CBeebies and CBBC; missing BBC iPlayer; missing the BBC radio stations/Sounds that they listened to; and missing BBC online services.

Other factors were an increased understanding of the variety of services the licence fee pays for; the high quality of content; missing content without advertising; and greater recognition of the cultural and societal role of the BBC in UK life.

In 2014 when the first study was started 21.5 million adults used the internet/social media for news, that compares to 39.2 million today, while 4.8 million UK households had access to SVOD services, compared to 20 million today.

The full report is available here.

Grigoriopol radio transmitter complex attacked

27 April 2022

Grigoriopol radio transmitter complex attacked

An attack on a major Soviet-era radio transmitting complex near Grigoriopol, in the unrecognised breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova, took out the antennae used for two medium wave transmitters.

The Grigoriopol site consists of a number of antenna arrays used for short and medium wave broadcasting. The site also has a large, rotatable antenna.

It is understood that the complex – in the area that is essentially controlled by Russia – is used to broadcast Russian-language domestic programmes of Vesti Radio, on 999 and 1413 kHz. Transmitters at the site are also believed to be hired out to third party broadcasters. Trans World Radio has used the Grigoriopol complex for medium and short wave relays of its programmes aimed at audiences in Europe and, via short wave, in Africa. It is unclear whether these relays were operational at the time of the attack, and whether the transmitters are operated by a Russian transmission company or a local Moldovan company.

According to the Pridnestovie Tourism authority: “The radio centre is one of the main attractions of the Grigoriopol district

“The construction of this large-scale structure lasted 7 years – from 1968 to 1975. In Soviet times, all the transmitters of the radio centre were loaded 23 hours a day: it broadcast programs to the territory of the Soviet Union and foreign countries. The height of the centre’s antennas reached 250 meters. Broadcasting covered the entire globe. There were programs for polar explorers of Antarctica, for sailors of the commercial and fishing fleet.”

The attack appears to have demolished antenna towers in the main part of the transmitting station site, but not the transmitter hall nor the rotatable antenna (pictured)at the south-west of the site.

The site, in a picturesque rural setting, can be seen in this YouTube video produced by Lens Flare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVMVPI9qa5A.

Main photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Transnistria; other images: YouTube/Lens Flare; Pridnestovie Tourism

Al Jazeera English’s Giles Trendle on media freedom

20 April 2022

Al Jazeera English’s Giles Trendle on media freedom

In the run-up to Earth Day on 22 April and World Press Freedom Day on 25 April, Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English, has released a video talking about the vital importance of journalism.

“Journalists have a critical role to play in covering the climate emergency,” says Trendle. “Yet journalists cannot play this crucial civic role if our reporters are being killed, our offices bombed, and our freedom to publish and broadcast trampled.”

Watch the video here: