Shure continues to support broadcast and production, and more, during the pandemic

21 August 2020

Shure continues to support broadcast and production, and more, during the pandemic

COVID-19 has required a significant shift in plans in the broadcast industry and Shure is no exception.

With a long history of helping bring the news to a mass audience through our microphones, the company understands that its role with broadcasters is as important as ever as the industry responds to this pandemic. Shure explains its priorities and how it has been responding to the challenges of the pandemic.

Our first priority is our Associates. As a global company, we initiated plans to take care of our Associates early in the outbreak. In accordance with local and national guidelines, we implemented work-from-home policies for our global Associates where appropriate and established social distancing and sanitisation protocols to keep essential areas of our business running on location.

We have witnessed the evolving impact of the pandemic across our facilities. As it first appeared in China, we have manufacturing and market support functions in that country where we needed to move quickly. We responded fast, enacting new policies and processes in accordance with health and government officials.

Our goal is to safely take care of our Associates while they take care of customers. Customer service and order fulfilment were two focus areas for us to ensure customers would continue to have communication tools during this crisis.

As Shure sells microphones and other broadcast equipment, including wireless systems, headphones, earphones, software, conferencing tools and podcasting accessories in 140 countries, serving those broadcasters during this important time is essential. We are committed to maintaining a supply of goods and still provide customer support.

As with most businesses, we pivoted to a work-from-home scenario for most office-based Associates. With today’s technology, we are still able to collaborate as teams. In some cases – because our Associates work together globally – much of this virtual collaboration is normal. However, we do miss the camaraderie of our fellow Associates, meeting with customers, attending trade shows and industry events, and other hands-on experiences. The key for us is determining how to support our customers during this difficult time. We always want to provide the right level of support, but we recognise that product needs may be different right now.

We expanded our customer webinar schedule to provide more frequent content. While the Shure Audio Institute (SAI) typically provided monthly training sessions, programming is now being delivered weekly. Demand for the sessions has been higher than normal, with three times the audience tuning in for recent training offerings versus previous webinars.

Supply chain issues are affecting many businesses in the electronics industry, and our Operations team has worked diligently to maintain the pipeline of components and continue to manufacture and ship our products to customers who order them. The need for audio products during this period is actually critical for many customers, which has helped enable Shure’s operations to be deemed essential in many locations.

Shure is also supporting our communities where we can. We have donated to Direct Relief, an organisation working with authorities to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care workers in affected regions of the world. We’ve also been able to supply needed equipment directly to organisations such as hospitals and schools. In the backyard of our headquarters, Shure is supporting Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL); in addition to a monetary donation, Shure has recruited some partners in the industry to encourage others to support local live performance venues in the Chicago area and around the world.

As live events and performances have been cancelled or severely reduced, demand for stage microphones and monitoring systems have also declined. With more people working and performing from home, Shure’s home recording, conferencing and headphones products have become more popular. For professional audio, products that can be controlled from a distance over a network or wireless connection has increased in demand. These fluctuations have impacted our supply chain, led to an inconsistent component supply and reduced global freight capacity. This has made transporting goods difficult – adding more cost and delivery times to our typical plans.

Regardless, we’ve ramped up support for the higher demand for home broadcasting equipment. We have always taken pride in exhaustive testing processes that ensure our products are as reliable and dependable as possible, especially as we understand the long-term impact of more robust cleaning regimes on our products. We’ve also worked to ensure consistent customer support during this time to make sure our customers receive the proper attention.

However, COVID-19 changes the broadcast industry, we know that we are all in this together. The industry has always adapted to change – and we’ll have to adapt again. We just celebrated our 95th anniversary, so this Company has been through a lot of challenging times. What has always helped us get through difficult periods is the strength of our Associates and the collaboration of the industry to lean on each other. We’re committed to supporting our broadcast customers throughout this difficult time.

Shure is a Member of the AIB.

News viewership in India up 200% as a result of pandemic, says TV9 CEO

19 August 2020

News viewership in India up 200% as a result of pandemic, says TV9 CEO

The latest guest on the AIB’s In Conversation series is Barun Das, chief executive of TV9 Network in India.

Speaking to the AIB’s Simon Spanswick, Das said that the exponential growth of audiences for TV news channels during the pandemic is positive and as lockdowns ease, advertisers are finding that news is a highly effective platform to reach consumers. There’s a shift in the TV news audience demographic. Traditionally, TV news has been skewed to a male audience, but that’s changing as more women are watching. Advertisers are recognising this with more commercials targeting women being bought.

Allied to the growth of audiences consuming channels via traditional cable and satellite distribution is the development of digital platforms including OTT, says Das. TV9 is making use of new digital platforms and the network believes that by 2027/28, advertising on digital news offers will overtake TV news advertising. It’s for this reason that TV9 Network is betting big on digital, says Das.

In the interview, Das talked about how TV9 maintained operations as the pandemic raged and some 150 staff members caught the coronavirus. Shift patterns were altered, and extensive safety guidelines implemented in all the company’s broadcast centres. Das also believes that as a result of the pandemic, India as a country has actually become more disciplined, despite that size and diversity that exists within the population of 1.3 billion.

Watch the full interview here.

TV9 Network has recently become a Member of the AIB.

BBC sets out modernisation plans

15 July 2020

BBC sets out modernisation plans

BBC News has set out an update on the plans it announced earlier this year to respond to changing audience needs.

The update addresses the BBC’s worsening financial position and draws on the experiences of operating during the Covid-19 crisis.

In January BBC News announced a series of modernisation proposals. Since then, faced with the Covid-19 crisis, BBC News has made huge operational changes to keep vital news services on air. During this time the proposals were paused, and will now be implemented in stages.

Director of BBC News and Current Affairs, Fran Unsworth, says: “Covid-19 has changed all of our lives. We are still covering the most challenging story of our lifetimes. During this crisis audiences have turned to BBC News in their millions and I’m incredibly proud of what we, as a team, have been able to achieve.

“But if we don’t make changes, we won’t be sustainable. This crisis has led us to re-evaluate exactly how we operate as an organisation. And our operation has been underpinned by the principles we set out earlier this year – fewer stories, more targeted and with more impact. We’re aiming to reach everyone, every day. For BBC News to thrive, and for us to continue to serve all our audiences, we have to change.”

Alongside structural changes in some departments, updated plans set out today include:

Commissioning: the changes to working caused by the Covid-19 crisis mean it is not possible to go straight to the new way of working announced in January, but we will move towards it with a new commissioning group (made up of existing editors) to co-ordinate the biggest planned stories, avoid duplication and make BBC content go further
Newsgathering: BBC News will have fewer reporters overall; more correspondents will increasingly be asked to work across a range of content rather than be ‘owned’ by individual programmes. We will invest in new community affairs roles around the country, while reducing numbers in London
Digital: We want to ensure digital is at the heart of our journalism. A number of skilled digital journalists will move into the Newsgathering team and be deployed on stories. We will refocus the ‘rollout’ of our stories, so we break more stories in the morning when our digital audiences are highest
Original journalism: a new team, bringing together expertise from areas such as the Victoria Derbyshire programme and BBC Stories, will focus on under-reported ‘off diary’ stories, producing content for daily news programmes and online
TV political programming: Politics Live, currently airing on Wednesdays only, will return four days a week, Monday to Thursday
BBC Parliament will focus on live and as-live coverage of the elected chambers across the UK and produce daily and weekly highlights programmes. We will no longer commission most of the other bespoke programmes we currently make for BBC Parliament, although we will continue to draw on our archive to broadcast our popular historical election coverage
News channels: We will preserve two clearly branded news channels (the BBC News channel in the UK and BBC World News globally) with a focus on live, breaking and developing stories but will retain some elements of shared output in the mornings and evenings
World Service English: we will make some of the current streamlined schedule changes permanent, including reductions in the duration of Newsday and The World This Week will be decommissioned. We will launch a new Africa-focused podcast
Business output: To increase the impact of business coverage we will integrate it more closely with the rest of the output, and will no longer run the Business Online live page. We will reduce separate business bulletins on the News channel and BBC World Service English
Radio: We will close In Business on BBC Radio 4 but continue long-form business content with The Bottom Line

Building on the lessons of operating during Covid-19, we will use fewer studios and make significant reductions to our operations staff.

The reduction in output means we will also reduce our pool of presenters.

The increased financial pressure on the BBC as a result of Covid-19 means the number of job losses in BBC News will rise to around 520, which is 70 more than the 450 announced in January. This will include senior management posts.

There will be a further update on plans later in the year.

Source: BBC Press Release

Al Jazeera shocked by Malaysia authorities reaction to documentary

9 July 2020

Al Jazeera shocked by Malaysia authorities reaction to documentary

Al Jazeera shocked by the response from Malaysian authorities to its documentary ‘Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown’ and worried about the safety of its staff

Al Jazeera has serious concerns about developments that have occurred in Malaysia since the broadcast of its 101 East investigative documentary, “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” on 3 July 2020. The documentary looked at why Malaysia’s illegal foreign migrant workers are at risk in the time of COVID-19.

Malaysian officials have criticised the documentary as being inaccurate, misleading and unfair.

Al Jazeera strongly refutes these charges and stands by the professionalism, quality and impartiality of its journalism.

The 101 East documentary strand, a weekly programme from across the Asia Pacific region, has a reputation for producing in-depth journalism of the highest quality. Many of its programmes have been internationally recognised with prestigious awards from across the globe, including the AIBs.

The episode “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” contains the views and experiences of a wide range of people from different backgrounds, including a well-respected Malaysian doctor and Malaysian relief worker on the frontlines. As stated clearly in the film, Al Jazeera acknowledges that Malaysia’s Covid-19 response has successfully contained the spread of the virus. The programme also clearly shows the humanitarian efforts made by Malaysian organisations which provide direct assistance to migrants in need. The episode does not contain the personal opinions of any Al Jazeera staff.

Al Jazeera repeatedly sought to obtain the government’s view, by requesting interviews with a number of senior government ministers and officials. Repeated requests for interviews were not accepted. Al Jazeera also sought to attend the Defence Minister’s press conferences, but was told only state media could attend. Despite the government’s refusal to be interviewed, Al Jazeera still produced a balanced film by including comments made by the Defence Minister at two press conferences.

The documentary captured events, including immigration raids, as they unfolded in real-time in Malaysia. These events were also widely reported by many other media outlets, both domestically and internationally.

Al Jazeera is deeply concerned that its staff are now subject to a police investigation. Charging journalists for doing their jobs is not the action of a democracy that values free speech. Journalism is not a crime. Al Jazeera also has grave concerns about the sustained online harassment its staff are facing. Reporters have been targeted with abusive messages and death threats. The personal details of current and former staff have been published online, in a serious breach of privacy which could potentially expose them to great risk both now and in the future.

Al Jazeera is also concerned for the safety of those interviewed in the documentary who have also been subjected to abusive online harassment and hate speech. People should feel free to speak with the media and express their views without the fear that they could be targeted. In a world in which the media face increasing threats, Al Jazeera calls for media freedom and the right to report freely without intimidation.

Al Jazeera calls upon the Malaysian authorities to desist from initiating any criminal investigation into its professional, impartial journalism.

Al Jazeera English is prepared to host a representative of the Malaysian government to respond to the matters raised in the documentary.

Edit 15 July 2020

The AIB has written to the Malaysian High Commissioner in London to protest the investigation launched against the team of Al Jazeera journalists who compiled the documentary. You can read the letter here.

ABC sets out five year plan

30 June 2020

ABC sets out five year plan

ABC Managing Director David Anderson has launched the ABC’s five-year strategy and outlined proposals to address budget cuts while protecting the Corporation’s independence and Charter responsibilities for all Australians.

“The ABC Five-Year Plan 2020-2025 will guide us as we continue to transform from a traditional broadcaster to the nation’s most trusted and valued digital content provider across all platforms,” Mr Anderson told ABC employees.

“This strategy lays out the next steps in the ABC’s proud 88-year history, ensuring that now and into the future we remain the home of Australian stories, trusted information and conversations that connect us all.”

Mr Anderson said proposed savings initiatives aligned with the five-year plan, ensuring the ABC is more relevant to more Australians with a greater focus on accessibility and the on-demand digital services audiences now expect.

Mr Anderson said the Federal Government’s indexation pause, which cut the ABC’s budget by $84m over three years with an ongoing reduction of $41m a year from 2022, coming on top of the $64m in ongoing cuts imposed in 2014, made difficult decisions affecting jobs and services inevitable.

“The proposals announced today ensure the ABC can enhance its value to all Australians now and into the future,” he said. “However, we anticipate we will farewell as many as 250 people through this process, valued colleagues who have made tremendous contributions to the ABC and to our audiences.

“This is a difficult time for us, as it is for the broader economy and community as we all struggle with the events of this year.”

ABC Chair Ita Buttrose said “the ABC Five-Year Plan is a robust blueprint for the future of the ABC that emphasises the important role the ABC plays in the Australian way of life.”

The proposed savings initiatives include:

 Giving ABC Life a new editorial direction and name, ABC Local, sourcing content from across the ABC, including outer suburban and regional areas.

 A greater focus on digital and on-demand news services, including discontinuing the 7.45am broadcast-only radio news bulletin and shifting focus to provide news across all our audio platforms.

 Rebranding ABC Comedy to create a home for a range of genres, such as Arts, Science, Education and Religion. Comedy will continue to be commissioned for ABC main channel and a destination on iview.

 Reducing independent production by approximately $5m p.a., predominately from the factual and entertainment slate, with the ABC prioritising investment in Drama and Children’s programming.

The proposed initiatives are in addition to reduced numbers in management and support teams and identified savings greater than 2% through current vacancies, redundancies and reducing operating costs.

The ABC has also reduced travel budgets by 25%, with a greater reliance on technology to connect the workforce.

A review of the ABC’s property portfolio will consider options to either improve our accommodation, lease vacant space or relocate if it is more beneficial. Assessing spare capacity for leasing in ABC Ultimo could potentially create a $4 million p.a. saving. A portion of this could be reinvested in services.

Increased investment in regional centres reflects another important commitment in the Five-Year Plan and will see 75% of content-makers working outside the Ultimo headquarters by 2025, ensuring greater engagement with local communities.

Mr Anderson told employees both he and the ABC Chair Ita Buttrose would continue to seek the Government’s endorsement for a five-year funding period to give the ABC certainty in delivering this plan for all Australians.

“The ABC Five-Year Plan 2020-2025 is just the start of this next stage in the ABC’s history,” Mr Anderson said. “We will uphold the highest editorial values, remaining Australia’s best and most trusted source of news and information and continuing to deliver the best public interest journalism that strengthens our democracy.”

“The ABC Five-Year Plan is a commitment to the ABC tradition of telling Australian stories that are accessible, bold and creative. Our message to the Australian people is clear. Now, more than ever, we are your ABC.”

Image: Flickr/Stilgherrian

UN launches Pause campaign to halt disinformation

30 June 2020

UN launches Pause campaign to halt disinformation

The United Nations has launched a new initiative to foster behaviour change and counter the growing threat of misinformation online. The campaign, called Pause, asks digital users to take the time to think about what they share before posting it online.

“Misinformation is spreading faster than the virus itself, and is seriously disrupting public health efforts by dangerously distorting sound scientific guidance. It is designed to exploit our emotions and biases at a time of heightened fear,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “But there are ways users can learn to recognize bad information and slow the spread. We are aiming to have the phrase, ‘Pause, take care before you share,’ become a new public norm.”

A range of media companies around the world, including AIB Members Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle and France Médias Monde, are distributing Pause content on TV channels, online and via SMS.

Major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Google (YouTube) and TikTok, have also committed to promoting Pause, while indicating a willingness to scale up their ongoing efforts to suppress the circulation of misinformation.

“It is encouraging to see steps already taken by social media platforms, such as swiftly removing misinformation surrounding COVID-19, flagging harmful content, questioning sharing intentions and also promoting sound health advice, including from the World Health Organization (WHO),” said Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.

“Just as social distancing slows the spread of the virus, behaviour changes around sharing will go a long way to slow the spread of misinformation. But it can only be meaningfully halted if there is no place for misinformation on social media platforms.”

Pause draws on research from psychologists, neuroscientists and behavioural scientists whose studies indicate that pausing to reflect before sharing can significantly help reduce the spread of unverified and misleading information. The campaign will challenge people to break the habit of sharing shocking or emotive content impulsively and without questioning its accuracy.

The campaign, launched on World Social Media Day (30 June), is part of a larger UN initiative called Verified aimed at increasing the volume and reach of trusted, engaging and accurate information, including with the help of more than 10,000 information volunteers who have already signed on to the effort.

Following its launch in May, Verified has received strong support from governments. In mid-June, more than 130 UN Member States issued a statement on the need to address the “infodemic” related to COVID-19, while welcoming the UN’s pandemic response and the Verified initiative.

Verified is a collaboration between the UN Department of Global Communications and Purpose, one of the world’s leading social mobilisation organisations, in partnership with UN agencies and country teams as well as influencers, civil society and businesses.