News from Members

World Press Freedom Day 2016

3 May 2016

3 May marks World Press Freedom Day. The international day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the 26th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence.

Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

AIB Members around the world are marking the day, such as this video produced by Euronews with the International Federation of Journalists:

RFE/RL wins Webby People’s Voice Award

27 April 2016

Watch This Disabled Boy’s World Change In Two Minutes a feature video produced by RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service has won the prestigious Webby People’s Voice Award.

The feature tells the story of a disabled teenager who relies on his friends to push him in his wheelchair everyday along the rugged path to school, and his elation when a local NGO surprises him with a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle he can operate himself to make the journey. Produced by Bishkek-based correspondent Ulanbek Egizbaev and repackaged by RFE/RL’s Current Time digital team for social media, it was viewed more than a million times globally in Russian, English, and the original Kyrgyz.

“We deeply value this recognition of the quality of RFE/RL reporting, and thank the many, many voters globally who felt the impact of this story just as powerfully as we did,” said RFE/RL Editor-in Chief Nenad Pejic.

Two other RFE/RL entries were selected as Official Honorees in the 2016 competition. Desperate Honeymoon, a documentary by Multimedia Producer Ray Furlong, follows Syrian newlyweds as they make the arduous trek across the Balkans in search of a better life in Europe. Honored in the Documentary: Individual Episode category, it won Silver and Bronze medals at the New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards earlier this month.

RFE/RL’s Pangea Digital team, which manages the company’s content management system, was recognized by The Webby Awards in the Mobile Sites & Apps: News category for RFE/RL’s new responsive design website.

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from over 70 countries worldwide this year, and were judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, an organization based in New York that presents the prize. The award will be presented at an awards ceremony in New York on May 16.

Global digital launch of Africanews

4 January 2016

On 4 January, Africanews launched from its headquarters in Congo Brazzaville. Africanews says that it is the first independent pan-African news media, initially reaching its audience through its digital community;:website, YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter and its innovative and interactive app, “Story Hunters”.

Africanews provides news not just on Africa, but also on the rest of the world, from a purely African perspective. At our current offices in Pointe Noire, 85 media professionals, of 15 different nationalities from all over sub-Saharan Africa, work under the direction of Mame Campbell Touré, Bureau Chief, Isaac Khaguli Esipisu, Editor in Chief, and François Chignac, Director of Editorial Development. An extensive network of correspondents in every African country rounds out the team.

Michael Peters, CEO of Euronews and Africanews stated:

“This is a milestone in the history of our Group. It all began with the recognition that the rising African continent is an incredible source of news and that there is a great pool of talent that lacks a quality media environment. I want to thank all of the people at Africanews and Euronews who have been working together for months to prepare the launch of this new media whose mission is to ensure the independence and diversity of the news, as a founding principle of Africanews. Africanews is the first organisation to provide news from a pan-African point of view and it will spotlight all the talents of Africa.”

In the news stories, features and magazines, Africanews will reflect the great creative diversity, ideas and perspectives of the evolving sub-Saharan Africa. The news coverage will be immediately available on africanews.com and, in a few weeks, the TV channel will start broadcasting across the major distribution networks.

africanews.com

People in Africa and anywhere in the world can now access the africanews.com website.

Presented in four key areas – News / Economy / Sports / Culture – all the essential African and international news will be available in French and English on africanews.com.

With its responsive web design, africanews.com is suited to all mobile, tablet and computer screens and has the added feature of adapting to the quality of the available connection. Viewers may choose from three versions:

Lite version

Standard version

Advanced version

For weak connections, the day’s headlines load quickly (text format only).

Users can browse the news and magazines of Africanews, check the stock markets, get sports scores or select features in the field that interests them the most.

For a normal connection, the articles are illustrated by photos or standard resolution videos.

For high-speed connections, the complete site is displayed with texts, photos and HD videos.

The Africanews media comes with a community app known as “Story Hunters” which invites Africanews TV viewers and website users to play an active role in finding and creating news stories.

The Story Hunters app:

contribute, like, share, comment

More than just an app or a social network, Story Hunters is a news-sharing platform designed to be a forum for expression of all things important for Africa.

Available for iOS and Android devices, in French and English, the app allows users to watch video content published by Africanews, to comment on the items, rate them, send an emoticon, share or re-post them.

Africanews also invites news hunters to join the community so that they can contribute their own photos and videos, by sending them directly from their mobile phone via the app.

Download the app:

iOS		https://goo.gl/2BsQ3P
Android		https://goo.gl/mtQXzC

The Africanews team will select the best contributions and include them in the special ‘Story Hunters’ programme.

To round out its digital presence, Africanews has also created its first two YouTube channels, and Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Advertising sales

Sales of advertising space start today on digital media and on TV in a few weeks.

The first advertisers are: the mobile phone company MTN Congo, Brussels Airlines, and the hotel chain Accor Africa.

Sales contact for advertisers and ad agencies in Africa

Marianne Michelet,

Senior Account Director Africa

tel. +33 (0)1 53 96 60 49 marianne.michelet@euronews.com

For more information, see the Press section of the Africanews website: click here or contact:
Press department
Stéphanie Schroeder	Lydie Bonvallet
Director of External Relations	Head of Press and Public Relations
tel. +33 (0)1 53 96 92 78	tel. +33 (0)4 28 67 05 35
stephanie.schroeder@euronews.com	lydie.bonvallet@euronews.com

Editorial
François Chignac	Mame Campbell Touré
Director of Editorial Development for Africanews	Bureau Chief Africanews
tel. +242 06 996 00 88	tel. +242 06 997 00 88
francois.chignac@africanews.com	mame-campbell.toure@africanews.com

Sales
Olivier de Montchenu	Marianne Michelet
Managing Director Euronews Sales / Worlwide Commercial & Marketing Director	Senior Account Director Africa
tel. + 33 (0)1 53 96 50 10	tel. +33 (0)1 53 96 60 49
olivier.de.montchenu@euronews.com	marianne.michelet@euronews.com

Distribution
Arnaud Verlhac	Jean-Luc Maertens
Director Worldwide Distribution	Head of Distribution Africa and the Middle-East
tel. +33 (0)1 53 96 92 79	tel. +33 (0)1 53 96 92 75
arnaud.verlhac@euronews.com	jean-luc.maertens@euronews.com

RT celebrates its tenth anniversary

10 December 2015

International news channel RT marked its tenth anniversary with a major conference in Moscow on 10 December. The theme of the one-day event – attended by a range of international delegates from the world of media and politics as well as delegates from across Russia – was “Information, messages, politics: the shape-shifting powers of today’s world”. Guest speakers from the worlds of news, politics and security are taking part in lively discussions.

Speaking in a panel on security and surveillance on a link from London, Julian Assange provided thoughtful analysis of the state’s need for surveillance of the public.

RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan spoke about the role of the channel in the global media environment, highlighting the channel’s 3 billion views on YouTube.

Arnab Goswami, well-known presenter on India’s Times Now, talked of the “hegemony of Western news” and urged India to join the increasing number of global news channels.

In the evening, a gala reception attended by Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachev, along with many other Russian politicians and guests from national and international TV and radio channels, was held to round-off the day’s celebrations.

BBC World Service to receive funding boost

23 November 2015

The British government has announced that it proposes to provide a grant of £34m [US$51.42m] between 2016 and 17, and £85m a year from 2017-18 for the expansion of BBC World Service.

In its National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, the government says:

The BBC currently reaches 308 million people worldwide, and its goal is to reach 500 million people by 2022. The BBC World Service reaches into some of the most remote places in the world, providing a link to the UK for individuals and societies who would otherwise not have this opportunity. We will invest £85 million each year by 2017/18 in the BBC’s digital, TV and radio services around the world to build the global reach of the World Service and increase access to news and information.

BBC Director-General Tony Hall commented on the news: “I warmly welcome today’s announcement. It’s fantastic news.

“This new funding is the single biggest increase in the World Service budget ever committed by any government.

“The millions announced today will help the BBC deliver on our commitment to uphold global democracy through accurate, impartial and independent news reporting.

“The World Service is one of the UK’s most important cultural exports and one of our best sources of global influence. We can now further build on that. The funding will also help speed us on to our target of reaching half a billion people globally.”

The new funding will allow the BBC to develop a range of services, including:

Enhanced TV services for Africa
New radio services for audiences in North Korea; radio and digital services for Ethiopia and Eritrea
Additional language offers via digital and TV in India and Nigeria
More regionalised content to better serve audiences to the BBC Arabic Service
Dedicated TV output for Somalia and a fully digital service for Thailand
Enhanced digital and TV services for Russian speakers, both in Russia and surrounding communities
A video-led digital transformation of Languages services
To expand the impact and future-proof World Service English

The BBC took over the funding of BBC World Service – including all radio services and foreign language television services, but not BBC World News – in April 2014. It had previously been funded by a “grant-in-aid” from the British Foreign Office [Ministry].

RTI President in conversation with the AIB

23 November 2015

Radio Taiwan International has been broadcasting since the 1920s. Now it’s moving into the future with increased online and video activities supplementing its traditional radio offering. AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick visited RTI’s headquarters and talked with the broadcaster’s President, Weber Lai.

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