27 November 2019
Iranian government’s action mirrors attack on BBC Persian
The Association for International Broadcasting today condemned the freezing of assets of journalists working for London-based Iran International by the Iranian authorities.
The move, reported by the Fars news agency in Tehran, imposes legal restrictions on journalists working at Iran International, the Persian-language TV network that broadcasts news, current affairs and feature programmes from its headquarters in west London. The asset freeze come in the wake of the Iranian government’s failure to stop reporting by Iran International of the crack down on protestors in the country following the threefold rise in petrol prices.
The asset freeze and legal restrictions mirror the actions taken by the Iranian authorities against BBC Persian journalists and staff based in the United Kingdom two years ago. The scale and severity of the Iranian authorities’ actions led the BBC to file a complaint at the United Nations, the first time the Corporation had taken such a step.
In addition to the asset freeze, Iran International’s satellite television signal has been jammed as the authorities in Tehran attempt to prevent viewers in Iran watch the channel.
“We are appalled by this latest attempt by Iran’s government to silence journalists who are reporting news from and about Iran,” said Simon Spanswick, Chief Executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “The Iranian government is once again trying to use a jurisprudence dragnet to intimidate journalists and their families. At the same time, it is seeking to restrict access to news and information by its own citizens. The Association for International Broadcasting and its Members – who collectively serve audiences of over one billion people every week – call on the Iranian government to immediately cease from this act of harassment and intimidation and to lift the asset freezes immediately. The jamming of the channel’s signal must also end.”
In March 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran deplored the harassment of BBC Persian staff and reiterated the seriousness of the persecution of BBC staff, which included the publication of fake and defamatory news to undermine the reputation of BBC Persian journalists.
The Iranian authorities ban both Iran International and BBC Persian in the country. Despite the restrictions, both broadcasters reach significant numbers of people in the country, counted in the millions.
The AIB is supporting its Members around the world through its Media Freedom Initiative that seeks to increase the cost of infringements of media freedom to governments and other actors.
25 November 2019
These are some of the programme highlights of NHK WORLD TV for the month of December:
Baja’s Studio [December 27] Dreams are the stock-in-trade of KOHATA Anime Studio. The people of this fictional facility take care of Baja, a creature that looks something like a hamster. One evening, when Baja peeks outside, he sees a cat attacking his friend, a duck. Baja embarks on a mysterious nighttime mission, hoping to rescue his companion. Directed by Ichiro Miyoshi , Animation: Kyoto Animation
ABU TV Song Festival in Tokyo [Part 1: December 29; Part 2: December 30] Top musicians from 11 countries and regions presented a multi-cultural extravaganza at the 8th “ABU TV Song Festival” of Asia and the Pacific. Shingo Murakami, the MC of “SONGS OF TOKYO,” hosts the performance. Hey! Say! JUMP and Joe Hisaishi, both from Japan, join artists from other places, including A. R. Rahman, Na Ying and TWICE. Tune in for a tuneful tour of this part of the world.
Home Sweet Tokyo, Season 3 [Saturdays in December] Still just a few months into their move to Tokyo, life is hectic as ever for Bryan and the Matsuyama-Jenkins family! “Home Sweet Tokyo Season 3” takes the family from bizarre Japanese business meetings and British tea parties, to peaceful rural rice fields and summer festivals, as Bryan & Itsuki, together with their daughter Alice and her traditional grandfather Tsuneo, work together to adjust to their new life in Tokyo.
Somewhere Street [Sundays] A unique walking-eye view of cities around the globe! Chat to the locals and enjoy encounters that only strolling the streets can bring.
[Source: NHK WORLD TV press release]
22 November 2019
MBC Group’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, SHAHID has announced the launch of its first-ever original production. Titled ‘ElDiva’, the drama series stars the superstar Cyrine Abdel Nour in the lead role, alongside actor Yacob Alfarhan, and the Egyptian folk singer and actress, Bosy. The production is expected to launch on SHAHID on 27 November.
The title was launched in a press preview evening attended by the stars of the show. During the preview, Abdel Nour expressed her joy at being involved in the project, touching upon how it is a “natural progression” for her journey with MBC, following on from her critically-acclaimed drama, ‘Ruby’ that was first aired in 2012, up to last Ramadan’s ‘Al Hayba: Al Hasad’, released in May of this year.
‘ElDiva’ marks a shift in traditional drama productions, inspired by real events and fiction; complemented by the experiences of MBC’s producers involved in producing various talent-spotting TV shows.
Alex Meouchy, MBC’s Senior Regional Manager of Content commented: “We have produced a large number of Arabic adaptations of global, top-rated talent-spotting TV shows. During work on these productions, the entire team encounter numerous situations that would be absolutely fascinating to watch as a fictional drama.” Meouchy concluded: “Viewers always want to know what happens when the cameras are turned off, and so this is how the idea of ‘ElDiva’ came about. Subsequently, SHAHID decided to introduce ’ElDiva’ as its first SHAHID ORIGINAL.”
Johannes Larcher, Managing Director, SHAHID said: “MBC was the first major media company in the region to launch a VOD platform. Year after year, it continues to cement its status as a leader in this vital sector. The launch of SHAHID’s first short-form original is in-line with the Group’s extensive five-year growth and expansion plan. Multinational drama productions are more popular than ever – and the best quality they have ever been – thanks to the introduction and growth of global digital platforms and VOD. Nearly all the international giants of entertainment have turned or are turning their attention to this type of ‘digital first’ content.Today, we launch our first title of short-form SHAHID ORIGINALS – and this is just the beginning. We promise viewers more premium content and quality productions with diverse storytelling in the coming period.”
Directed by Randa Alam, ‘ElDiva’ is a multinational production, with Lebanese and Egyptian scriptwriters involved in the creation of the story: Sarah Faraj, Hind Radwan, Sama Abdel Khalek, Engi Al-Qasim and Jad Khoury. Joining Cyrine Abdel Nour, Yacob Alfarhan and Bosy in the cast are Mahira Abdel Aziz, Wissam Fares, Dory Samarani, Stephanie Attalah, and Nibal Arakji.
Sponsors of ‘ElDiva’ include GMC (General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC); Mars (Mars GCC FZE); Samsung (Samsung Gulf Electronics), and Unilever (Unilever General Trading LLC & BINZAGR UNILEVER LTD).
[Source: MBC press release]
21 November 2019
The U.S. Agency for Global Media’s (USAGM) Board of Governors announced that effective November 20, 2019, Bay Fang will serve as President of Radio Free Asia (RFA).
“We are thrilled to have Bay take the helm at RFA at such a critical time,” said USAGM CEO and Director Grant Turner. “Across Asia, press freedom continues to decline and the need for unbiased news and information is increasing. I am confident that Bay will provide excellent leadership and continue the unparalleled journalism RFA is known for.”
Bay most recently served as Executive Editor of RFA, supervising coverage across all of Asia. A longtime journalist and former diplomat, she first came to RFA as Managing Director for East Asia, overseeing the management and editorial content of RFA’s five East Asian language services. Her 20-year career in journalism includes serving as the Diplomatic Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, and covering the wars in Afghanistan (2001-2002) and Iraq (2003-2004) for US News and World Report magazine. She started her career as the Beijing Bureau Chief for US News and World Report, where she won the Robert F. Kennedy journalism award for her story “China’s Stolen Wives.” Ms. Fang earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and was a visiting fellow at Oxford University and a Fulbright scholar in Hong Kong.
The RFA Board named Ms. Fang to serve for an interim period, upon the resignation of RFA President Libby Liu. Ms. Liu, who had served as RFA President since 2005, will continue in a leadership role in the USAGM family in a capacity to be formally announced soon. “Libby has been a tireless advocate for press freedom in Asia, and her impact on RFA is without question,” said CEO Turner. “She has been and will continue to be a powerful force in giving a voice to the voiceless.”
[Source: USAGM press release]
7 November 2019
In front of an international audience of 200 media professionals, the winners in the 19 categories of this year’s AIB International Media Awards – the AIBs – received their prizes on 6 November at a glittering awards gala in London’s iconic venue LSO St Luke’s.
The awards night was hosted by Caroline Hepker from Bloomberg TV and Rana Rahimpour from BBC Persian who was ‘In conversation’ with microsculptor Willard Wigan.
During the evening, clips from the more than 400 hours of content that had been entered for the AIBs 2019 were shown which demonstrated the depth and breadth of these international awards for factual content production.
Supporting the event were event partner Al Jazeera Media Network and Radio Taiwan International who sponsored the Science, Technology and Nature category.
You can see full details of the winners and highly commended entries here.
31 October 2019
Zahra Nedjabat will take over responsibility for International Relations and Diversity at Deutsche Welle on 1 November. She succeeds Klaus Bergmann who is retiring after 28 years at DW.
From now on, DW’s International Relations department will also include Diversity.
DW director Peter Limbourg said Zahra was the ideal fit for this role: “As a multi-lingual and cosmopolitan personality, she will promote our internationality and diversity both internally and externally.”
Limbourg thanked outgoing Head of International Relations Klaus Bergmann for his work, saying that he acted as an accomplished and much appreciated DW ambassador on the international stage.
Nedjabat studied Comparative Literature, Islamic Studies, Philosophy and History in Bonn and Paris. Prior to joining DW, she worked as an editor and PR project manager at media.net berlinbrandenburg and as head of corporate communications at TRIAD Berlin. Nedjabat gained journalistic experience at BBC World and the radio station RC 93.9 FM Paris. Since 2014 she has been organising the Vienna International Christian-Islamic Summer University.
(Source: DW press release)
