23 April 2019
Airing at 9pm, the studio based show focuses on the stories behind the news, with original storytelling and audience interaction via @GistNigeriaTV and its studio in Lagos.
Made by Channels Television and the BBC in Nigeria, this programme will be a weekly half hour for viewers in Nigeria, and is also screened on partner stations in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Gist Nigeria offers in-depth reporting, focusing on the stories behind the news, its impact and how it affects the audience. It features analysis, studio discussions and hard-hitting interviews around the key issues that matter to Nigerians and West Africa. The programme will also feature stories covered by a selection of the BBC’s African services.
Broadcast from Channels Television’s new studios in Lagos, the programme will be produced to the same high standards of journalism and production that audiences around the world expect from the BBC and Channels Television.
Coverage of news will never be the same as the show’s talented duo, Wale Fakile and Ajoke Lijadu-Ulohotse aim to bring a new perspective to a younger audience.
Kingsley Uranta, Channels Television Assistant General Manager, Operations, says: “We look forward to our viewers enjoying the best of television programme production, crafted in the cherished tradition of Channels Television which is anchored on truth, balance, fairness and integrity. Of equal importance is showcasing the giant strides of our people around the world as well as highlighting those issues that demand attention on our journey to a better society.”
Nisha Kapur, BBC Commissioning Editor, Africa, says: “This partnership between the BBC and Nigeria’s leading TV channel goes beyond news coverage. It will tap into conversations going on in the country and track successful Nigerians living abroad. As we report and analyse regional and global news stories, Gist Nigeria wants to be free of clichés often associated with the news coverage of Africa. The programme will deliver BBC journalism in a dynamic and engaging style, based on our long-standing principles of independence, accuracy and unbiased reporting.”
Gist Nigeria will feature the following segments each week:
- Social Story
Exploring and showcasing what is trending on social media
- *360*
Comparing and examining how the issues raised are resolved in other countries
- Check Me Out
Featuring successful and inspirational stories of Nigerians in the diaspora.
The new co-production will air live on Channels Television in Nigeria and will also be available on Channels24 in the UK via Freesat and Sky.
18 April 2019
Ruptly, the global multimedia agency, has received a Gold distinction for its coverage of the Yellow Vests, in the 2019 Shorty Awards Live News Coverage category.
Ruptly’s approach to covering the ‘Yellow Vest’ demonstrations was to enable audiences to make their own opinion. By capturing and publishing the events as they unfolded in real time, Ruptly teams allowed audiences to experience each moment as if there themselves. Ruptly streamed footage live on multiple social media platforms simultaneously, providing media organisations with a comprehensive account of events unfolding on the streets of Paris and other cities. Ruptly’s live streams were its most popular content on its social media platforms for 13 weeks in a row. The coverage attracted over 10 million views across the YouTube and Facebook pages of Ruptly and its clients based in 24 countries.
Dinara Toktosunova, CEO of Ruptly said:
“Social Media plays an integral role in journalism today. This award is testament to how our news teams fully embrace and effectively integrate social media in their work to deliver content that is timely, impactful and captivating.”
Challenged with delivering the best quality content to clients, Ruptly teams worked in extreme conditions, often caught in tear gas or pelted with paint, with one crew member being struck by a rubber bullet. Ruptly, nevertheless, maintained an on-the-ground presence of highly mobile teams who were able to relocate at a moment’s notice as the events progressed.
Katerina Alexandridi, Head of Planning said:
“We are proud that we were among the first to realize this was going to be more than a one-off, and that we needed not just to be there, but to be live. The main challenge was to never underestimate the amount of people needed on the ground as the weeks went by in order to, on the one hand, not miss any significant action and, on the other hand, keep our crews as safe as possible during protests that left many injured.”
The Shorty Awards, now in its 11th year, were the first awards to honour social media. The Shorty’s remains the most prominent awards of its kind, continuing to recognise the most influential, popular, and culturally relevant brands, organisations, agencies, campaigns and influencers across social media.
The 11th Annual Shorty Award winners were announced in Adweek and will be celebrated at the awards ceremony on 5 May in New York City.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlBPTKnH5nQ&feature=youtu.be
ABOUT RUPTLY
Ruptly is an award-winning global multimedia agency headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Delivering “News That Expands Views” via real-time and archive visual news content to all media, Ruptly pushes the boundaries of video journalism, using the latest newsgathering technology. Ruptly offers readily-edited video packages through Video Feed, operational facilities and broadcast services through Ruptly Ops, and direct access to global events via live streaming through Ruptly Live.
https://ruptly.tv/
ABOUT THE SHORTY AWARDS
The Shorty Awards honour the best of social media and are produced by Sawhorse Media (http://sawhorsemedia.com/), a New York-based technology start-up. Sawhorse also created and runs Muck Rack (http://muckrack.com/), the leading software platform that helps fortune 500 companies, brands, PR agencies and journalists build relationships, monitor news and measure the impact of media.
16 April 2019
MOSCOW, APRIL 11– RT is now accepting entries for the 2019 Khaled Alkhateb Memorial Awards, an annual international competition that recognizes the best journalism from conflict zones. The competition, now in its second year, was established in honor of RT Arabic freelancer, Khaled Alkhateb, who died in 2017 while reporting from Syria.
The International Khaled Alkhateb Memorial Awards is presented in three categories: Best Video Journalism from a Conflict Zone: Long Form, Best Video Journalism from a Conflict Zone: Short Form, and Best Written Journalism from a Conflict Zone.
The inaugural year of the competition in 2018 saw entries from more than 20 countries in 10 different languages. The winners were journalists from Iraq and Ireland, whose reporting shed light on the situation in Iraq and Syria following the expulsion of ISIS, and a journalist from Singapore for her coverage of the seizure of Marawi, Philippines by ISIS terrorists. Judging was conducted by an international jury of news media professionals and experts on the subject of war and armed conflicts, including former CBS correspondent Philip Ittner and the Association for International Broadcasting’s Tom Wragg.
The winners of the second annual Khaled Alkhateb Memorial Awards will be announced on July 30, which marks the day on which 25-year-old RT Arabic stringer Khaled Alkhateb was killed by ISIS shelling in Homs, Syria, in 2017. Khaled had been covering the fighting between Syrian government forces and terrorists. In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin posthumously honored Khaled with the Medal for Courage.
Find our more and submit your entry at https://award.rt.com.
5 April 2019
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and his newly-appointed Special Envoy on Media Freedom Amal Clooney (pictured) will establish a panel of legal experts to counter draconian laws that hinder journalists from going about their work.
After a meeting with the Canadian Foreign Minister and Amal Clooney at a G7 event in France, Mr Hunt set out the next stages of the UK’s campaign to defend free media around the world.
The High Level Panel of Legal Experts will examine legal and policy initiatives that states can adopt to improve media freedom including by:
- Offering advice to governments who want to strengthen legal mechanisms to improve media freedom;
- Supporting the repeal of outdated and draconian laws;
- Encouraging and supporting governments to help ensure existing laws and international obligations are enforced;
- Promoting best practice and model legislation to protect a vibrant free press.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Violence against journalists has reached alarming levels globally and we cannot turn a blind eye. The media has a crucial role to play in holding the powerful to account. There is no escaping the fact that draconian and outdated laws around the world are being used to restrict the ability of the media to report the truth. Amal Clooney’s leading work on human rights means she is ideally placed to ensure this campaign has real impact for journalists and the free societies who depend on their work. She will use her expertise to chair a panel comprising the world’s best legal minds to develop and promote legal mechanisms to prevent and reverse media abuses.”
International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the Foreign Secretary’s Special Envoy on Media Freedom and to have been invited to chair the High Level Panel of Legal Experts. Through my legal work defending journalists I have seen first-hand the ways in which reporters are being targeted and imprisoned in an effort to silence them and prevent a free media. I welcome the UK Government’s focus on this issue at a time when journalists are being killed and imprisoned at record levels all over the world and I look forward to working on new legal initiatives that can help to ensure a more effective international response.”
The global campaign on media freedom aims to shine a spotlight on media abuses and reverse the trend of violence against journalists.
The announcement on 5 April comes ahead of the International Conference on Media Freedom to be held in the UK on 10-11 July, co-hosted with the Canadian Government. The Association for International Broadcasting is collaborating with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the planning of this important event.
The conference will bring together leaders from around the world to share good practice on media freedom, and seek consensus behind the measures that can be taken to improve the protection of journalists.
5 April 2019
The leading innovators in software driven real-time production systems combine to accelerate innovation and advance a shared vision for video creation, production and distribution
San Antonio, USA and Bergen, Norway – Vizrt, the world’s leading provider of visual storytelling tools for media content creators, has acquired NewTek, world leader in IP-based, software-driven live video production solutions. The acquisition creates the largest company in the broadcast space that is dedicated to enabling IT based video production. The goal is to make it possible for people to tell their story using video, whether they are a kid in a classroom or a tier-1 broadcaster.
The combined companies emerge as the driving force in the transition to IP video for live production with NDI® and SMPTE 2110, with each serving different needs. The company will deliver flexible end-to-end workflows for all levels of production and software-based products and services for media, sports, entertainment, education, enterprise, and esports.
“Combining our organizations allow us to pursue our joint vision of software-based video production, leveraging the power and flexibility of computing and IT-based systems.” said Michael Hallén, Vizrt CEO. “The combined business will be very well positioned to deliver turnkey systems that give creative power to any organization that has ambitions of producing content for any output platform.”
The combination is a perfect match.
- Complementary software-based technology that creates an end-to-end workflow for the growing content creation market.
- A dedication to growing the adoption, strength, and accessibility of IP technology for all markets.
- A valuable channel network in place, that will benefit from taking a wider portfolio of products to customers.
- The new company combines the brilliant minds that invented the NDI protocol with the innovators that invented template-driven real-time graphics. The company will be R&D focused with the vision of providing the software-based video technology that is the foundation of the future of the media industry.
“Taking advantage of computational, software, and network technology to make video more accessible, and fun to create has always been NewTek’s mission. These changes have revolutionized the way stories are told worldwide, allowing anyone to create and share a show.” said Dr. Andrew Cross, President & CTO of NewTek. “The tools from our two companies have fueled the video revolution—from kids in classrooms, little league games, and web shows, to the highest levels of broadcasting, news and sports. The combined company represents one of the most disruptive changes for the video industry in decades, however the goal remains the same—to build a new world of IT-based video technology to grow the reach and impact for anyone with a story to share.”
With a mission to unleash the power of storytelling through video for everyone, the combined company is committed to the creation of accessible video production tools for all markets, while ensuring a smooth transition from traditional broadband to the flexibility of IP video.
Michael Hallén, current President & CEO of Vizrt, will lead the business. Dr. Andrew Cross, current President & CTO of NewTek, will assume the role as President of Research & Development of the combined company.
Both companies will be presenting to customers, partners, and press at NAB on Sunday 7th April in the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall. The NewTek community event will commence at 5:30pm and include a panel session, talk with NewTek’s Dr. Andrew Cross and welcome drinks.
Press contacts: Chris Black CBlack@vizrt.com / Cath Webb CWebb@vizrt.com
About Vizrt:
Vizrt is the world’s leading provider of visual storytelling tools for media content creators in the broadcast, sports, digital and esports industries. Vizrt offers market-defining software-based solutions for real-time 3D graphics, video playout, studio automation, sports analysis, media asset management, and journalist story tools. More than three billion people watch stories told by Vizrt customers everyday including from media companies such as CNN, CBS, NBC, Fox, BBC, BSkyB, Sky Sports, Al Jazeera, NDR, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, Tencent, and many more. Vizrt is a global and diverse company with over 500 employees, operating in 30 offices worldwide. Vizrt is a privately-owned company by Nordic Capital Fund VIII. Vizrt is creative power made easy. www.vizrt.com
About NewTek
As the leader in IP video technology, NewTek is transforming the way people create network-style television content and share it with the world. From sporting events, Web-based talk shows, live entertainment, classrooms, and corporate communications, to virtually any place people want to capture and publish live video, we give our customers the power to grow their audiences, brands and businesses faster than ever before.
Clients include: New York Giants, NBA Development League, Fox News, BBC, NHL, Nickelodeon, CBS Radio, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports, MTV, TWiT.TV, USA TODAY, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and more than 80% of the U.S. Fortune 100.
3 April 2019
The AIBs celebrate factual programming across TV, radio and online platforms
The 15th annual AIBs have opened for entry, helping programme makers across the world share and showcase their best work of the year. Launched in 2005, the AIBs have become established as the major international competition for factual productions. The AIBs are highly valued and respected by producers, editors and journalists across every continent, demonstrated by the ever-increasing number of entries from broadcasters and independent producers in almost 50 countries.
The AIBs 2019 have 21 categories ranging from daily journalism through to human interest, sport to children’s. The complete list is:
TV/video
- Children’s
- Science, technology, nature – sponsored by Radio Taiwan International
- Sport event coverage
- Arts and culture
- Human interest
- Short documentary
- Daily journalism: single report
- Daily journalism: ongoing reporting
- Politics and business
- Investigative
- Domestic affairs
- International affairs
Radio/audio
- Arts and culture
- Human interest
- Daily journalism: single report
- Daily journalism: ongoing reporting
- Investigative
- Factual podcast
Specialist
- International channel of the year
- Breakthrough talent
- Impact
Demonstrating the truly international dimension of the AIBs, all categories are open to work in every language. Winners in the past have submitted work in Arabic, Cantonese, Czech, French, German, Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish and Swedish, among other languages.
“The AIBs are one of the highlights of the Association for International Broadcasting’s work each year,” says Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “Each year we are truly privileged to see so much of the world’s best factual programmes entered into the competition. Many programmes deal with really tough, challenging subjects but they provide an extraordinary snapshot of the contemporary world. We work to ensure that that the entries are shared as widely as possible, helping to share best practice among programme makers around the world.”
Judging of the AIBs is undertaken by an international panel of experts, who bring global perspective and extensive industry experience to the competition. The judging takes place in September using the AIB digital voting system which provides online access to all shortlisted entries.
“We have more than 50 judges who give their time voluntarily to make the AIBs a success,” says Clare Dance, co-ordinator of the AIBs. “Every year our judges tell us that they are astounded by the range of content they see and hear, much of it material that they would not normally be able to view or listen to. Judges have gone on to commission programmes from producers who have been shortlisted, so the AIBs help develop international collaboration.”
The AIBs are open for entry until 28 June 2019. See the entry book online at http://theaibs.tv/Assets/AIBs-2019-books/AIBs-2019.html and more information at http://theaibs.tv.
