17 February 2017
London-based Celebro Media are in trials with a new type of HD OB Vehicle.
On Monday 20th February the studio and facilities company is offering a free trial to all broadcasters.
The new truck will be outside the UK Parliament at College Green (right) for planned coverage of the two parliamentary debates relating to the visit of Donald Trump. 15 minute slots will be available from Midday (1200GMT) till 1830 (GMT). Camera and sound is provided.
You can simply book a slot for a reporter or guest stand-up and Celebro Media will provide downlink details and IFB. The signal can be picked up at BT Tower for downlink (it may also be possible to arrange feeds to Reuters and EBU, by agreement) and there are no hidden costs or charges. We can also hand-off the signal via Streambox if required.
This is a totally free trial day with no commitment. Please pass on to your relevant Sat-Desk or bookings team – or any colleagues in international news media.
You can book your slot at studio@celebromedia.co.uk
For more details contact Andrew Lebentz on +44 7875 595 005 . Andrew is the on-site co-ordinator.
16 February 2017
(WASHINGTON — February 15, 2017) On UNESCO World Radio Day on Feb. 13, RFE/RL audiences gave the platform a resounding endorsement as a powerful medium and an indispensable source of information and news.
In an era when television and online media are increasingly dominant, radio continues to play a vital role for half of RFE/RL’s 27 million-strong audience. When RFE/RL asked listeners in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Moldova, and Georgia what radio means to them, hundreds of calls, emails, social media messages and SMSs flooded in to its broadcast services.
A female listener of Radio Mashaal, which has 800,000 Pashto-speaking listeners in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, wrote, “Radio Mashaal is like my mother, who gave me knowledge and awareness and taught me humanity.” A listener of RFE/RL’s Afghan Service wrote, “I congratulate all the journalists at Radio Azadi for upholding its name for 15 years by delivering programs that contribute to our freedom.” One of the 2 million listeners to Radio Farda, RFE/RL’s service Iran, said, “It has been 10 years now that Radio Farda has been my companion,” adding, “it is the only place [where] people are allowed to talk easily and freely… a democratic soul guides Radio Farda.”
A Georgian sociologist who listens to Radio Tavisupleba said, “Radio is alive and we need it,” while a civil servant in Moldova wrote of Radio Europa Libera that it’s “the only place I can get something besides lies and propaganda.”
Remarking on the enduring relevance of radio in Central Asia, Umed Babakhanov, the founder of Tajikistan’s independent news agency Asia-Plus, told an RFE/RL podcast that “Since Soviet times radio has always been the most important mass media” in the agrarian societies of Central Asia, where “people in the field cannot watch TV, but they can listen to the radio all day long.” He said the role of foreign broadcasters is as important as it was during Soviet era, since it’s “almost impossible” to express criticism of the government on domestic-run platforms.
RFE/RL is also marking the one-year anniversary of Radio Donbas.Realities, a live, daily one-hour FM broadcast that brings coverage of local and international news stories either ignored or misrepresented by pro-Kremlin media – about infrastructure, education, and the war – to more than 15 cities in Ukraine’s war-torn eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
15 February 2017
AIB welcomes Hum Network as first Member in Pakistan
National and international broadcaster set to benefit from full range of AIB services
The Association for International Broadcasting, the trade association for television, radio and online, is pleased to announce that Hum Network has become its first Member in Pakistan.
Hum Network is Pakistan’s only publicly-quoted media company, operating a range of television channels that are available across the country. Hum Network also offers its television channels in North America, the UK and the Middle East.
Established in 2004, Hum Network has expanded into production for television and film, and has plans for further development in a range of areas of the media both at home and abroad.
“We are delighted to welcome Hum Network as a Member of the Association for International Broadcasting,” said Simon Spanswick, AIB chief executive. “HUM Network is a dynamic company that has developed fast over the past 13 years. The AIB and its Members look forward to working with Hum Network and its executives as they expand their reach and introduce new services. As part of the AIB, Hum Network will benefit from the expertise that exists within the Association and from the opportunities of collaboration with our global membership base.”
“In joining the AIB, Hum Network is reinforcing its position as the pioneer of Pakistan’s media industry,” commented Duraid Qureshi, CEO of Hum Network (pictured). “We are pleased to be the AIB’s first Member in Pakistan, benefiting from the work that the Association undertakes for all its Members across the world. My colleagues and I are looking forward to working closely with the AIB and its Members.”
As a Member, Hum Network now has access to the full range of the AIB’s work, ranging from market intelligence briefings to participation in working groups that focus on key areas of activity such as cyber security, sustainability and audience measurement. The AIB also supports its Members on key issues that affect their business through its international lobbying activities.
The Association for International Broadcasting is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation that works for the benefit of its Members and of the wider media industry.
15 February 2017
Arabsat and ONT have signed an agreement to launch a Tunisian broadcast platform on Arabsat Badr-4 at 26°E.
This platform operation will start by end of Q2, 2017 and will allow Tunisian and regional broadcasters to have direct access from Tunis to the growing 26°E neighbourhood with a coverage encompassing MENA and Western Europe.
“This platform is the result of the long term cooperation between Arabsat and the Office National de la Telediffusion Tunisien (ONT) which had started several years ago “said Khalid Balkheyour, CEO of Arabsat. “It will enhance our relationship with Tunisia where Arabsat is already present through our Satellite Control Station as well as the HQ of our strategic partner ASBU.”
“Expanding our cooperation with Arabsat will enable us to meet our customers’ needs and position ONT as a true one stop shop. We believe the 26°E neighbourhood will continue its growth through the addition of exclusive TV channels respecting the traditions of the region” added the CEO of ONT Mr Dhaker Baccouch.
Rohde and Schwarz was chosen for the installation and commissioning of the platform with the most up to date technical specifications.
(Source: Arabsat press release)
14 February 2017
Third satellite in the Intelsat EpicNG High-Throughput fleet, now with unmatched resilience over one of the world’s most trafficked routes
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, today announced the successful launch of the Intelsat 32e satellite aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 16:39 EST. The satellite separated from the rocket’s lower stage at 17:06 EST and signal acquisition has been confirmed.
Intelsat 32e is designed to overlay certain beams of Intelsat 29e, the company’s first Intelsat EpicNG spacecraft, increasing the throughput available in the highly-trafficked Caribbean and North Atlantic routes and providing resiliency for mobility network service providers servicing those shipping and air routes. The satellite is located at 317º East.
“This is the first of three Intelsat EpicNG satellite launches planned for 2017 as we continue to deploy our high-performance overlay on the world’s first Globalized Network. With the addition of Intelsat 32e, Intelsat is now the only satellite operator with HTS resiliency over the world’s busiest air route,” said Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “Intelsat 32e also increases our capabilities to support the growth of our maritime customers in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, such as the exclusive use of our services for broadband to most of the world’s largest cruise ships sailing the Caribbean right now.”
The Intelsat EpicNG design reflects the company’s innovative approach to introducing high-throughput technology to the world’s largest community of commercial-grade satellite networks which operate on the Intelsat fleet. The design optimizes performance at the user level, providing unmatched signal efficiency and a high-speed return link perfect for uploading user-created videos to the web or back to the home office. Intelsat EpicNG is backwards compatible and fully interoperable with Intelsat’s existing satellite fleet and terrestrial infrastructure, allowing customers to use currently deployed network hardware to access the high performance connectivity. The platform’s open architecture allows customers to have control over service offerings and hardware selection, providing differentiation of service offerings.
Intelsat’s next planned launch is Intelsat 35e, scheduled aboard a SpaceX Falcon flight in the second quarter of 2017.
Supporting Resources:
(Source: Intelsat press release)
13 February 2017
In the year since the last World Radio Day, the global radio industry has gone from strength to strength.
Some estimates suggest that today there are over 44,000 radio stations – large, medium and small – all over the world. It is believed that 75% of the planet’s population – about 5.6 billion people – listen to radio every week. That’s an impressive number and shows that radio, in all its forms, remains an important medium.
At the Association for International Broadcasting, we monitor developments in all sectors of the media industry, and the vibrancy of today’s radio industry continues to fascinate us. There continues to be remarkable innovation in the sector. New initiatives, such as radio.garden, have become viral internet sensations. Voice controlled devices, like Amazon’s Echo, place radio from around the world at the centre of people’s homes. World Radio Day 2017 marks the official launch of the dot radio top level domain that will allow radio broadcasters to harness the power of, and be more easily recognised on, the internet.
Of course, it is the engagement with listeners that is most exciting about radio, and the impact the medium has on people’s lives. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague, has collected anecdotes from some of its 13.5million listeners across Central Asia, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. They talk of the impact that the broadcaster has on their lives and how RFE/RL has created a democratic space that benefits society.
“The work of radio members of the Association for International Broadcasting remains as important today as it has always been,” comments Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the AIB. “Whether it’s entertainment, news or documentaries, radio continues to engage, inform and educate listeners in every country on the planet. And we’re delighted to see exciting, relevant new initiatives that makes radio ever more accessible in today’s ‘always on’ society. Radio isn’t just important on World Radio Day – it’s on the air 365 days a year, touching people’s lives in a constantly increasing number of positive ways.”
The AIB’s Business of Radio book highlights the continuing relevance of the radio industry and showcases the work of some of the AIB’s Members around the world. Read it online here.
