NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s focus in September: Kii
NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s focus in September: Kii
Sacred Kii Mountains
Barakan Discovers
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Small Journeys
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INNOVATIVE INVESTIGATIONS
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INNOVATIVE INVESTIGATIONS
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France 24 signs a major distribution agreement with Sun Direct in India
France 24 signs a major distribution agreement with Sun Direct in India
Already available via a number of cable and satellite offerings in the country, France 24 is now accessible to over 90 million Indian households, representing 60% of all TV subscriptions. India, where the channel in English is highly followed, has the largest number of France 24 viewers globally.
[Source: France 24 press release]
ABC signs MOU with Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)
ABC signs MOU with Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Indonesia’s public radio broadcaster Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI).
RRI President Director Hendrasmo and ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman signed the new agreement at the ABC offices in Sydney. A delegation of senior leadership from RRI and ABC International were in attendance to welcome the partnership.
The establishment of the MOU identifies the shared commitments of the ABC and RRI as public broadcasters in serving their national audiences with informative, educational and entertaining content and services.
The key tenets of the agreement endorse the strengthening of the relationship between the ABC and RRI through content sharing across programming, training of teams and personnel, media capacity building and the exchange of technical information.
ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman said: “We are proud to be partnering with RRI in this next chapter with future opportunities for collaborative endeavours through content and information exchange. This MOU expresses our mutual commitments as public broadcasters and the shared understanding of how we can best fulfil our obligations to our audiences across the region.”
President Director of RRI Hendrasmo said: “In this era of disruption, the key word is collaboration. We want to strengthen our institution, both in terms of content and human resources. This is one of the reasons why we are collaborating with the ABC. Moreover, developing human resources is our current priority, as we aim to remain strong and resilient in facing the era of change that is causing the media to experience difficult times.”
New ABC Radio Australia series Politok asks the big questions about politics in the Pacific
New ABC Radio Australia series Politok asks the big questions about politics in the Pacific
Join Papua New Guinean journalist and presenter Scott Waide with ABC Radio Australia’s new series Politok, as he unpacks the major political issues and stories from across the Pacific region.
Politok is the latest series to join the line-up of Pacific-focused programming across ABC Radio Australia, with weekly episodes breaking down the biggest topics impacting politics in the Pacific.
Hosted by Scott Waide, Politok investigates the key political issues by speaking with regional leaders, public servants, aid workers, journalists and citizens with analysis delivered by academics and industry experts.
As the former-Deputy Regional Head of News at Papua New Guinea television station EMTV, Scott has worked extensively across news reporting, researching, and digital storytelling in the Pacific for over 25 years.
Scott said he is excited to be bringing Politok to ABC Radio Australia audiences. “Discussions around politics and how it affects the lives of ordinary people are essential for awareness and good governance in the Pacific. I have always held the view that political discussions should never be confined just to the circles of politicians. It should be shaped by the opinions and the mood of the public. The media is an integral part of that discourse as it provides the platform for education and awareness as a conduit and intermediary.”
ABC Radio Australia Manager Justine Kelly said: “We are thrilled to have Scott presenting Politok. His extensive expertise and experience in reporting and storytelling will provide listeners with unique insights into the biggest political issues impacting the Pacific. Featuring an impressive lineup of guests, Scott will unpack those tough-to-answer questions by speaking with key figures, experts and community members from across the region.”
“It’s fantastic having Scott in-country in Papua New Guinea delivering the series, and alongside the dedicated work of Series Producer Jordan Fennell and Producer Kuntamari Crofts, the team have created an outstanding new show on ABC Radio Australia.”
With a different focus across each episode, over the next ten weeks Politok will discuss fly-in fly-out aid culture, whistleblowers and transparency, women’s representation in politics, protest music, and the prevalence of votes of no confidence in the Pacific.
SERIES DETAILS:
Politok is on air on ABC Radio Australia every Tuesday at 9:00am AEST and PNG, 10:00am SIT and 11:00am FJT and repeated on Thursday afternoons at 2:35pm AEST and PNG time, 3:35pm SIT and 4:35pm FJT.
WAYS TO LISTEN:
There are multiple ways to listen to ABC Radio Australia – live via internet streaming or in your area through 24-hour FM stations, or catch up with full episodes on ABC Pacific online.
BBC World Service English announces new rebroadcasting partnership in the Cayman Islands
BBC World Service English announces new rebroadcasting partnership in the Cayman Islands
BBC World Service English has partnered with DMS Broadcasting to bring our news, current affairs and factual radio programming to audiences in the Cayman Islands. This partnership underscores the strategic importance of this regional hub.
DMS Broadcasting is a leading radio broadcasting group based in the Cayman Islands, with seven FM radio stations dedicated to music, entertainment, news, and information.
BBC World Service English will be rebroadcast on Bobo FM 89.1 from 10.30 AM to 7.30 AM, 5 days a week, with a variation near the end of the week, and on average 21 hours on weekends.
Fred Durman, BBC’s Head of Business Development for the Americas and Europe, says: “The BBC is delighted to expand its reach in the Cayman Islands through this rebroadcasting agreement with DMS Broadcasting. By offering a significant number of hours of programming daily on Bobo FM 89.1, we continue our mission to inform, educate, and entertain a global audience. This initiative not only extends our footprint but also ensures that more listeners can access high-quality, trusted news and diverse programming from around the world.”
Blake Rogers, DMS Broadcasting General Manager, says: “We’re thrilled to finally announce our partnership between the BBC and DMS Broadcasting. As one of the most renowned and trusted news organizations in the world, the BBC will make it possible to elevate our news products and service elements for our listeners. And, as the new official BBC radio station in Cayman, Bobo 89.1 FM will be THE place for news and talk in the Cayman Islands.”
[Source: BBC press release]
American RFE/RL Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva Released from Russian Custody
American RFE/RL Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva Released from Russian Custody
After more than nine months in prison, American RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been released as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia. The deal included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained by the Kremlin for 16 months.
RFE/RL President & CEO Stephen Capus said: “We welcome news of Alsu’s release and are grateful to the American government and all who worked tirelessly to end her unjust treatment by Russia.
Alsu was targetted because she was an American journalist who was simply trying to take care of a family member inside Russia. She did nothing wrong and certainly did not deserve the unjust treatment and forced separation from her loving family members and colleagues.
Alsu’s release makes us even more determined to secure the freedom of three other RFE/RL journalists, cruelly imprisoned in Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea. We will not rest until all our unjustly detained journalists are home safe. Journalism is not a crime.
Welcome home, Alsu.”
Pavel Butorin, Alsu’s husband and Director of RFE/RL’s Current Time television, said: “Today, my daughters and I are witnessing a historic act of resolve and compassion by the U.S. government and its allies, demonstrating that the free world values human life and family above all else, even when it means exchanging real criminals and spies to save wrongfully detained Americans.
After over a year of separation and more than nine months of brutal detention, Alsu will finally be free. Thanks to the unwavering efforts of the U.S. government and our tireless advocacy work, she will soon reunite with her family.
For more than nine months, Alsu was denied basic human dignity. She was locked up in horrific prison conditions, denied phone calls with her children or U.S. consular visits, and deprived of proper medical care. She was convicted in a secret trial for a crime she did not commit, held in jail solely because she is an American and an American journalist.”
Alsu Kurmasheva is a journalist with RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service who was detained in Kazan, Russia, on October 18, 2023. Alsu holds U.S. and Russian citizenship and lives in Prague, Czech Republic, with her husband and two daughters.
Alsu travelled to Russia on May 20, 2023, to care for her elderly, ailing mother. She was temporarily detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2, 2023. Authorities at Kazan airport confiscated her US and Russian passports, preventing her from leaving the country. She was subsequently fined 10,000 rubles (US$103) for failure to register her US passport with Russian authorities.
Before she could pay this fine, she was detained again on October 18, 2023, for failing to declare herself a “foreign agent.” On December 11, 2023, Russian authorities launched a third investigation against Alsu for “spreading false information” about Russia’s military.
Following a rapid and secret trial, Kurmasheva was convicted of “spreading false information” about Russia’s military on July 19, 2024, and sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Image: RFE/RL