28 February 2011
The ABC is seeking expressions of interest from media practitioners across the Pacific for the 2011 ABC International Pacific Fellowship Award.
The Award Fellow will spend four months at the ABC in Australia on a professional development program focused on enhancing their content making skills across a range of media platforms and maximising audience engagement.
The Fellow will be assigned a senior ABC Mentor for the duration of their program. This Mentor will be responsible for ensuring the Fellow receives appropriate opportunities to develop their skills against an agreed professional development plan.
The Award Fellow will receive full funding support from the ABC.
Expressions of interest are sought from Pacific Islanders with at least five years experience as a content maker in the region.
For further information, contact Tanya Scott on +61 (0)3 9524 2747 or email internationalprojects@abc.net.au
28 February 2011
Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. on Tuesday reported successful testing of international transmission of Super Hi-Vision video over the regular shared network, Asia Pulse reported.
Super Hi-Vision is a next-generation video format with a pixel resolution 16 times that of today’s high-definition television.
The goal is to begin test-broadcasting in Super Hi-Vision around 2020. Initially, the format would be used for public viewing on giant screens of sports events.
The Super Hi-Vision technology has already been developed to the point where signals can be transmitted internationally over leased lines and via satellite. Being able to use the shared network will significantly lower communications costs.
For the test, the Super Hi-Vision video was compressed to reduce the volume of data, then transmitted via the shared network of high-speed fibre used by such entities as universities and research institutions.
The signals originated from NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo, travelled via Britain to the BBC in London, and came back to an NTT centre in Tokyo. The total distance travelled came to roughly 80,000km, with a time lag of only 0.3 second or so. In comparison, Super Hi-Vision transmission via satellite over the same distance has a time lag of around 1.2 seconds. (Source: ABU)
28 February 2011
Thirteen broadcasters from around the world have indicated interest joining Eurovision TV Lab, including Japan’s NHK, Korea’s KBS, Germany’s ZDF and Britain’s BBC. The project is part of the Eurovision TV Lab Week in September.
The Eurovision TV Lab is a showcase for new innovative programme formats created by public broadcaster NPO/Nederland 3 where it has already been run successfully twice. The EBU supports the new initiative to extend the project to the rest of the world.
Roek Lips, NPOs channel manager and creator of the TV Lab in the Netherlands, says, This first-of-its-kind project will link younger audiences to new public service television formats. He adds, Broadcasters have opened themselves up to innovation and that is a brave thing to do.
Public broadcasters joining the Eurovision TV Lab will contribute at least one pilot programme to a pool, as part of the Eurovision TV Lab Week for one week in September. Whether current events, drama, music or chat, all these shows will be broadcast on TV for the very first time to see whether the new programmes are a hit or not. Each broadcaster will use the same technology to involve the viewers. Social media tools and applications will measure how the pilots work with the audience.
23 February 2011
The latest AIB industry briefing has been published. Delivered to the in-boxes of more than 25,000 media leaders globally, the regular industry briefings offer snapshots of developments across the world’s media industry.
23 February 2011
Poland’s TVN Agency is ready to provide services for the first anniversary of the crash of the presidential plane in Smolensk and the Beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1st, 2011.
Services include: live stand-up positions and multi-format tape playout facilities in Smolensk and Vatican City; services in Poland include: live stand-up positions, studios in Warsaw and regional TVN offices, multi-format tape playout facilities, fully equipped SNG trucks and OB-vans and a wide range of ENG equipment for rent, multi-language speaking ENG crews for hire, production support, editing facilities.
Using the Warsaw Teleport with a connectivity to the global fibre network operated by Genesis Networks/ Global Crossing, TVN Agency is able to offer tailor-made solutions for all kinds of transmissions required.
TVN Agency is a supplier of news and archive video content using the resources of TVN Groups television channels. In the TVN library clients can search for archive footage related to the tragedy in Smolensk as well as to the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Live coverage of particular events will also be available upon request.
21 February 2011
Results of a new poll of Egyptians in Cairo and Alexandria show that 25 percent of respondents tuned into Alhurra to follow the recent uprising in Egypt. The telephone survey was conducted during the networks 18 days of live comprehensive coverage of the historic events in Egypt.
The poll, commissioned by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, focused on how Egyptians in Cairo and Alexandria consumed media during the recent protests in Egypt. Results show that Egyptians turned heavily to satellite television to follow the events in their country during the demonstrations. Although the pan-Arab channel Al Arabiya was the most widely watched, surpassing Egyptian State TV, Alhurra TV reached a large audience during this period, with a quarter of all respondents saying they had used the station to follow the events. The results also showed there was substantial use of communications methods such as text messaging, social networking, or email; in spite of Egyptian authorities attempts to block these technologies.
The survey results confirm what we had been hearing throughout the last three weeks, that Alhurra was a prominent source of news and information for the Egyptian people, stated MBN President Brian Conniff. This is also a testament to Alhurras excellent journalists who covered this story, despite threats against them.
Throughout the coverage of the events in Egypt, Alhurra correspondents were in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria providing viewers with a firsthand account of the stories of the protesters and their unwavering desire for reform. Alhurra also brought the American perspective on the crisis; both the official Administration position as well as reaction from diverse voices throughout the public policy community. The networks comprehensive coverage culminated in being the first to report that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would resign and hand over power to the Egyptian Army.
The phone survey, conducted between Feb. 4-10, 2011, consisted of 500 randomly selected adults (age 15+) in the cities of Cairo and Alexandria. A complete copy of the survey can be found here.
Recent surveys by international research companies such as ACNielsen show that Alhurra has consistently averaged approximately 26 million weekly viewers for the last three years. Alhurra is operated by the non-profit corporation The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN). MBN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. The BBG serves oversight and as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.
