4 October 2010
NHK/NHK Educational Corporation, and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel are happy to announce that their first co-production series Discover Science is gaining interest from broadcasters around the world. Already German broadcaster SWR; UR from Sweden, and EBS from Korea have come on board as co-producers since the series started calling out for partners in April; Astro will also broadcast the series in Malaysia and Brunei.
Discover Science is a new science entertainment series that offers a chance to understand the theories of science by seeing it in action through ridiculously huge experiments. The creative visualization paired with NHKs latest shooting techniques has yielded fascinating ways to visualize scientific phenomena.
Walter Sucher, Head of the Department of Science and Education at Sudwestrundfunk (SWR), the first to come on board as a co-producer explains, Our producers were excited about this series because it brings scientific phenomena from the lab into the real world. And in doing so it also helps us to understand better what may be called ‘the unnatural nature of science’. Because what seems to be logic in little things does not necessarily have to work on a larger scale – or does it? It does, and Discover Science makes us understand why.
Kenichi Murakami, President and CEO of NHK Educational Corporation (NED) which led the production comments, We are very happy that so many broadcasters have shown interest at such an early stage. We believe this shows how much need there is for good science programs presented in a fun way. We did produce the series with the mindset to make it something that would fit in any country or any program, so we are happy to see so many people taking interest.
Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel (JCC), stated: We are pleased to see the fruit of our co-production with NHK/NED being positively received by broadcasters around the world for both English and Arabic versions; we are also looking forward to more co-productions with the NHK on science, technology and environment.
Now that the 26 episodes are complete, NHK/NED/JCC are looking to expand the territories which the program will be shown. They have appointed NHK Enterprises (NEP) as their official distributor.
Vice-President, Yukihiko Amagi, who oversees international distribution at NHK Enterprises (NEP) says NEP is very happy to be given the opportunity to be the Official Distributor of this series. We have high expectations for this series as it is designed to fit to broad genres, like science, children, education, and pure entertainment.
29 September 2010
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson tonight announced a new direction for U.S. international broadcasting that “seizes on the latest media tools and technology to stay one step ahead of those who seek to repress free information around the world.”
As Chairman of the BBG, Isaacson oversees RFE, VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio/TV Marti, Radio Sawa, and Alhurra TV, which have a combined weekly audience of more than 171 million people.
“The challenges we face in the new global struggle against repression and intolerance are as great today as they were during the Cold War,” he said at a reception marking the 60th anniversary of RFE’s first broadcast.
“And just as the founders of Radio Free Europe succeeded in developing creative and innovative ways to get news and information to people suffering behind the Iron Curtain, so too must today’s U.S. international broadcasters respond to modern threats to freedom in new and inventive ways.”
Speaking at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Isaacson said, “America cannot let itself be out-communicated by its enemies.”
“Our traditional role of delivering the news top down needs to be complimented by a new approach that catalyzes social networks,” said Isaacson. “By creating peer-to-peer global communities, we help guarantee the universal human right of access to the free flow of information.”
Tonight’s reception honored six decades of RFE. On July 4, 1950, Radio Free Europe went on the air for the first time with a broadcast to communist Czechoslovakia from a studio in New York City’s Empire State Building.
Today, RFE reaches nearly 20 million people in 28 languages and 21 countries from Europe to the Middle East. In Afghanistan, RFE’s Radio Azadi is the most popular media outlet in the country. In Iran, RFE’s Radio Farda is influential – its Facebook page has more than 50,000 fans.
“We remain a lifeline for people living in war zones and under authoritarian rule who seek accurate and reliable news,” said RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin, who moderated tonight’s reception.
ABOUT RFE
RFE is an independent, international news and broadcast organization whose programs — radio, Internet and television — reach influential audiences in 21 countries such as Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the republics of Central Asia. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). You can follow RFE on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
29 September 2010
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a leading provider of comprehensive content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, has announced that it has expanded the responsibilities of Eric Larsen, recently hired as Senior Director of Sales for RRsat America, to include the development of strong business relationships with major US media organizations and to increase exposure and awareness of RRsat throughout the North American market.
Larsen, who will be based in Los Angeles, comes to RRsat with over twenty-five years of experience in the international television industry, with a particular focus on content aggregation and distribution, marketing, production and operations. Prior to joining RRsat, he was the Senior Director of Key Accounts for Intelsat Corporation. Larsen provided strategic account management for many of Intelsat’s premier North American customers, and was responsible for securing one of its largest contracts.
We have big plans over the coming year to bring all of RRsats globally recognized broadcasting services and capabilities to the U.S. market said Lior Rival, Vice President, Sales and Marketing of RRsat. Eric, with all of his experience and industry knowledge, is the perfect person to extend our North American initiative and we are excited to support his progress in the region.
27 September 2010
Radio Netherlands Worldwide was among the winners with three English-language programmes at the prestigious New York International Television and Radio Festivals 2010. The radio documentary The Lonely Funeral was crowned with a gold medal. The radio programme The State Were In won two awards, a silver medal for Babahs Day In Court and a bronze medal for Otto and Lucy. The festival received entries from over 30 countries. The awards were presented during a ceremony in New York on 24 September 2010.
A gold medal was awarded to programme maker Michele Ernsting for The Lonely Funeral, a documentary about a poet and a civil servant who create an extraordinary ritual for people who die alone in Amsterdam. Their shared respect for the dead forges an unlikely friendship.
www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/lonely-funeral
Programme makers Jonathan Groubert and Greg Kelly of the radio programme The State Were In won a silver medal for their report entitled Babahs Day In Court. Babah Tarawallys world was turned upside down by Charles Taylors war in Sierra Leone. He musters the courage to go to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to see to make what he calls his confrontation with history.
download.omroep.nl/rnw/smac/cms/tswi_section_a_15_august_2009_redux_newest_20090818_44_1kHz.mp3
The bronze medal went to programme maker Chris Chambers of the The State Were In for his report entitled Otto and Lucy, featuring a young British man with Downs Syndrome and his mother as they talk openly and funnily about his quest to discover the sexual side of love.
www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/right-sex
New York Festivals
The NYF International Television and Radio Broadcasting Awards, also known as the Radio Oscars, are presented to outstanding radio productions from all over the world. Each year hundreds of entries are judged by various panels of international experts for a number of criteria, including production level, presentation, originality, and creativity.
27 September 2010
VOA Korean Service broadcaster Young-Ran Jeon was awarded the Gold World Trophy for National/International Affairs at the New York Festivals International Radio Programming & Promotion Awards Ceremony today for her report on North Korean migrant workers in Vladivostok, Russia.
VOA’s Korean Service broadcast Jeon’s report, “My Nation’s Command, My Only Dream: The Story of North Korean Migrant Workers,” as a three-part series in August 2009.
From July 11 to July 16, 2009, Jeon met with dozens of the estimated 5,000 North Korean migrant workers who perform hard labor in the Russian city. Several of them agreed to let her record interviews on the condition that she use pseudonyms in her report. This coverage provided rare insight into the hardships that they face in order to earn a higher income than expected in North Korea. Many work more than 10 hours a day because the North Korean government takes a large percentage of their salaries.
Kim Chul-woong (pseudonym) told Jeon that “I will go back to Pyongyang when I make a lot of money. You can have a wealthy life in Pyongyang if you have money.” Another migrant worker told her that “Here I can pocket as much as $1,000 a month.” Despite the long hours and the separation from their families, many North Koreans from all walks of life agree to spend five years or more to earn higher salaries so they can have a better life when they return home.
Jeon is a veteran broadcaster who has covered North Korean affairs for more than 15 years. Her trip to Vladivostok took six months of planning to establish contacts on the ground. North Korean government officials keep a close watch on North Koreans working abroad, so making contacts in Vladivostok under this kind of scrutiny was extremely difficult.
Listen to Jeon’s original series at http://author.voanews.com/korean/vladivostok.cfm. For reports on the Internet from VOAs Korean Service, go to http://www.voanews.com/korean/.
27 September 2010
euronews is the only media offering multi-lingual services on TV, mobile and on all main digital platforms. The formula is a success. Once again euronews confirms its leading position among the international news TV channels in Europe. For the sixth consecutive survey release, euronews ranks number 1 in weekly reach.
EMS-C-EMS study, released on September 27th, measures the media consumption of 46.4 million upmarket viewers in Western and Eastern Europe. EMS Digital Life, an extension to EMS ¡V looks into the digital consumption of 44.4 million internet users.
¡§EMS demonstrates that euronews has become a major brand in Europe, perfectly fitting the today¡¦s digital world. With multilingual and short format news, euronews has all the key assets to develop rapidly on all digital platforms. In summer 2010, euronews has enriched its digital offer by launching a new connected TV service with Panasonic Vieracast and an iPhone application. Both services contribute to the success of the brand and new languages such as Persian, due to be launched in October, will make euronews available to an even wider audience around the world.¡¨ said the Managing Director of euronews Sales, Olivier de Montchenu.
15m upmarket Europeans in contact with the euronews brand
Each month, more than 15m upmarket Europeans are watching, reading or interacting with euronews content on TV, online or on their mobile phone.
euronews TV is particularly successful in some of the most important markets in Europe. The channel ranks 1st in weekly reach in France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium/Lux., Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Russia.
euronews is the perfect fit to the Europeans¡¦ need for information
EMS Summer 2010 release demonstrates once more that TV and Internet are the top 2 sources of information for current affairs, with 31% and 26% of Europeans turn to first to these media respectively. News is also the TV genre obtaining the highest opinion rating with 71% of upmarket Europeans enjoying it and being satisfied with the current TV offer.
Languages remain a crucial issue in Europe particularly in the Eastern part where a half of the population does not understand English enough to watch TV or read a newspaper. Therefore, addressing them in their own language remains vital.
euronews has the key assets to meet the needs of Europeans: euronews is the only service to provide news in 9 languages, with a 10th language ¡V Farsi (Persian) to be launched next month.
euronews digital strategy is a success
Beyond TV, EMS Digital Life shows that 4.9 million upmarket Europeans (10.9%) are watching and reading euronews content online or on their mobile phone each month. The euronews digital offer is fully integrated in the brand development and allows the channel to reach new audiences that would not watch euronews on TV on a regular basis. EMS shows that 2.7 million Europeans watching or reading euronews content online or on mobile actually did not watch any euronews programming on TV in the past month.
Services ¡V also available in 9 languages – include euronews.net, m.euronews.net, RSS feeds, live streaming and online Video on Demand.
euronews expanding with the growth in digital consumption
euronews has always striven to stay one step ahead of the game by adopting digital technologies as early as in 1999. The channel now benefits from the growth in 3-screen consumption.
EMS Digital Life shows that 43% of Europeans watch TV programming on a laptop and 8% on a mobile device (mobile phone, MP4, etc).
Watching TV & video programmes is particularly popular amongst smartphone users.
EMS Digital shows that in 2009, a quarter (26%) of upmarket Europeans owned a smartphone, Blackberry or an iPhone. A half of all smartphone users access the internet via a 3G connection or an or equivalent which is fast enough for streaming multimedia. 26% of smartphone users in Europe watch video clips, films or TV programmes on demand every week.
Again, euronews embraced the mobile phone market revolution at an early stage. Today, m.euronews.net is ready to provide content to all internet-enabled mobile phones and the TV channel is broadcast live on 26 mobile phone networks throughout Europe. In July 2010, euronews has launched an iPhone application dedicated to its iconic programme no comment.
(Source: euronews press release)
