5 May 2009
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day being celebrated on 3 May, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has promised a review of the country’s law on information which has been in force since 1990. Speaking on national television, Bouteflika said the State should do its best to facilitate and promote journalism in a bid to improve the profession.
The new law will take into account strides made through information and communication technologies and the development of new processes in training and improving services. Bouteflika also called on journalists to use the press as a ‘tool to preserve democracy and its noble values’, ading ‘Journalists must be effective in their work and shun attempts to use them as tools of destabilization,’ he said.
During his first two terms, from 1999 to 2009, relations between the Algerian Head of State and the press were tense with the president accusing the press of spreading rumours about his private life and the way the State affairs were conducted.
5 May 2009
NASCAR Media Group has selected a Quantel Pablo non-linear color correction system for the high end color correction and editing suite at the NASCAR Plaza facility under construction in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Pablo will be equipped with the stunning Neo control panel as well as Quantels Stereoscopic 3D toolset. The Pablo will initially be involved in finishing and color correction of the over 900 extensive post production projects done by NASCAR Media Group on a yearly basis. The Pablo will also provide a full online post production environment, including handling native RED material and Stereoscopic 3D projects as NASCAR Media Group looks to embrace this new media opportunity for its wide ranging audience.
“NASCAR Media Group is very excited to partner with Quantel in light of ever expanding needs for world-class color correction of traditional workflows as well as new paradigm-changing technologies like that of RED,” said Jeff Lowe, NMGs Managing Director of Broadcast and Media Technology. “We are really looking forward to working with the new 3D option that allows Pablo to edit with 3D files in real time, something we could only do with Quantel. This fabulous system will be available for all major production projects in the south-eastern United States as NASCAR Media Group builds its state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte, NC.”
“With its reputation for excellence and the enormous audiences it commands, NASCAR Media Group is undoubtedly one of the worlds leading sports media organizations,” said Ray Cross, Quantel CEO. “Were delighted that they have chosen Quantel technology as an important part of their future, and were very proud to be part of this exciting sport.”
5 May 2009
In its latest market intelligence briefing, the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) says that its time for broadcasters to move from a wait and see approach to delivering content on mobile to acting now.
The report draws parallels with the situation faced in the late 1990s when media companies had to decide whether to move on to the Web, unsure of what that meant for them either in terms of investment or whether the public would use the Internet in large numbers. The AIB report highlights that with mobile today we see similar hesitation and resistance within some media companies, despite the fact that there are now probably double the number of mobile phones in use than there are desktop and laptop PCS.
International industry association AIB is working on a number of projects to make sure its broadcaster members can harness the power of the mobile in a highly innovative way for radio, TV as well as text and beat the competition. In 2008, AIB linked up with Nokia to get AIB-member content onto its Internet Radio and Video Center platforms. In a recent initiative the AIB is working with an innovative mobile TV start-up to enable AIB members to place their news, current affairs, science, technology and lifestyle programming onto mobile handsets in Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, South Korea and a range of other territories.
Mirroring the overall trend, the AIBs work in mobile will continue to expand throughout 2009, says AIB CEO Simon Spanswick, adding that traditional delivery methods remain relevant for broadcasters choosing the most effective platforms to reach audiences in specific markets. For example, the latest AIB market intelligence briefing also includes an update on pay-TV developments in the South African market. The briefings, delivered exclusively to AIB members around the world, are a key benefit of AIB membership.
1 May 2009
Nieman Reports, part of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, has published a comprehensive resource for journalists about coverage of a pandemic flu, available at www.nieman.harvard.edu.
The information comes from a conference held at the Nieman Foundation during the time when the concern about the potential of Avian Flu to evolve into a human flu epidemic was high. In the report, journalists at The Associated Press, Reuters and CNN pass along valuable information about how their newsrooms prepared to cover flu outbreaks and shared insights about their on-the-ground frontline coverage.
Also useful as reference are the tips issued by Al Tompkins at the Poynter Institute which include recommendations from the World Health Organization (www.poynter.org).
1 May 2009
Japanese government officials this week urged the Philippine government to adopt its Integrated Services Digital Broadcast (ISDB) technology standard over Europes Digital Video Broadcast Handheld or DVB-H platform, Manilas BusinessMirror reports.
Japans Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said it was aware that the technical working group (TWG) formed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had twice recommended the DVB-H platform.
But the ministrys Deputy Director for International Relations, Yasushi Furukawa, said at a press briefing last night that there was more to learn about the Japanese standard.
One reason why our technology platform was not recommended was because there was little information about ISDB. The information was not really disseminated to the Philippines, particularly during the time when the Europeans came to the Philippines to promote their own standard, he said.
It is only now that we are here to explain what our technology can really do. The Philippine government has allowed us to explain this matter.
Countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) endorsed the DVB-T standard as the common digital TV broadcasting standard during the 9th conference of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information, held in Jakarta in May 2007.
1 May 2009
Euronews has teamed up with the cable operator numericable to launch its first ever catch-up TV.
The video-on-demand service offers numericable’s subscription viewers in France, Belgium and Luxembourg the possibility to view euronews’ coverage of the European elections: agora special, stories from the Europe section, parlamento, faq, reporter and interviews.
After the elections, the service will feature euronews’ regular programmes.
