ABC announces next steps in digital transformation

17 June 2023

ABC announces next steps in digital transformation

The ABC has announced a range of savings measures and reinvestment initiatives designed to address rising costs and support its transition to a digital-first media organisation.

This follows the release in early June of the ABC Five-Year Plan 2023-2028 which sets out how the ABC will respond to rapid changes in technology, audience behaviour and society to continue to deliver value for all Australians and remain the most trusted media organisation in the country.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the recent content team reorganisation and the release of the new strategy required carefully made decisions on reinvestment and savings to strengthen the ABC into the future.

“Along with media organisations here and overseas, the ABC is operating in an environment that is subject to inflationary pressures,” Mr Anderson said. “We also need to increase investment in digital transformation to improve our efficiency and meet the needs of audiences.

“We have made clear our vision for the ABC to be an essential part of everyday life for all Australians through our high-quality journalism and content, wherever they may live across the country.

“The continued migration of audiences from broadcast services to digital provides an opportunity to ensure the ABC is a trusted, central part of daily media consumption for more Australians.

“By 2028 the majority of audience engagement will be on the ABC’s digital platforms and we will have a digital-first approach to commissioning, producing, and distributing content. We will enhance our primary digital products, ABC iview, ABC listen and ABC News, to provide personalised services that enable audiences to more easily discover the journalism and content that is relevant to them.

“To make the most of that opportunity, we must better align our resources and invest in the new skills we need in our workforce we can’t create through retraining.

“Achieving these outcomes requires some difficult decisions. While we have targets for savings in support areas, including travel and consulting costs, unfortunately there is an unavoidable impact on some roles.

“These changes are important to secure the long-term success of the organisation, but we acknowledge it is never easy, particularly for individuals who are directly impacted by these proposals.”

Mr Anderson said the proposed changes announced today included the creation of new roles to grow the ABC’s digital capability. It is anticipated up to 120 employees will potentially leave the ABC.

The proposed changes include:

The launch of the Current Affairs Digital Transformation Project to ensure some of the ABC’s best investigative programs have the capability to meet audience demand for long-form on-demand video and in-depth digital content.
Continuing the shift in the News Operations team from linear television programming to on-demand digital content and modernising the ABC’s skills base.
The introduction of ABC News Sunday, a new national bulletin bringing the best stories and journalism from around Australia and the world.
The return of a digital-first Stateline, unpacking the local stories that matter through long form journalism, in-depth interviews and explainers for on-demand and broadcast audiences.
The establishment of a dedicated Climate, Environment and Energy reporting team to focus on the issues that are consistently rated as critical for the nation’s future, particularly by younger Australians.
Streamlining our commissioning editor structure by reducing the number of ABC executives involved in the commissioning and production process with the independent sector, freeing up funds for investment in high-quality distinctive Australian content.
A digital-first approach to commissioning and choosing content, with a focus on the audience from the earliest development stage.
Enhancing the ABC iview, ABC News and ABC listen audience experience to drive faster uptake to these platforms.
Promoting our digital output with new roles established in our digital teams.

“I want to recognise the contribution everyone at the ABC has made in recent years,” Mr Anderson said

“The ABC has evolved and adapted for over 90 years to ensure it remains Australia’s most trusted media organisation, valued by audiences everywhere, and value for money for the essential services it delivers.

“Increasingly, Australians are primarily using digital media services, and the ABC’s ongoing value and relevance will depend on our ability to change with the audience.

“In an era of rapid technological change, today’s announcements will ensure we continue to remain trusted, relevant and valued by all Australians into the future.”

MBN Mourns the Death of Former Vice President and CTO Mike Marno

14 June 2023

MBN Mourns the Death of Former Vice President and CTO Mike Marno

(Springfield, VA)–The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN) announced the death of former Vice President and CTO Michael (Mike) Marno. Mr. Marno, 61, passed away on June 12, 2023, in Georgia due to cardiac arrest.

“Mike was one of the world’s most knowledgeable, experienced and sought-after broadcast engineers, yet one of the humblest characters I have ever worked with,” stated MBN Acting President Hassan Shwiki. “I was very fortunate to have met Mike. I have learnt a great deal from him on both personal and professional levels. We will all miss him more than words can express.”

Mr. Marno was a key member of MBN from the moment he joined the organization in 2018 to 2023, when he left to pursue new career paths. While at MBN, he directed all of MBN’s technical and broadcast operations, including engineering, IT, production and post-production, technical operations center, satellite and distribution, media management, and traffic for MBN’s television and radio networks. He spearheaded the most significant technical upgrade in MBN’s history, completely redesigned the technical facilitates and instituted modern IP workflows across MBN.

Mr. Marno left MBN in May 2023 to open the Bricks on Church Street restaurant in Grantville, GA and was studying to become a naturopathic doctor.

Before joining MBN, Mr. Marno was the Associate Director of Video Operations at the AT&T Entertainment Group, where he was responsible for operationalizing all-new cloud-based environments and providing support to all platforms. Marno also served as the Vice President of Broadcast Operations for AMV Digital Media, overseeing all operations and engineering for the company. Mr. Marno’s illustrious career also included IT and Engineering Director at Al Jazeera, Senior Broadcast Engineer at Fox News Channel, and Director of Engineering and Broadcast Operations at NewsChannel 8.

About Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN)

MBN is a non-profit corporate media outlet financed by U.S. government through a grant from U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent federal agency. The USAGM is a firewall to protect broadcasters’ professional independence and integrity.

MBN is an Arabic-language multimedia organization whose mission is to expand the spectrum of ideas, opinions, and perspectives available in the media of the Middle East and North Africa; provide objective, accurate, and relevant news and information; and accurately represent America, Americans, and American policies. MBN seeks to inform, engage, and connect with the regions’ people through its multimedia broadcasts to support universal freedoms.

MBN Platforms

Acting Chair of the BBC appointed

2 June 2023

Acting Chair of the BBC appointed

The UK Government has today confirmed Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens as the Acting Chair of the BBC.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer made the appointment following consultation with the BBC Board, in line with the terms of the BBC’s Royal Charter.

Dame Elan will replace Richard Sharp who will step down on 27 June.

Dame Elan has been a non-executive director on the BBC Board since July 2017, and prior to that was the Trustee for Wales on the BBC Trust (2010 – 2017). Between 2019 and 2022, she was Chair of the Commercial Holdings Board for BBC Studios. Under the BBC’s Charter an Acting Chair must be an existing non-executive director on the BBC Board.

Dame Elan says: “It’s a huge honour to be appointed by the Secretary of State as Acting Chair and I am grateful to my fellow Board Members for putting their trust in me. As a Board, we will champion the licence fee payer across all of the UK; ensure the BBC is a vital partner for the UK creative industries; maintain trust and drive change to make the BBC fit for a fast changing media landscape. There is much work to be done.”

Dame Elan is an experienced chair and non-executive, with a distinguished career in broadcasting, the creative industries and academia. She is a former Chair of the Welsh-language broadcaster, S4C, and is currently the Pro-Chancellor and Professor Emerita in Communications and Creative Industries at Aberystwyth University. She is the Electoral Commissioner for Wales.

Dame Elan will remain in post as Acting Chair while the UK Government undertakes the process to appoint a new, permanent BBC Chair; this process is expected to take several months.

The BBC Board says: “Elan has been an active and distinguished member of the BBC Board who has brought huge energy and drive to her role as Member for Wales. We are delighted that she is taking up the role as Acting Chair; she is the ideal choice.”

Dame Elan Closs Stephens Biography

Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens is an experienced chair and non-executive director who has spent a career in broadcasting, the creative industries and academia. Dame Elan is currently the Pro Chancellor and Professor Emerita in Communications and Creative Industries at Aberystwyth University. She is the Electoral Commissioner for Wales and Member of the UK Electoral Commission Board. She is the Chair of the Wales Public Leaders’ Forum and Chair of the UNESCO International Prize for contribution to the creative economy.

Dame Elan has been a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Professor of the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University, where she is now the Pro-Chancellor. She was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, a comprehensive school in the quarry valleys of North Wales and won an open scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford. She has been awarded nine Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships including from Welsh universities, the Open University, and Somerville College, Oxford. She was High Sheriff of Dyfed 2011–12 and now serves as a Deputy Lieutenant.

Dame Elan has been a member of the BBC’s governing body since 2010, first serving as Member for Wales on the BBC Trust, until its dissolution in 2017, and then as the Welsh member of the BBC Board. As a BBC Board member she has been the Chair of the Wales Committee and also served as Chair of the BBC’s commercial subsidiary from 2019 – 2022. She served for two terms as Chair of the Welsh-language broadcaster, S4C between 1998 – 2006 and subsequently served an additional term as non-executive director on S4C, representing the BBC Trust.

She has served on many cultural bodies including the British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Council. She still serves the BFI as a Non-Executive Director of the IMAX Cinema in Waterloo. She has been a member of the Wales Permanent Secretary’s Board where she was Chair of Corporate Governance. She has served as Vice Chairman of the Welsh Language Board and is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

Dame Elan is a native Welsh speaker and lives in Aberystwyth; she has two children.

[Source: BBC Press Office]

Nicola Careem joins RFE/RL as Head of News Division

2 June 2023

Nicola Careem joins RFE/RL as Head of News Division

Award-winning journalist Nicola Careem will join Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as the Head of News Division, effective July 24, 2023. Operating from the company’s Prague headquarters, Careem will be responsible for establishing RFE/RL’s editorial priorities, overseeing the editorial board, and managing the production of multi-platform news content published in 23 countries and 27 languages.

“Nicola brings fresh perspective and valuable experience working in challenging media climates to RFE/RL,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly. “We’re excited to have her lead our journalists as we reach growing audiences with truthful reporting.”

Careem has over two decades of experience as a journalist, overseeing news operations in conflict zones and turbulent environments. She has covered six wars from the ground, leading teams in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Syria, and Yemen. Most recently, she played a pivotal role at CNN as the Director of Coverage during the first six months of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Before joining CNN, Careem led the BBC’s South Asia operation from New Delhi. She oversaw internationally acclaimed and agenda-setting coverage, steering the organization through the conflict in Afghanistan, increased military escalations between India and Pakistan, and unparalleled attacks on journalistic freedoms in the region. As the South Asia Bureau Chief, she was in charge of the BBC’s English language services from multiple bureaus across the continent, working closely with BBC Urdu, Pashto, and Dari, among other language services. Notably, she ran the BBC’s operation from Kabul as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and led the organization’s coverage of the devastating COVID-19 outbreak in India.

Careem will lead a news division that has experienced record audience growth in response to award-winning coverage of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, historic anti-regime protests in Iran, and other momentous developments across RFE/RL’s broadcast markets. She will play a central role in executing RFE/RL’s comprehensive strategies to counter disinformation by prioritizing the organization’s ongoing digital transformation, including greater investments in data journalism, investigative journalism, digital storytelling, and digital forensics to provide growing audiences with quality, trusted news.

[Source: RFE/RL press release]

Image: Jan Rambousek/RFE/RL

NHK WORLD Monthly Focus: Ramen culture

1 June 2023

NHK WORLD Monthly Focus: Ramen culture

Ramen Japan

Tonkotsu Ramen: Fukuoka #01 June 21 Wed. #02 June 28 Wed. 1:30/6:30/12:30/17:30/22:30 (UTC) Japan’s famous ramen soup has captivated people around the world with its tasty blend of umami-rich broth and perfectly cooked noodles. Originating in China and adapted in Japan, ramen has absorbed diverse local influences. The wide variety of regional styles now on offer often transcend the conventional combination of soy sauce, miso, salt, and pork broth. This program takes you on a journey of exploration in the world of Japanese ramen, providing an encyclopedic view of local customs and food culture along the way. Join us as we meet everyone from dedicated chefs and growers who strive to create the perfect bowl of ramen to afficionados who can’t get enough of this delectable dish.
Game Genome: Deep Dive with Kojima Hideo June 25 Sun. 0:10/6:10/12:10/18:10 (UTC) Half a century since the birth of video games, we explore how legendary titles have shaped our ideas and created a new culture. “Death Stranding” won new plaudits for its uncanny predictions of our experiences during the pandemic. Program guests share their love for the game, and why it’s captivated so many. Renowned developer Kojima Hideo guides us on a deep dive into his creation and explores his inspiration and motivations. A special, expanded episode with new footage in response to the reaction to last year’s broadcast.
Where we call home Mondays 0:30/5:30/10:30/15:30/21:30 (UTC) People from around the globe who put down roots in Japan offer a glimpse into their lives and the hardships they face in Japanese society.

AIB launches new Artificial Intelligence vertical

18 May 2023

AIB launches new Artificial Intelligence vertical

Association for International Broadcasting Launches Working Group to Navigate Artificial Intelligence Challenges in TV and Radio Newsrooms Globally

The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB), a leading organisation representing broadcasters worldwide, is pleased to announce the launch of its ground-breaking Working Group dedicated to addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI) in TV and radio newsrooms across the globe.

The AIB has long been at the forefront of fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the broadcasting industry, and the creation of this specialised Working Group marks another significant step in its commitment to empowering its member companies with the latest technological advancements. With AI rapidly transforming the media landscape, the AIB recognises the urgent need for broadcasters to comprehend and effectively harness the power of AI in newsrooms to deliver high-quality journalism and enhance audience engagement.

The newly formed Working Group will serve as a platform for industry professionals, technologists, and AI experts to share insights, best practices, and practical guidance, enabling AIB member companies to navigate the complex world of AI. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, the AIB aims to ensure that its members remain at the cutting edge of AI implementation in newsrooms, while upholding ethical standards and preserving the core principles of journalism.

Key areas of focus for the Working Group will include:

AI-driven content generation: Exploring the use of AI algorithms and machine learning in automating news content creation, from generating scripts to producing video packages, while maintaining journalistic integrity and editorial control.
Audience analytics and personalisation: Understanding how AI-powered analytics can provide broadcasters with valuable audience insights, enabling personalised content recommendations and enhancing the overall viewing and listening experience.
Fact-checking and misinformation: Addressing the role of AI in combating the proliferation of misinformation and fake news, leveraging advanced algorithms and natural language processing to verify and validate news sources.
Ethical considerations: Examining the ethical implications of AI adoption in newsrooms, including bias detection and mitigation, data privacy, and the impact on employment and diversity within the media industry.

The Working Group will be composed of industry leaders, AI experts, and representatives from AIB member companies who are at the forefront of AI integration in newsrooms. Together, they will engage in thought-provoking discussions, collaborative initiatives, and research, ultimately enabling AIB member companies to unlock the full potential of AI technology responsibly and effectively.

Walter Fernandez, Editor in Chief and Chief Sustainability Officer of Singapore’s Mediacorp, and member of the AIB Executive Committee (pictured), has led the work to form this new Working Group: “The issues around AI in newsrooms are significant and fundamental. We are at the earliest stages in understanding how AI can benefit our output and audience, and what the effects will be on our newsrooms. Combining knowledge from all AIB members, and listening to experts in the field, will help us successfully navigate the issues – including ethics – around deploying AI extensively in news operations, while preserving the trust of our audiences.”

Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch of the Working Group: “AI presents both exciting possibilities and significant challenges for broadcasters. With the launch of this Working Group, the AIB is proactively supporting its member organisations by fostering a collaborative environment where we can collectively address the complexities of AI implementation in newsrooms. By working together, we can ensure that the power of AI is harnessed ethically and responsibly, enabling broadcasters to deliver quality journalism while maintaining public trust.”

The AIB invites broadcasters, technology providers, and AI experts to join this Working Group and contribute their expertise to the advancement of AI in the broadcasting industry. Together, they will shape the future of newsrooms and ensure the continued delivery of accurate, relevant, and impactful journalism worldwide.