Winners of the AIBs 2023 revealed

Winners of the AIBs 2023 revealed

12 November 2023

Winners of the AIBs 2023 revealed

Clive Myrie and Nicky Woolf acclaimed presenters of the year

20 winners of 19th annual international AIBs celebrating journalism and factual productions revealed in London

The winners of the 19th annual AIBs have been revealed at a glittering awards dinner in London. The AIBs reward the best international journalism and factual productions across TV, radio, and digital platforms. Over 400 hours of content were submitted to the 2023 competition and 50 judges around the world evaluated the shortlist.

Guests from countries as diverse as South Korea, Norway, Canada, Germany, South Africa, the UAE, Taiwan, France, and the UK joined the celebration at Church House Westminster, right alongside Westminster Abbey. The evening’s host was veteran journalist and news anchor Simon McCoy.

Opening the evening, AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick said: “this competition is needed more than ever, as we face a world in increasing chaos and danger. In many areas, that chaos and danger threaten media freedom and the ability of journalists to hold power to account.

“That’s why journalists and producers need to shout about their work and remind everyone about the importance of journalism and the need to bring stories to global audiences.”

Guests at the awards night saw and heard clips from all the shortlisted entries. Many said that the range of journalism was so wide and absorbing that they want to watch and listen to all the programmes in full.

Collecting the award for the Specialist Factual TV/Video category was Sir Michael Palin, who was rewarded for his programme Michael Palin: Into Iraq.

Commenting on the AIBs awards night, Sir Michael said: “I’m interested in news, and I’m interested in how people report on different places. What struck me tonight is the very difficult areas which these people have gone into, to reveal what’s really going on.”

Across the 20 categories there were commendations from the judges, and an overall winner.

See the Winners’ and Finalist Book here.

NEWS COVERAGE 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – The War in Ukraine – BBC News

Highly commended – Afghanistan after the Taliban – BBC News 

NEWS COVERAGE 

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST  

Winner – Partygate: The Inside Story – ITV News 

Highly commended – The Death and Funeral of HM The Queen – BBC News Content for BBC News 

SHORT FEATURE 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Hell on Earth: Darién Gap – The Deadly Migrant Route – ITN Productions for Channel 4 (Channel 4 News)  

Highly commended – We CRASHED a BMW S1000 RR Superbike while filming with LEGEND Troy Corser – Deutsche Welle – DW 

Highly commended – Eco-Warriors of Africa – VOA 

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Eternal Spring (長春) – Lofty Sky Entertainment 

Highly commended – Murder in the Pacific – An Oxford Scientific Films production for BBC 

SPORTS JOURNALISM 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Fault Lines: Blood Sport – Al Jazeera English 

SPECIALIST FACTUAL 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Michael Palin: Into Iraq – ITN Productions for Channel 5 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly commended – The East End Through Time with Jay Blades – Hungry Jay Media for Channel 5 

Highly commended – Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive – Yeti Television 

SPECIALIST FACTUAL

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST 

Winner – Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On – BBC Long Form Audio 

Highly commended – Finding Samantha – RTÉ 

Highly commended – First Eat with Nakkiah Lui – Pipi Films for Audible Australia  

INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – The Monkey Haters – BBC Eye / BBC World Service 

Highly commended – Wayne Couzens: Killer in Plain Sight – Flicker Productions for Channel 5 

INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY  

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST 

Winner – The Shamima Begum Story – BBC News Long Form Audio  

Highly commended – The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome – Project Brazen / Goat Rodeo 

HUMAN INTEREST 

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST 

Winner – Love, Janessa – BBC World Service and CBC Podcasts by Antica Productions and Telltale Industries 

Highly Commended – This Coal Life – Radio Workshop NPC 

HUMAN INTEREST 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Lyra – Erica Starling Productions for Channel 4  

Highly Commended – Murder in Mayfair – BBC Arabic, BBC Current Affairs 

Highly Commended – Nazanin – 649 Media for Channel 4 

SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY 

TV/VIDEO  

Winner – Under Poisoned Skies – BBC News Arabic 

Highly Commended – TechXplore Japan – Electric Eel Studios for BBC World Service 

Highly commended – We Can Do Hard Things – Very! for CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd 

NATURAL HISTORY 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Ningaloo Nyinggulu – Artemis Media in Association with Matter of Factual for ABC and Love Nature  

Highly Commended – 101 East: Mining the Pacific – Al Jazeera English 

Highly Commended – Australia’s Wild Odyssey – Wild Pacific Media for Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Arte France 

POLITICS and BUSINESS 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – India: The Modi Question – BBC Current Affairs 

Highly commended – The Labour Files – Al Jazeera I-Unit 

Highly commended – Sudan and the Long reach of Russia’s Ukraine War – CNN Worldwide 

DOCUDRAMA 

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST 

Winner – Before-After: Anna Lindh 2003 – Swedish Radio Drama 

DOCUDRAMA 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – The Confession – ITN Productions for Amazon Prime Video  

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS  

DOCUMENTARY 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Panorama: Mariupol – The People’s Story – Top Hat Productions/Hayloft Productions 

Highly Commended – Our World – I Call Him by His Name – International Current Affairs, BBC 

Highly Commended – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper – The Trek: A Migrant Trail to America – CNN Worldwide 

DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
DOCUMENTARY 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Saudi Arabia Wields Cinema as a Tool of Soft Power – France 24 and Nicolas Bertrand 

Highly Commended – Kenya – Fighting for Water | Off The Grid – TRT WORLD 

PRESENTER of the YEAR 

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST 

Winner – Nicky Wool

PRESENTER of the YEAR 

TV/VIDEO 

Winner – Clive Myrie 

The 2024 AIBs – the 20th that the Association for International Broadcasting will stage – are set to open for entry in April, with the awards event in London, shortly after the US Presidential Elections.

RFE/RL Appoints Stephen Capus as Acting President

RFE/RL Appoints Stephen Capus as Acting President

6 November 2023

RFE/RL Appoints Stephen Capus as Acting President

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Board of Directors has named Stephen Capus as the company’s Acting President, effective January 1, 2024. Board Vice Chairperson Margaret Hoover and Nominations Committee Chairperson Kristin Lord led the rigorous search process for the company.

Capus will serve in an acting capacity until the International Broadcasting Advisory Board is confirmed by the U.S. Senate and can vote on his appointment.

“We are very pleased that Steve has agreed to lead RFE/RL at this important moment in the company’s history,” said Board Chair Ambassador Karen Kornbluh. “He brings both distinguished experience as a senior manager in the news industry and a deep understanding of RFE/RL.”

Capus has more than 25 years of network news management, production, and journalistic experience. The former President of NBC News, Capus was also the Executive Producer of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, The News with Brian Williams, and CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. In recent years, Capus has provided strategic advice as a consultant to RFE/RL in Prague and its grantor agency, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

Margaret Hoover added, “Steve’s vast experience as a journalist, producer, and news executive make him an exceptionally qualified choice to lead RFE/RL’s outstanding international team of journalists in these challenging times.”

“I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead RFE/RL as it remains steadfast in its mission as one of the world’s most trusted sources of independent news and information,” said Capus. “I look forward to continuing the dedicated work of RFE/RL’s existing leader, Jeff Gedmin, and in particular his important efforts to secure the release of four RFE/RL journalists who are unjustly detained.”

Capus will replace Jamie Fly, who stepped down from his position in the summer of 2023. Since July, Board Member Jeff Gedmin has led RFE/RL in an acting capacity.

About RFE/RL

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.

[Source: RFE/RL press release]

NHK WORLD-Japan Programme Focus for November

NHK WORLD-Japan Programme Focus for November

2 November 2023

NHK WORLD-Japan Programme Focus for November

Saitama: An Oasis a Stone’s Throw away from Tokyo

Where We Call Home

November 6 Mon.
0:30/5:30/10:30/15:30/21:30 (UTC)

A World of Home Flavors in Saitama:
Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo is home to many immigrants. Some of these incomers serve up dishes such as Cameroonian banga soup, Turkish baklava and Ukrainian dumplings, bringing compatriots a taste of home and creating a culinary wonderland in the process. 

Small Journeys – 
The Treasured Red of Benibana Flowers,
Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture

November 11 Sat.
1:10/7:10/13:10/19:10 (UTC)

Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture once prospered through the cultivation of benibana, or safflower. Come and meet the dedicated individuals who safeguard the legacy of this crimson treasure.

We Did It, Grandpa!

November 4 Sat.
0:10/6:10/12:10/18:10 (UTC)

Funahashi Kazuo has cerebral palsy, but is going strong at 74. Fifty years after a documentary was made about his life, we explore his approach to living happily with family despite his disability. 

Trails to Oishii Tokyo

Wednesdays 
14:30/20:30/3:30/9:30 (UTC)

Delicious food from Tokyo’s markets! Learn about the amazing ingredients which are sourced from across Japan and sold at Tokyo’s fresh food markets.

 

  

 

BBC World Service announces Emergency Radio Service for Gaza

BBC World Service announces Emergency Radio Service for Gaza

1 November 2023

BBC World Service announces Emergency Radio Service for Gaza

BBC News Arabic has today (1 November) announced an Emergency Radio Service for Gaza in response to the conflict in the region.

The emergency service – Gaza Daily – will broadcast vital news daily to the people of Gaza during this time of urgent need.

It will provide listeners in Gaza with the latest information and developments as well as safety advice on where to access shelter, food and water supplies.

Produced in Cairo and London and broadcast on medium wave, the service will initially run one programme a day at 1500 GMT from Friday 3 November. A second daily update will be broadcast at 0500 GMT from Friday 10 November.

The BBC World Service has a history of responding to emergency situations globally. Most recently, in May 2023 during the conflict in Sudan BBC News Arabic began an emergency radio service. In February 2022, the BBC News Ukraine service began extended TV bulletins following the invasion of the country. The BBC also previously launched a service for Gaza in 2014 following a summer of conflict.

Liliane Landor, Director, BBC World Service, says: “BBC News Arabic are extremely well-placed to offer this vital service for the people of Gaza at a time of greatest need. Their expertise and specialist knowledge of the region alongside the BBC’s reputation as the most trusted news provider, means we can reach civilians in Gaza with the information they need.”

Notes to editors: The Gaza service will be broadcast on MW 639kHz for morning and evening episodes.

[Source: BBC press release]

 

Al Arabiya Network launches Al Arabiya Business platform

Al Arabiya Network launches Al Arabiya Business platform

27 October 2023

Al Arabiya Network launches Al Arabiya Business platform

Al Arabiya Network, the Arab world’s leading source of news, announces the launch of Al Arabiya Business, a brand-new service dedicated to news and updates from the world of business, finance and more.

The launch of Al Arabiya Business comes in response to the growing demand for comprehensive and real-time coverage surrounding increasing and accelerating political events in the region and beyond necessitating more extensive and continuous coverage by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath TV channels around the clock.

Al Arabiya Business is available for free-to-air broadcast, as well as live streaming via Shahid, the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform, in addition to Al Arabiya Network’s website and YouTube.

Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, Chairman of MBC GROUP and Al Arabiya Network, stated: “Al Arabiya and Al Hadath’s commitment to extensively covering significant events in the region – including current events in Gaza – has driven us to introduce Al Arabiya Business, a platform primarily dedicated to business and finance updates. It’s widely recognised that the heartbeat of global financial markets never falters, even in the midst of conflicts and disasters. Our objective is for Al Arabiya Network to maintain its status as a trusted source for viewers seeking updates on economic and financial developments, all the while staying informed about the ongoing critical events in our region and worldwide.”

Mamdouh AlMuhaini, General Manager of Al Arabiya Network and Al Hadath, added: “The financial and business sector, as highlighted in our ‘Aswaq Al Arabiya’ [Al Arabiya Markets] programme, has garnered considerable attention from our viewers. In light of the upsurge in conflicts and significant events, especially in the Middle East and North Africa – such as the earthquakes in Turkey, Syria and Morocco, the war in Sudan, and the ongoing situation in Gaza – our viewers are increasingly eager to stay informed around the clock.

“As a result, we made the decision to launch Al Arabiya Business as a service dedicated to the latest updates, as well as streaming ‘Aswaq Al Arabiya’ as standalone segments, aligning with our commitment to cater to our viewers’ ever-evolving informational needs, be it in the realm of politics, economics, or the business sector.”

Al Arabiya Business is available via the following outlets:

[Source: Al Arabiya press release]

Simon McCoy to host the AIBs 2023

Simon McCoy to host the AIBs 2023

24 October 2023

Simon McCoy to host the AIBs 2023

Renowned journalist and news anchor will lead the 19th global celebration of journalism and factual productions

The AIBs, the prestigious awards that honour the best in journalism and factual productions, are thrilled to announce that veteran journalist and news anchor Simon McCoy will be hosting the AIBs 2023. The annual awards ceremony has been celebrating outstanding global journalism and factual content since its inception in 2005.

Simon McCoy, a respected figure in the world of broadcast journalism, brings his wealth of experience and charisma to the helm of this year’s AIBs. With a career in journalism spanning 40 years, He is one of the most recognisable faces in British television news. 

Simon started in television at ITV in London before moving to TV-am. He was part of the launch team of Sky News in 1989 before spending 15 years at the station, firstly as Royal Correspondent and then as one of their main presenters. His move to the BBC meant working on BBC1’s ‘Breakfast’ and the BBC News Channel. He was a regular presenter of BBC1’s weekend bulletins before becoming the main presenter of the BBC News at One. In 2021 Simon McCoy left the BBC to join GB News. 

As well as breaking news, Simon is also noted for making news, often going viral for his sometimes dead-pan delivery – whether outside a hospital waiting for a Royal Baby or trying to hide his indifference to less important news stories in the studio.

Simon now works as a production consultant – most recently for Washington-based Feature Story News as part of their training project at Doordarshan News Channel in Delhi.

The AIBs gala evening, a must-attend event for the journalism and factual production community, will take place on November 10, 2023. The venue for this year’s ceremony is the historic Church House Westminster, located just steps away from Westminster Abbey and the iconic Houses of Parliament, providing an awe-inspiring backdrop for the celebration of excellence in the industry.

Each year, the AIBs recognise exceptional contributions to journalism, documentary, and factual content, with categories spanning various forms of media, including television, radio, digital, and podcasting. The awards bring together professionals from all over the world, fostering a sense of global unity and collaboration in the pursuit of truth and quality storytelling.

Simon Spanswick, the chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting which runs the AIBs, said: “The AIBs are a testament to the dedication and innovation within the world of journalism and factual productions. We are delighted to have Simon McCoy as our host for the AIBs 2023, and we are confident that his presence will add an extra layer of distinction to an already remarkable evening.”

With a rich history of recognising the best in journalism and factual productions, the AIBs 2023 are set to be an unforgettable occasion, and the hosting talents of Simon McCoy will undoubtedly contribute to the success of the event.

For more information about the AIBs 2023 and to purchase tickets, please visit http://theaibs.tv.