Sudan civil war brings communications to near collapse

26 April 2023

Sudan civil war brings communications to near collapse

As the civil war increased in intensity in Sudan, communications including mobile phones and Internet connectivity all but collapsed on 23 April. Sudan’s media blamed the disruption to fuel supplies caused by the fighting. In many parts of Africa, mobile operators and ISPs rely on diesel generators to power their masts and data centres as the electricity grid can often be unreliable (for example, one broadcaster in Nigeria spends US$30-50k a month on fuel for its TV transmitters).

In addition to the fuel issue, it was reported that the fibre connection to one of the country’s principal ISPs was cut by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

According to monitoring group NetBlocks, internet connectivity was partially restored, but it is likely that if fighting continues, it will remain challenging to access the web.

The challenges with Internet connectivity have meant that access to news and information from Sudan’s broadcasters, and from those outside the country, has been impaired. This shows, in the AIB’s view, the need for a mixed approach to content distribution, including the retention and use of traditional transmission technology to reach audiences at times of natural or man-made disasters.

Broadcasters that operate Arabic-language programming delivered on short wave that are likely to be receivable in some or all of Sudan include:

Adventist World Radio
All India Radio
BSKSA
China Radio International
Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation
IRIB
Madagascar World
Radio Akhbar Mufriha
Radio Algiers
Radio Bangladesh
Radio Cairo
Radio Dabanga

Radio Dushanbe
Radio Exterior de Espana
Radio Kuwait
Radio Romania International
Radio Sawa
Radio Tamazuj
Radio Vatican
Trans World Radio
TRT
Voice of Indonesia
Voice of Korea
Voice of Nigeria

Jazeera heads back to Doha as Buzzfeed cans news

25 April 2023

Jazeera heads back to Doha as Buzzfeed cans news

According to the Guardian newspaper, the London broadcast centre of Al Jazeera English is to close. Programming will move to Doha, the Qatari capital. The London operation, located in the Shard skyscraper in the city (pictured), currently produces news bulletins between 1900 and 2300 GMT. The Guardian quotes an email sent to staff by Al Jazeera English managing director Giles Trendle in which he says staff producing live output will be offered the opportunity to relocate to Doha.

Al Jazeera English pioneered the concept of rolling newsrooms producing blocks of output. The original idea was that the day would be split into four, with output coming from broadcast centres in Kuala Lumpur, London, Washington DC and Doha. The KL and Washington output has been scaled back over the past few years with just London producing a block of content.

The Guardian believes that the London newsroom will remain in operation feeding into the main newsroom in Doha. It is unclear whether this withdrawal from London is a cost-cutting exercise or part of a reassessment of the best way for Al Jazeera English to operate in an increasingly competitive media marketplace.

Meanwhile Buzzfeed is adding to the woes of journalists as it is closing its advertising-supported news operation. Instead, it will concentrate its news operation through the Huffington Post that it acquired from Verizon Media in 2021. It is likely that the audiences for Buzzfeed News and HuffPost are different and it will remain to be seen if the Buzzfeed audience migrates to HuffPost.

For journalists at Buzzfeed news, the future does not look bright as founder Jonah Peretti announced that the company would seek to make substantial redundancies.

This contraction in the English-language online news space could be a blessing for other newcomers, like Semafor that wants to become a major player in global digital news. It may also help established broadcasters with significant online presence as users search for an alternative to Buzzfeed beyond HuffPost.

VOA names new Latin America Division Director

21 April 2023

VOA names new Latin America Division Director

The Voice of America has selected Sandra Thomas-Esquivel as the new director of its Latin America Division, providing news and information to audiences throughout Latin America as threats to freedom of expression, political instability, drug trafficking, organized crime, violence and corruption continue to plague the region.

A native of Mexico City, Thomas-Esquivel has extensive experience in leading complex news teams and has dedicated the last 25 years of her career in television and journalism to serving the Latino community in the U.S. and Latin America. As Univision’s Senior Director of Local and Affiliate News, she supported strategic initiatives for all Univision Television Group news departments across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. As Vice President of News for Telemundo 39 in Dallas, she oversaw the station’s news department as well as local productions across multimedia platforms. As Telemundo Network News Bureau Chief for Mexico and Central America in Mexico City, she led a team of correspondents, producers and video crews. She joined Voice of America in 2019 as chief of the Spanish language service.

In 1994, Thomas-Esquivel received an Emmy® from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for a network special about poverty-stricken Latino children in the U.S., and in 2005, the California Chicano News Media Association honored her for her career achievements in broadcasting and for her many years of mentoring young journalists. That same year, she received the “Trailblazer Award” from American Women in Radio and Television.

She holds a master’s degree in international journalism from the University of Southern California and Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and radio, television and film from the Instituto Latinoamericano de Comunicación Educativa (ILCE-UNESCO) and the University of Maryland.

“We’re excited to see Sandra permanently appointed to the position of Latin America Division Director, as she has been in this role for a while in an acting capacity,” said Acting VOA Director Yolanda Lόpez. “She has excelled in guiding VOA’s activities in the very diverse Latin America media market and advancing her division’s relationship with the large number of VOA’s affiliate stations in the region.”

Sandra Thomas-Esquivel’s appointment is effective as of April 23, 2023.

[Source: VOA press release]

RTÉ appoints Kevin Bakhurst as next Director General

19 April 2023

RTÉ appoints Kevin Bakhurst as next Director General

Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ has announced the appointment of Kevin Bakhurst as its next Director General following an extensive and competitive recruitment process which was managed by the RTÉ Board. Kevin Bakhurst will replace Dee Forbes as Director General of RTÉ when her term comes to an end on 11th July this year.

Kevin Bakhurst was previously Managing Director of News & Current Affairs at RTÉ and Deputy Director General from September 2012 – October 2016. He was also a member of the RTÉ Executive throughout this period and served as acting Director General for a six-month period.

Commenting on his appointment, Kevin Bakhurst said:“I am honoured and delighted to take up the role of Director General. RTÉ playsa central role in Irish life and has brilliant people dedicated to delivering great and trusted content for audiences. RTÉ faces huge challenges and global competition, and I am confident we can deliver the ambitious change needed to remain valued and relevant to our audiences. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Prior to re-joining RTÉ, Kevin Bakhurst was Group Director, Broadcasting and Online at Ofcom where he was a member of Ofcom Board. Kevin’s responsibilities included setting Broadcast Strategy and Policy for UK broadcasting regulation, creating and implementing the framework for regulating the BBC, enforcing and developing editorial standards for UK broadcasters and leading work on the future of UK Public Service Broadcasting which has led directly to new government legislation. He has led Ofcom’s work on the UK’s new Online Safety Policy and built a team of around 350 to deliver it, including a new data and technology team, and in the process shaping the overall transformation of Ofcom to take on the new duties.

Between 2006 and 2012, Kevin Bakhurst held a range of senior editorial positions at the BBC, including Controller, BBC News Channel and Deputy Head, BBC Newsroom from 2005. He was also a member of the BBC’s London 2012 Olympics Steering Committee.

As Director General of RTÉ, Kevin Bakhurst will be required to take the organisation forward in a rapidly evolving media landscape, while ensuring RTÉ’s valued place in public life in Ireland.

RTÉ will confirm Kevin Bakhurst’s official start date as Director General of RTÉ in due course.

Commenting on the appointment of Kevin Bakhurst, RTÉ Chairperson, Siún Ní Raghallaigh said: “I’m delighted to welcome today’s announcement of the appointment of Kevin Bakhurst as the new Director General of RTÉ. The appointment follows a competitive recruitment process, with Kevin as the unanimous choice of the RTÉ Board. Kevin brings an exceptional breadth of industry experience, great leadership skills and a passionate commitment to the development of public service broadcasting in all its forms. Kevin’s appointment comes at time of opportunity and change for RTÉ. With my fellow Board members, I look forward to working with Kevin in our shared commitment to a thriving and financially sustainable RTÉ.”

USAGM releases statement re conviction of Vietnamese blogger

13 April 2023

USAGM releases statement re conviction of Vietnamese blogger

CEO Amanda Bennett (pictured) released the following statement regarding the conviction of Radio Free Asia contributor Nguyen Lan Thang.

Nguyen was sentenced to six years in prison by the Hanoi’s People’s Court on charges of spreading anti-state propaganda. The charge against him came under Article 117 of Vietnam’s criminal code, which is often used by authorities to suppress free speech on social media.

This conviction brings the total number of USAGM network contributors jailed in Vietnam to six. Others held include Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Truong Duy Nhat, and Nguyen Van Hoa from RFA, and Le Anh Jung and Pham Chi Dung from Voice of America.

CEO Bennett statement:

“The sentencing of Nguyen Lan Thang in Vietnam strikes yet another blow against free speech and freedom of the press in Vietnam.

For nearly a decade, Nguyen Lan Thang shared timely and prescient perspectives on freedom, democracy, and human rights with the Vietnamese audience of Radio Free Asia.

I join the chorus of international voices calling on the government of Vietnam to drop all charges and immediately release Nguyen Lan Thang.”

[Source: USAGM press release]

RNZ gains additional funding

7 April 2023

RNZ gains additional funding

New Zealand’s Government has announced extra investment in Radio New Zealand (RNZ) and NZ On Air to ensure all New Zealanders have access to public media that delivers world class content, Minister for Broadcasting and Media Willie Jackson has announced.

RNZ will receive an annual increase of $25.7m. This will include:

$12m for RNZ to maintain public media services
$12m for a new digital platform
$1.7m for AM Transmission

The scale and population density of New Zealand means that AM transmission – being significantly reduced in some countries – remains important to provide broadcast coverage of the whole country. The map shows coverage provided by RNZ’s AM transmitter network.

NZ On Air will also receive a $10m increase for 2023/24 which will focus on reaching new audiences.

“We must ensure that New Zealand can meet cost of living issues and support the cyclone recovery, while also delivering world class public media for all of Aotearoa,” said Willie Jackson.

“Today’s announcement will mean a total saving of $364.7 million over four years compared to merging RNZ and TVNZ.

“We have listened to New Zealanders and now is not the right time to restructure our public media. However the changing media landscape, increased competition, changing audience demands, and declining revenue pressures facing our public media are not going away.

“To address these challenges, we are investing $117.8 million over four years to deliver modern, trusted and relevant public media to all New Zealanders. This includes ensuring there is access to Civil Defence lifeline emergency communications and support to NZ On Air to strengthen collaborative public broadcasting.

“Supporting RNZ to provide public media services and to meet the needs of all New Zealanders in the digital age is critical. That’s why we are committing $25.7 million (annually) to ensure RNZ is financially sustainable for the future.

“This investment will strengthen news and current affairs coverage through a free multi-media digital platform to reach new audiences, expand regional coverage to be truly national, establish a new initiative to prioritise Māori and Pacific content and support RNZ to deliver civil defence lifeline emergency communications.

“To bolster collaborative public broadcasting, we will be restoring NZ On Air funding and providing a $10 million increase for 2023/2024 to support the creation of innovative content.

“The funding will support the creation of high-quality content that better represents and connects with audiences such as Māori, Pasifika, Asian, disabled people and our rangatahi and tamariki. It is vital that all New Zealanders are seeing and hearing themselves in our public media,” said Willie Jackson.

$1.7 million per year will ensure RNZ continues as a critical lifeline utility in civil defence emergencies. This investment will support RNZ’s AM Transmission services so lifeline services can be provided on platforms people can access during times of emergency.

“As we have seen over the past few years, and in particular during the recent severe weather events, RNZ is a crucial lifeline utility in civil defence emergencies and is one of the places New Zealanders can turn to for reliable, up-to-date, accurate, and emergency information.

“Investing $25.7 million annually into New Zealand’s public media reflects the necessary changes that must be made to meet the challenges and priorities of our public media landscape. We’ve listened to New Zealanders, and our public media needs to provide for both an Aotearoa of today, and tomorrow.” said Willie Jackson.