3 June 2006
Voice of America’s popular Persian-language Mizegerdi ba Shoma (Roundtable With You) program will expand to a new daily schedule, broadcasting 60 minutes a day, beginning Saturday, 3 June. The popular radio-TV simulcast program, which is hosted by VOA’s Ahmad Baharloo, has been broadcast weekly for 90 minutes for nearly a decade.
Broadcasting from a new studio, the first daily program will focus on the universal concept of human rights and democracy. Guests will include Azar Nafisi, author of the best-selling book Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books and a Visiting Fellow and lecturer at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC.; Elahe Hicks, a New York-based human rights activist; and Amir Abbas Fakhravar, who was jailed as a student in Iran for demonstrating for human rights and freedom of speech. “This new daily, 60-minute format will allow us to cover in depth even more topics of interest to our Iranian audience,” said Baharloo.
During its first week as a daily program, Mizegerdi ba Shoma also plans to interview filmmaker Joseph Akrami about his documentary focusing on former Iranian political prisoners; Abbas Maroufi, a writer and journalist who will discuss the brain drain in Iran; and Omid Omidvar, on the role of Internet news in mass communication.
On June 15, Mizegerdi ba Shoma goes on the road to Berlin, Germany, to cover the first round of the World Cup finals. VOA’s Baharloo will host the show live from Germany as 32 teams, including the United States and Iran, compete for the World Cup.
VOA broadcasts via satellite several Persian language TV programs to Iran. Mizegerdi ba Shoma (Roundtable With You), now a daily program, is an interview and call-in program; Khabarha va Nazarha (News and Views) is a daily one-hour news show; and Fasle Digar (Next Chapter) is a weekly 30-minute youth-oriented newsmagazine show. Negahi Faratar (Looking Ahead) is a live, monthly, 60-minute show focusing on human rights and the democratic movement in Iran.
VOA’s television shows complement VOA Persian’s daily radio broadcasts and Radio Farda, a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, youth-oriented radio program that is a joint project of VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. VOA’s Persian language Internet site is at www.VOANews.com/persian.
3 June 2006
The first interactive debate at the Arab Broadcast Forum on 4 June entitled Embedded in Danger: Iraq War Coverage, will expose the challenges faced by journalists reporting from war zones and question how much international broadcasters rely on local media for up-to-date reports in Iraq. The first session will ask delegates what lessons have been learned and apply them to an emerging and chilling regional scenario: if war breaks out in Iran, what are the new realities of reporting for the Arab and international media?.
Al Arabiya will lead the opening session and share its first hand experience in reporting from Iraq, where the news channel has paid the ultimate price for reporting the truth with its journalists being detained, wounded and – in the case of Atwar Bahjat – murdered in the course of duty.
Addressing another topical issue is the session Lost in Translation: The Battle for Arab Viewers where the trend of Arab broadcast organisations expanding internationally will be explored. The session will analyse the impact of regional media expansion and ask if news channels are bridging a cultural gap and clarifying misconceptions about the Arab world.
Prominent media figures from Al Hurra TV, BBC, Reuters and Associated Press will attend the forum at Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi. The two-day event, co-hosted by Al Arabiya News Channel and Abu Dhabi TV, will broadcast live a series of interactive debates.
3 June 2006
The BBC has made a formal complaint to Egyptian Minister of the Interior Habib Al-Adly following assaults by members of the Egyptian security services on four journalists, two of whom work for the BBC. The assault was made in full view of uniformed Egyptian security service officers who did not intervene.
The attack occurred on Thursday May 25 in the Egyptian capital Cairo. It followed the meeting of the General Assembly of the Journalists Syndicate. The meeting was being covered by the BBC. In the unprovoked incident, a car containing four journalists – including BBC staff journalists Dina Samak and Denna Gameel – was deliberately blocked by a taxi. Five men in civilian clothes left the taxi and surrounded the car. They were joined immediately by at least another 10 attackers who were waiting in the street.
The attackers broke the front windscreen and a side window while verbally abusing the occupants. Two of the party were then dragged from the car and subjected to an assault. The attack took place in full view of uniformed security service officers who did not intervene. One of the victims, journalist Karim Al Shaer, was badly beaten. He was subsequently taken away in a police car and is still in detention.
The journalists filed a complaint with the local police. A complaint has also been made by the Journalists Syndicate to the Attorney General but, so far, there has been no response or indication that an investigation has been launched.
The BBC runs a major production centre in Cairo because of its eminent position in the Arab world as a diplomatic centre and cosmopolitan centre of culture and learning.
3 June 2006
Al Jazeera Satellite TV Channel issued the following statement on 2 June:
Al Jazeera Satellite TV Channel today reacted with astonishment and deep dismay at the news of the Spanish Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the conviction of its correspondent in Spain, Taysir Allouni, despite the fact that he was acquitted over alleged links with Al Qaeda. Al Jazeera confirms its full solidarity with Taysir Allouni and is certain of his innocence. For these reasons, Al Jazeera is presently deliberating with the legal team assigned to follow up the case in view of making an appeal to the Constitutional Court to help Taysir Allouni regain his freedom.
“Taysir is recognized by the journalistic community as a distinguished correspondent known for his integrity and commitment to the profession and Al Jazeera will continue to fully support him and the efforts to appeal his case. said Wadah Khanfar, the Director General of the Al Jazeera Network.
3 June 2006
Content management and delivery company GlobeCast has been selected by Sky Italia to provide HDTV contribution for the World Cup of Football from the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) in Munich to Skys headquarters outside of Milan, Italy. This redundant solution includes both fibre and satellite contribution to ensure a seamless broadcast.
The contribution service provided by GlobeCast is an end-to-end solution including routing and transmission via fibre, as well as the provision of encoding and decoding equipment in HD.
GlobeCast will also provide HD satellite coverage as a backup for the event, using capacity on Eutelsats Eurobird 3 satellite at 33º East. This satellite coverage will guarantee a high level of reliability and service quality, especially with the inauguration of the latest HD-ready member of GlobeCasts proprietary fleet of Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) vehicles. This particular truck is the first such all-HD vehicle in the Italian market.
The service package provided by GlobeCast also includes a 24 hour on-site customer support and technical assistance desk, staffed by GlobeCasts technical experts.
3 June 2006
Ibrahim Helal has been appointed Deputy Managing Director News and Programmes of the soon to launch global English language news and current affairs channel.
Helal is a former editor-in-chief at Al Jazeeras Arabic language channel and most recently served as a project director on the Middle East North Africa Dialogue Programme for the BBC World Service Trust. Prior to his joining Al Jazeera International, he worked in London for the BBCs Arabic service.
Having Ibrahim join us at the English-language channel not only further professionalises our staff with a top-flight newsman, it also solidifies us as a family built around the core spirit of Al Jazeera, said Managing Director Nigel Parsons.
Helal will oversee the Middle East desk and ensure close working relations with the Arabic news channel. Ibrahim will have a quality-control responsibility to assure that news content across the channels is consistentand consistently good, said Parsons.
Al Jazeeras English-channel promises agenda-free news from every corner of the globe carried across fibre-optic HDTV technology. Both firsts, said Parsons. The channel plans a launch later this year.
