9 March 2006
Just 12 months after taking delivery of their first eQ, MBC has purchased a second eQ editing/effects/grading/mastering system. The new system comes with the Pay as you Go HD option and will reside along the existing machine in the companys Creative Services Department.
MBC is the leading free-to-air, pan-Arab, news and entertainment channel. The decision to again choose Quantel technology was based on the networks successful experience with its first eQ, and was triggered by the networks decision to look towards the HD future. The addition of a second high-powered eQ resolution co-existent system will enable MBC to seemlessly work with multiple resolution material and take full advantage of the quality and versatility of HD to create the highest quality programmes and promos.
Mr. Keith Dallison, Senior Promotions Editor, said, With its all-round capabilities, the eQ provides the perfect environment to bring our SD and HD production strands together to create the finished project. eQs enormous speed means that it is the ideal system to meet our tight deadlines and stringent quality requirements and the Pay as you Go HD option makes it a low-risk investment for us.
Ramsay Ismail, Quantel Director of Sales, Africa, Middle East & India, commented, We are delighted that a company of such a high profile as MBC has once again chosen Quantel technology. At Quantel we have been working for years to offer our customers the tools to let them adapt to new formats and to widen their business opportunities. This purchase demonstrates MBCs commitment to an HD future, and were very happy that Quantel technology will be an integral part of that vision.
9 March 2006
Al Jazeera International, the 24-hour English language news and current affairs channel, set to launch its global broadcast in late Spring of 2006, announced that respected journalist Dr Shereen El Feki has joined the channel. Based in London, Shereen will host the channels business and politics strand.
People & Power will examine the nature of power today: what it is, who wields it, who wants it and how it is being used, for better or worse. Although People & Power is Al Jazeera Internationals main business programme, it will look at influence far beyond the boardroom.
Our aim is to reveal the shifting nature of global power. People, places and movements which scarcely registered on the richter scale of power a decade ago are now shaking our world, says Shereen. We want to understand the forceseconomic, political, cultural and technologicalthat are changing the winners and losers in todays struggles for influence.
The half-hour programme will air twice a week with a flexible magazine format, allowing for studio discussions and interviews, as well as items filmed on location and special reports. Reflecting the channels fresh take on current affairs, the programme will not only talk to the usual suspectspoliticians, CEOs, religious leaders and military menbut unusual ones too, from bloggers to inventors, from shareholder activists to insurgents.
Explaining her move to Al Jazeera International, Shereen said, Events of the past few yearsfrom 9/11 and the war in Iraq to riots in Paris and the recent cartoon controversieshave made me think long and hard about what it means to be Arab and Muslim. When I look to the Middle East I see enormous possibilities for change. In my travels, I meet many people who are keen to reach out and work with both east and west. But its easier to build those bridges if theres someone on the other side building towards you. For me, Al Jazeera International is a great opportunity to span that gap between cultures and communities around the world.
Director of Programming Paul Gibbs said, In addition to looking at shifting balances of power, People & Power will have a strong investigative strand, uncovering the use and abuse of power in business and politics. We will approach business from a fresh perspective making the world of business and politics accessible to viewers around the globe.
Shereen comes from Canada, where she was raised by Egyptian-Welsh parents. Although I grew up in the west, I like to think of myself as a born-again Arab she says. Shereen speaks fluent English and French and is working on her Arabic. For the moment, I have enough Arabic to get me into trouble, but not quite enough just yet to get me out of it, she says. She joins Al Jazeera International from The Economist.
In addition to producing its own material, People & Power is eager to broadcast work from freelancers and independent companies around the globe through a unique commissioning site: www.ajicommissioning.net
8 March 2006
According to a report in Britain’s Independent newspaper, TF1, France’s main TV channel, has appointed a black journalist as “substitute” presenter of the country’s most-watched news bulletin. The move follows pressure from President Jacques Chirac, the paper suggests.
From July, 32 year old Harry Roselmack – born on the French Caribbean island of Martinique but brought up in Tours, western France – will become the first non-white person to present a prime-time, mainstream television news programme on France’s most-watched channel.
During the rioting by multiracial suburban gangs of young people in November last year, French television companies were criticised for their failure to present an ethnically diverse picture of French society.
The paper continues that although journalists of Arab or African origin have presented the news on minor channels or out of prime time, the main news bulletins have been an all-white preserve. This was said to reinforce the sense of alienation felt by black and Arab youths in poor, French suburbs. After the riots, President Chirac urged all the French media, and especially television companies, to make greater effort to hire journalists from ethnic minorities.
TF1 said it had hired Roselmack to respond to the President’s appeal but also because “he is a very good journalist”.
Roselmack’s abilities are undisputed. Formerly a radio journalist, he has become a popular figure on the i-TELE cable news channel in the past six months. He has been praised for his clear and faultless presentation and his ability to exude seriousness and warmth.
He was described by one French newspaper as “having the looks of a play-boy, smiling and sexy”.
From the summer, he will present regular news bulletins on TFI’s 24-hour news channel, LCI. More importantly, he will, from July, become the face of the 8pm TF1 news while its veteran presenter, Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, is on holiday.
7 March 2006
The AIB is supporting two major media conferences taking place in London this
month.
The FT Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference takes place at London’s
Dorchester Hotel on 6 and 7 March. This annual event – subtitled Reinventing
the Digital Boom – is the pre-eminent gathering of the leading decision
makers, strategists and visionaries in the media industry from all over the
world for debate of the challenges and opportunities across the Digital Media
World.
AIB members are entitled to a 25% discount on full price delegate
registration – one of the many benefits of AIB membership. Contact the AIB head
office for more details.
For more information about the Conference, please log onto
www.ftconferences.co.uk/digitalmedia/.
Also running in London in the week of 6 March is the IPTV World Forum.
The first day of this three-day conference will be chaired by AIB chief
executive, Simon Spanswick.
The IPTV World Forum 2006 will provide the perfect and timely opportunity to
meet and network with the key players across the industry. The IPTV World Forum
is the key UK event for the industries leading telcos, content and technology
players to get together and discuss service delivery, marketing, and content
over IPTV technologies and devices.
The IPTV World Forum is aimed directly at the industries supporting the
markets growth; telcos, broadcasters, content providers, device manufacturers,
technology providers, software providers, system integrators and broadband
providers.
More details online at
www.iptvforum.com.
2 March 2006
AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick will chair the first day of the IPTV World Forum 2006 in London on 6 March 2006.
The annual IPTV World Forum conference and exhibition brings together almost 500 people involved in the development of IPTV, from technology through to business plans.
It provides the perfect and timely opportunity to
meet and network with the key players across the industry. The IPTV World Forum
will be the key UK event for the industries leading telcos, content and
technology players to get together and discuss service delivery, marketing, and
content over IPTV technologies and devices.
The IPTV World Forum is aimed directly at the industries supporting the markets
growth; telcos, broadcasters, content providers, device manufacturers,
technology providers, software providers, system integrators and broadband
providers.
More information at www.iptvforum.com.
1 March 2006
The latest editorial calendar for the AIB’s quarterly magazine, The Channel, has been published.
The
Channel reaches more than 5,000 regular subscribers in media
organisations, regulators, production houses, transmission companies, satellite
operators and governments in well over 120 countries. The magazine is also distributed at major exhibitions, conferences and trade shows, boosting the readership of every edition to more than 8,500.
With strong editorial
content, the magazine is well-read and well-respected throughout the world.
Combined with the AIB’s regular electronic news letters covering strategy,
programming, distribution and technology, the AIB has unprecedented reach among
decision-makers in broadcasting and multi-media operators worldwide.
To have your brand associated with the AIB’s unique and high profile
publications, contact Samantha Woollett:
T +44 (0) 775 939 4916
E sam.woollett@aib.org.uk
Download the AIB Media Pack with comprehensive information about all
the advertising opportunities the AIB provides
here.
