9 March 2004
Since RCIs integration into the structure of Radio-Canada/CBC, Canadas national public broadcaster, in 2001-2003, the station has been making a number of moves aimed at a redefinition of its mandate and an optimal redeployment of its resources leading to a better response to the needs of target audiences. RCIs continued existence is based on an Order in Council which mandates CBC/Radio-Canada to ensure that RCI broadcasts to foreign audiences increasing international awareness of Canada. The emphasis put exclusively on foreign audiences prompted a thorough review of target areas, broadcast languages, and transmission platforms. With the support of the CBC/Radio-Canada and with the endorsement from the government, RCI initiated changes in its broadcast schedules and programming beginning in early 2003 and progressing until final completion planned for April 2005.
In the autumn of 2003, RCI launched three 24-hour satellite channels covering Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to reach the 30-million estimated satellite dish owners in the area. RCI-1, an English language channel carries a mix of CBC and RCI produced programming, RCI-2 offers Radio-Canada and RCI in French and RCI-3 provides a multilingual service in all RCI broadcast languages. The three satellite channels are also transmitted as simultaneous live streams on RCIs website.
The March 28, 2004 change of shortwave frequencies brings additions and changes to broadcast schedules on all platforms. Among the additions, the most important is a new weekly programme in Brazilian Portuguese (bringing to nine the number of RCIs broadcast languages) and an evening daily programme to India in English. Abandoning the principle of multi-target or generic broadcasts in both Canadas official languages adopted as a necessary evil after the massive cuts of 1991 RCI will now produce broadcasts specifically targeted for the region to which they are beamed. The best of CBC/Radio-Canada programming will be beamed to the Americas where it is already known and popular allowing RCI to concentrate its own production resources in English on Europe, Africa and India and in French on Europe, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Introduced initially in February 2003, a programme development process in all languages has been gradually transforming traditional daily formats of news/ current affairs/ magazine into a seamless mix of news, field reporting, analysis, dialogues, and opinion. The repositioning announced for March 2004 adds further momentum to the process.
Radio Canada International is a member of the AIB.
9 March 2004
BBC World has been presented with an Industry Innovator Award by the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), in recognition of the channels success in using satellites to distribute its signal around the globe.
Over the past five years, BBC World has secured innovative commercial arrangements with satellite operators and satellite platform operators to ensure that as many viewers as possible have access to the channel.
When it was launched in its present form in January 1995, the BBCs commercially funded 24-hour international news and information channel was available only in Europe, India and the Middle East, to 24 million homes. It has increased its reach eleven-fold in the subsequent nine years, now spanning the globe, reaching around 260 million homes, and receiving international acclaim for its output.
Hubbed from the UK, BBC World uses a combination of eight different streams, including both analogue and digital signals. A total of 30 satellites give global contribution and distribution to regional playout centres and platform operators in every necessary format.
The SSPI is the professional development society of the global satellite industry. The awards were introduced in 1993, and previous winners include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. National Science Foundation and Comsat General. BBC World received its award at a gala ceremony in Washington D.C. on Wednesday 3rd March.
Jeff Hazell, Director of Sales and Distribution at BBC World, said: Through creative use of digital technology and satellite systems, BBC World is now recognised as a global brand and as a balanced, accurate and trusted source of news. Were honoured that the SSPI has chosen to recognise our achievements in this way.
8 March 2004
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) have agreed to work together to combat signal theft in the region.
Simon Twiston Davies, CASBAA’s CEO, said that signal theft was increasing at a rate of 11 per cent a year in Asia, and was corroding the ability of the industry to grow. He revealed that the cost of piracy of channels by unlicensed cable operators, under-declaring of subscriptions by licensed operators, and ad-blocking by cable operators, amounted to more than $1.2 billion a year in the Asian region. “Piracy is a big problem for our members in Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand and India,” he said.
The Secretary-General of the ABU, David Astley, warned that many free-to-air channels were also suffering signal theft, and proposed that the two organisations work together where there are issues of common interest. “Whilst our two organisations may be dealing with piracy issues from a different perspective, there are many areas where we overlap and on which we should combine our efforts,” he noted. “Lobbying of governments to protect the interests of broadcasters will be more effective if we are speaking with one voice”.
8 March 2004
Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based newscaster, has signed a major distribution deal with the BBC. The channel, owned by MBC, has optioned 100 hours of factual content from BBC Worldwide including a number of shows about Middle-Eastern issues such as Palestine – The First Intifada and Mohammed Reza Pahlavi – The Last Shah. The broadcaster will air the in-house produced programmes, which also include Alan Yentobs BBC 1 arts programme Leonardo, over the next few years.
Al-Arabiya is a 24-hour news channel which airs across the world servicing around 130 million Arabic speaking people.
5 March 2004
Broadcast intercom supplier Drake Electronics has won an order from Al Jazeera Satellite News in Qatar for a 4000 Series II matrix to be installed in their main studio complex.
Drake won the contract in partnership with Tek Signals as part of Al Jazeera’s expansion programme for their satellite news channel.
The new order confirms Al Jazeera’s continued commitment to Drake, who already have many Drake intercom systems installed in their Qatar based news station. The order consists of a brand new 48 port 4000 Series II matrix and a combination of user panels. Al Jazeera has also ordered six FreeSpeak® beltpacks allowing their operators to have fully integrated communications whilst on the move.
The system operates using a cellular network of active antennas located around the production environment that are connected directly to the Drake matrix. FreeSpeak® continuously detects the best channel, automatically changing without any user intervention. The inclusion of FreeSpeak® in the system architecture allows wireless users to communicate across the Hi-Que paths to other matrices and studio clusters.
Installation will commence early Spring.
Al Jazeera is a member of the AIB.
4 March 2004
Kiev-based broadcaster Radio Kontinent, an independent station, was closed by an order issued by Ukraines State Centre of Radio Frequencies on 3 March, allegedly for broadcasting without an appropriate licence. As well as producing its own principally music-based programmes, Kontinent is a rebroadcasting partner of the Ukrainian-language services of BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Polonia and the Voice of America, all members of the Association for International Broadcasting.
Radio Kontinent has worked with international stations for several years, rebroadcasting news and current affairs programmes to listeners across the Ukrainian capital. Kontinent recently started to take the output of Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) which until February 17 had been transmitted by the Radio Dovira network in Ukraine.
The closure of Radio Kontinent has drawn criticism from broadcasters. Speaking from Bonn, Deutsche Welles Director of Programmes Joachim Lenz said that the closure was further proof that the Ukrainian state does not allow freedom of press and speech.
From Prague, Tom Dine, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said “We at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are angry and outraged by this blatant act in suppressing factual news and information from a variety of high-quality journalists. Ukraine’s name and its people are badly damaged; the first freedom – free expression – is harmed.”
The BBC in London issued a statement in which it expressed its disappointment with the closure of Radio Kontinent and expressed hope the station will be given a chance to re-apply for a licence and be on air again. Many BBC listeners in Kiev have been tuning in to our programmes through Radio Kontinent, and we are sad that they will now be deprived of this option. We have enjoyed working with Radio Kontinent and hope they will be able to re-apply for the licence in the future in order to continue to enrich the choice of the Ukrainian listener with their mix of news, jazz and classical music.
