7 January 2004
The AIB’s Executive Committee for the two year period to December 2005 has been elected by the Association’s members.
Six representatives from members sit on the Executive Committee, and these are:
Alan Booth, Controller, Marketing, BBC World Service
Mike Chandler, Managing Director, SES-Astra (UK)
Linden Clark, Radio New Zealand International
Thomas Dine, President, Radios Free Europe/Liberty
Dennis Israel, InterMedia Survey Institute
Elzbieta Olechowska, Radio Canada International
The Executive Committee will help steer the AIB’s strategy and direction.
7 January 2004
The AIB Global Media Business Conference 2004 will take place in Prague on 12 and 13 May.
The event will be held at the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – the former Czech Parliament building – in the centre of the city. RFE/RL, an AIB member, is the conference partner.
Full information about the event will be available on the AIB website in the coming weeks. In the meantime, suggestions for speakers, presentations and papers are welcome. Send suggestions to the AIB via e-mail using the link below.
7 January 2004
AIB Member Radio Prague, the international arm of Czech Radio, has signed a contract with VT Merlin Communications – also an AIB Member -to broadcast programming on its network of high power short wave radio transmitters. The programme is a daily service in Spanish directed at the Southern Americas. It runs from 0000 to 0030 UTC on a frequency of 11.665 KHz.
The programme is down linked from the Eurobird satellite in the UK. It is then sent via fully staffed control facilities, to a transmission site operated by VT Merlin in the Atlantic. This enables a live broadcast to be made, providing listeners with up to the minute news and information.
The use of a transmission facility close to the target area will enable listeners to receive Radio Prague’s programmes clearly. The broadcast is made at 250KW.
Miroslav Krupicka, Director of Radio Prague said, “This is a good opportunity to enhance our listenership in South America. With the advent of new technologies such as the Internet and DRM, we also want to demonstrate that we do not forget about our short wave audience. The first reports from our listeners are encouraging.”
Richard Hurd, Head of Transmission Services at VT Merlin Communications commented “Radio Prague and VT Merlin Communications discussed this opportunity at the AIB Global Media Business Conference in London in 2003. We are proud that Czech Radio have trusted us with their international transmission requirements. This is the start of a new broadcast relationship which will benefit Radio Prague’s listeners and programme makers.”
7 January 2004
Viewers of Hong Kong’s new direct-to-home pay-TV operation, exTV, will benefit from international channels including BBC World, Bloomberg, CNBC Asia and Nickelodeon Asia.
exTV is due on the air in February, joining another five pay-TV platforms available in the SAR of Hong Kong.
12 December 2003
The BBC has announced the reinstatement of the post of deputy director general in the New Year. Mark Byford, currently Director, BBC World Service and Global News, will take up the role.
Byford will have responsibility for a new department that will include the existing editorial policy department and a controller of complaints who has not yet been appointed.
BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies said “It is clear that Britain’s most important public service broadcaster must have the highest standards of editorial compliance. The governors believe that the appointment of Mark Byford, along with the strengthened post-broadcast procedures, will ensure that this is the case.”
Greg Dyke said “As a result of the review we have decided to make a number of internal changes to modernise the complaints system and strengthen our post-broadcast compliance procedures. The most important of these is the appointment of a deputy director general who will take overall responsibility for this area.
“This means the second most important person in the management structure will now have a particular responsibility for compliance and complaints.”
BBC Global News, comprising World Service radio and World television, is a member of the AIB.
8 December 2003
The European Broadcasting Union has appointed Jean Réveillon, the Deputy Director General and Director of Broadcasting at France 3, as its Secretary General.
He succeeds Jean Stock, who informed Members of his intention to retire at the EBU General Assembly in Stockholm in July 2003.
Jean Réveillon was elected a Vice-President of the EBU in July 2002. He will be taking office as Secretary General in February 2004.
Arne Wessberg, the President of the EBU and Director General of YLE (Finland), told the Administrative Council he was confident that “the personal and professional qualities of this extremely experienced professional will enable him to meet – on behalf of the EBU and its Members – all the challenges facing broadcasters in an ever-changing environment”.
The EBU President also paid tribute to Jean Stock’s work and, in particular, “to the impetus he gave the EBU and to the important results he achieved”.
Jean Réveillon has been the Deputy Director General and Director of Broadcasting at France 3 since December 1999, having previously been Director General in charge of broadcasting at France 3, from August 1998 to November 1999.
