7 July 2003
Three weeks ago fury erupted at Radio Netherlands following a leak of the McKinsey Report into efficiency in Dutch public broadcasting, as the closure of RNW appeared to be one recommendation of the report.
Now the report is out, Radio Netherlands is no happier. One cost saving suggested is indeed the scrapping of both the Dutch and foreign language services of Radio Netherlands. “Internet is, after all, sufficient and the role of Radio Netherlands for non-Dutch listeners could easily be taken over by embassies and other agencies,” says the report.
Radio Netherlands points out that it is an autonomous organization that doesn’t come under the umbrella of domestic public broadcasting and that recommending changes to the core tasks of the Dutch international service was outside the remit of the McKinsey Report.
The broadcaster says that if McKinsey’s researchers had delved deeper, they would have discovered that Dutch expatriates would not be so well informed without the specifically targeted programming it provides. They would also have found out that, while satellite and Internet make an important contribution, shortwave remains indispensable for the time being. The McKinsey researchers would also have learned that only the independent and highly respected Radio Netherlands can fulfil the role of giving listeners in other languages “a true picture of The Netherlands.”
On the basis of an earlier study, Radio Netherlands has already embarked on a modernization and cost-saving plan that involves more partnerships, more focus on The Netherlands, and a rationalized use of shortwave. This plan will produce cost savings of around 10 per cent. As for the McKinsey report, Radio Netherlands concludes that it is of such a poor standard that it cannot be taken seriously.
7 July 2003
News Corp’s Hong Kong-based Star Group has set up a new arm in Dubai Media City. Star will be using its Dubai Media City facility as an operational base and will become functional in August, according to a statement from Dubai Media City.
“DMC’s advanced, comprehensive and fully-customised facilities make it an ideal operational base for Star to grow our business in this region,” Altaf Alimohamed, president, Digital Platforms Group, Star (Middle East) Ltd, was quoted as saying in a media report.
7 July 2003
The UK’s Institute of Economic Affairs is staging a two-day conference in London on 18 and 19 June examining the Future of Broadcasting.
AIB Members are entitled to a 15% discount on the full delegate rate. Please contact the AIB secretariat at register@aib.org.uk, or call +44 (0) 20 8297 3993 for more information.
The AIB’s Simon Spanswick and Kerry Stevenson will be representing the organisation at the conference.
7 July 2003
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2 July 2003
Egyptian Information Minister Safwat al-Sharif has signed a cooperation agreement with the French Canal Satellite group in a bid to expand Egyptian satellite channels via new satellites.
Under the agreement, the Egyptian satellite Channel 1 will beam its programmes via the Astra satellite to be seen in all of Europe. Egypt hopes that this agreement will help explain the countrys information, political and cultural role to the world.
2 July 2003
Russian news agency ITAR-TASS notes that the Voice of Russia, now taking part in the initial phase of broadcasting in the DRM format, has become the first digital radio station in the country, broadcasting to Europe four hours a day in digital format.
VOR is using only one transmitter for digital broadcasts at present, but according to ITAR-TASS all others are expected to go digital in the very near future to cover all continents by the end of the year. Complete transition to digital should be completed by 2015.
