3 October 2006
Wohler Technologies, Inc. today announced another valuable addition to its management team by bringing on board Shane Felix as Marketing Manager. Felix joins Wohler, the world leader in rack video and audio monitoring, from Tut Systems the market leader in IPTV headends and digital video networks.
“I am very happy to be part of the famous Wohler Team,” said Shane Felix, Marketing Manager for Wohler. “Wohlers technology, leadership, forward thinking, and channel talent is a combination unmatched in this industry. I am looking forward to further developing the awardwinning Wohler brand.
Carl J. Dempsey, Wohlers President and CEO stated that: Shanes appointment is really exciting for she brings 18 years of industry experience in marketing and marketing communications. She is a veteran with multiple successes developing marketing process, strategy and organization for successful companies. Shanes skills and proven track record will compliment and enhance our new and highly dynamic management team.
Previously, Shane was Director of Marketing Communications at Tut Systems involved in executing Tuts initial and secondary public offerings to achieve one of the most successful IPOs in NASDAQ history. Prior to her time with Tut Systems, Shane held positions in marketing management with ASP Computers Inc., PLI, Everex Systems and as an independent marketing consultant.
3 October 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), has announced today that it has signed a new transponder contract with the British commercial TV broadcaster Five. The additional capacity will primarily be used for the companys two new channels Five Life and Five US which will be launched in October. The broadcaster will initially take half of a transponder at the orbital position 28.2° East and ramp up to a full transponder in the second half of 2007.
Five attracts around 30 million viewers a week and generates over £300 million in advertising revenue – around 8.6% of the UK total. The company is owned by Europes largest broadcaster, the RTL Group, which operates 34 TV and 34 radio stations across Europe.
With this additional agreement, we continue to consolidate our position as Europes leading direct-to-home (DTH) satellite company in an extremely competitive environment, said Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. We are very pleased about our strong business relationship with Five and will continue to offer the best service possible to all our customers.
Chris Anning, CTO for Five, said: Five has come a long way since its launch in 1997; we have gone from a standing start to an audience share of over 6%. Considering the huge changes in the broadcast landscape over the last six or seven years thats quite a feat. To meet the challenges of the next few years and further increase our overall audience share we will be launching exciting new channels and this transponder deal will give us the capacity we need to expand.
3 October 2006
WORLDSPACE Satellite Radio, one of the world leaders in satellite-based digital radio services, today announced it has signed an exclusive broadcast license agreement with ESPN STAR Sports to provide subscribers with live audio coverage of cricket, further enhancing its content offering and providing consumers with a truly unique listening experience. Under terms of the agreement, PLAY, the WORLDSPACE-branded all sports channel for South Asia and the Middle East, will have exclusive broadcasting rights throughout South Asia for 12 tours and over 200 days of cricket comprising both test matches and one-day internationals. Three of the 12 tours include India — WORLDSPACE Satellite Radio’s primary market in the Asia region. Coverage begins November 19, 2006 with India’s tour of South Africa, and runs through February 2008, with conclusion of the India-Sri Lanka-Australia Triangular Series in Australia.
“The exclusive acquisition of these premier cricket internationals is another demonstration of WORLDSPACE’s continued commitment to providing the best in audio entertainment for our listeners,” said Alexander Brown, co-Chief Operating Officer, WORLDSPACE. “We are very pleased to partner with ESPN STAR Sports, the leading sports broadcaster in Asia, to provide our subscribers with another compelling, personalized content option,” Brown continued.
Subscribers will have “ball-by-ball,” real-time coverage of all matches as well as a host of ancillary programming surrounding each match. The coverage will feature matches with the national teams from India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, and will also include the biennial Australia-England test series, “The Ashes.” Broadcasts can be received in countries covered by the WORLDSPACE AsiaStar(TM) satellite’s West Beam and include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE.
3 October 2006
EuroNews is now available through the Tvext Internet TV service, developed by Broadband Television Network Corp based in Washington DC. EuroNews will now be available Live on the internet, for the first time, in the United States. TVext carries EuroNews live in all seven language versions (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian).
Available on www.tvext.tv, the service provides users with access to a range of content, including programming from EuroNews. TVext offers video programming to consumers on a subscription and pay-as-you-go basis.
Philippe Cayla, Chairman and CEO of EuroNews said: “EuroNews is already successful on high speed internet in Europe. Tvext is the first Internet TV service in America to carry EuroNews; the partnership fits perfectly with their philosophy of attracting unique programming that is accessible and relevant to dual-language households and expatriates living in the United States. For EuroNews it represents a new way to expand globally and reach viewers who are interested by EuroNews’ unique editorial concept”.
3 October 2006
Harris Corporations Broadcast Communications Division Radio Business Unit has donated its market-leading Platinum Series® Z5, 5kw, solid-state, FM transmitter to the first independent Iraqi womens radio station, Radio Al-Mahaba. The new Harris transmitter, to be installed this month, will transmit within a 60-90 mile radius of the stations Baghdad location and will reach people in approximately half of the 18 provinces. The stations original 5kw transmitter was destroyed by an explosion near the station in October of last year, and its subsequent 3kw rental unit failed. They are currently operating with a rented 1kw unit, which has drastically reduced their ability to reach their audience and garner the advertising revenue they need to remain on the air.
Its difficult to describe the significance of this 5kw transmitter to the continued success of our radio station, said Bushra Jamil, the spokeswoman of Radio Al-Mahaba. It means well be able to reach the small towns and rural villages where women remain extremely isolated from news and education. The illiteracy rate for Iraqi women is now at approximately 75 percent, so this makes our radio broadcasts even more vital. After the bombing that destroyed our first transmitter, we had to reduce our staffs salaries by half. With this new transmitter, we can become financially self-sufficient through increased advertising revenues.
The non-religious, non-governmental station for women encourages audience members to call in and talk to one another, and features commentators and guests that educate them about their rights. The urgent needs of Radio Al-Mahaba have been a frequent topic since this spring on the daily U.S. broadcasts of the Satellite Sisters radio program, syndicated nationally by the ABC Radio Networks. Station personnel are often interviewed on the show and the station is featured prominently on the program website. This summer the Satellite Sisters launched a campaign to raise $100,000 to Keep Radio Al-Mahaba Talking. The new transmitter, plus the nearly $40,000 raised to date, will help ensure that the voice of Iraqi women will continue to be heard. We are thrilled to have a hand in restoring transmission for this pioneering Iraqi station, said Debra Huttenburg, vice president and general manager of the Radio Broadcast Systems business unit of Harris Corporations Broadcast Communications Division. Communication is vital to the people of Iraq, and Radio Al-Mahaba operates daily under the harshest conditions imaginable. We see this outreach as an extension of Harris involvement in the region, specifically with regard to our re-build of the studio infrastructure for the Iraqi Media Network (IMN). Through its Government Communications Systems Division, Harris rebuilt AM/FM and television infrastructure for the entire country of Iraq. Radio and television studio infrastructure and transmission equipment, along with a satellite delivery system, were essential parts of the re-build. The IMN program included equipment, operation, training, and provisioning of programming for an integrated media network that includes two national radio channels, two national television channels, and a national newspaper, “Al Sabah.”
3 October 2006
The Voice of America (VOA) launched the first full news hour of a new radio broadcasting service to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region this week. In the coming months VOA Deewa (Light) Radio will expand to 6 hours of daily news programming.
“VOA Deewa’s first hour-long daily newscast marks the beginning of a new Pashto language radio program specifically designed for the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region,” said VOA Director David S. Jackson. “This is an area that is facing significant challenges ranging from ethnic and political strife to poverty and health issues, so it’s critical for them to have access to accurate and unbiased news and information.”
The first hour of VOA Deewa Radio offers local, regional, and international news as well as features on topics such as politics, economy, health, education and sports. Special features are also planned, including an on-going series on Muslims in America and “Who We Are,” an informative series about life in the United States.
In addition to the one-hour News Hour, Deewa Radio has begun broadcasting 10 minutes of regional and global news at the top of the hour for four hours every evening, followed by contemporary Pashto popular music on a 24-hour, 7-day per week basis. Over the coming months VOA Deewa Radio will expand to 6 hours of news and information tailed for listeners in the Pashto-speaking region.
VOA Deewa Radio programs can be heard in select cities on FM 100.5 and on shortwave from 1300-1400 UTC on 11510 kHz (26.06 meters) and 15645 kHz (19.18 meters). Deewa’s News Hour runs from 1300-1400 UTC (6:00-7:00 p.m. local time) with 10-minute news bulletins at the top of the hours between 1400-1700 UTC (7:00-10:00 p.m. local time). Programs can be heard online at www.voadeewaradio.com.
