25 September 2006
Al Jazeera’s long-awaited English language satellite TV service has announced its African line-up of bureaux and reporters. The new 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel, headquartered in Doha, will have bureaux in Cairo Egypt, Abidjan- Ivory Coast, Nairobi Kenya, Johannesburg- South Africa and Harare- Zimbabwe. In addition, Al Jazeera International will share the resources of Al Jazeera Arabic Channels African bureaux located in Ndjamena- Chad, Tripoli- Libya, Nouakchott- Mauritania, Rabat- Morocco, Dakar- Senegal, Mogadishu-Somalia, Johannesburg- South Africa and Khartoum- Sudan.
Our reporting from Africa will be unparalleled. We will have more bureaux and resources dedicated to Africa than any other global broadcaster, said Nigel Parsons, Managing Director of Al Jazeera International on a visit to South Africa.
Talking from the channels Doha headquarters, Director of News, Steve Clark said, Africa is one of the most pivotal places in the world to report from. It is a continent of hope and change. We are planning other bureaux across the continent of Africa and will be announcing them in due course, Steve Clark continued.
Al Jazeera International will have a strong presence and high level of expertise in Africa through its bureaux and dedicated resources. In pursuing a news agenda that is all-inclusive, it is the only global news channel to be granted a licence to operate a bureau in Zimbabwe. That will give Al Jazeera International unique access to this part of Southern Africa.
Andrew Simmons, Bureau Chief Africa, has been co-ordinating sub-Saharan coverage. He will also be deployed on special reporting assignments. Large swathes of Africa have been uncovered by television news for too long. And so many parts of this beautiful continent suffer from what I would term reactive coverage. We want to carve out a news agenda that is pro-active. I believe that in doing so the outside worlds perception of this continent could gradually change, said Andrew Simmons. We will set out to normalise news coverage in Africa. While we wont ignore the tragedy and injustice of conflict, our cameras will bring viewers the myriad stories of achievement and causes for celebration. We want to concentrate on the people of Africa, not necessarily the political initiatives of those in power.
Al Jazeera International also announced that it has appointed correspondents Amr El-Kahky in Cairo, Gabi Menezes in Abidjan and Haru Mutasa as correspondent in Nairobi. They join Farai Sevenzo as correspondent in Harare and Kalay Maistry as correspondent in Johannesburg announced to the press earlier in the year. The teams we have in place show a level of dedication and understanding that I am sure will give us a distinctive edge, said Andrew Simmons.
18 September 2006
£1.8 billion contract signed for digital terrestrial TV and DAB digital radio
Two public-service TV multiplex networks from 1154 transmitters
DAB digital radio extension of up to 160 transmitters
The BBC and Arqiva have concluded contract negotiations for the design, deployment, and operation of its new high-power digital terrestrial television (DTT) network which will replace both the BBC’s analogue television networks and the current low-power DTT network. Arqiva will also build and operate additional transmitters to expand the coverage of the BBC’s DAB digital radio network, with the possibility of up to a further 160 new DAB transmitters being ordered in the coming years.
The deal is expected to be worth, taking into account inflation, in excess of £1.8bn over the contract period. Under the terms of the contract, the new DTT services will be introduced on a region-by-region basis between 2008 and 2012 and the service will continue to be delivered by Arqiva until 2031 (2023 for DAB). The BBCs two public-service multiplexes will be broadcast from all 1154 existing transmitter sites, delivering digital TV to 98.5% of the population via rooftop aerials.
Richard Waghorn, Controller of Distribution at the BBC, said: We are delighted to take this next step in the process of Digital Switch Over. The delivery of high-power digital signals to the whole country is crucial if the BBC is to help deliver a fully digital UK.
Steve Holebrook, Arqivas Managing Director, Terrestrial Media Solutions, added: Digital Switch Over is a complex and challenging task and we are absolutely delighted to have been chosen by the BBC to deliver their future television broadcast network. We have a long history in broadcast transmission and were proud that well be playing such a major role supporting the BBC in the future.
18 September 2006
Journalist Ogulsapar Muradova, a Turkmen correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has died in prison under unexplained circumstances. It is not known exactly when or where Muradova died. She was 58 years old.
Turkmen authorities declined the family’s request that a medical examiner at the morgue conduct an examination but allowed Muradova’s two adult daughters to take their mother’s body home after they appealed for help to the U.S. embassy in Ashgabat. Relatives said there was a visible head injury. The family called a medical examiner but Turkmen security have surrounded the apartment building and are allowing no visitors to the Muradova family.
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, expressed “deep sadness” at the news. “Mrs. Muradova will be remembered for her courage and dedication to reporting the truth to the people of Turkmenistan.”
RFE/RL Acting President Jeff Trimble said “This is a terrible outcome of a long ordeal and a shocking indictment of the Turkmen regime’s callous and inhumane treatment of the people it rules. All of us at RFE/RL mourn the untimely loss of a colleague. Our hearts go out to Ogulsapar Muradova’s family.” Trimble added that RFE/RL will not let Muradova’s life be wasted: “We will keep her memory alive by carrying on her work, continuing through our broadcasting to bring truth to Turkmen citizens and to be their voice to the outside world.”
Sources in Ashgabat told RFE/RL that the first sign of trouble appeared yesterday when as many as four unmarked security vans took up position in front of the Muradova apartment building and the family was placed under 24-hour surveillance. This morning Turkmen security took Ogulsapar Muradova’s daughters Sona and Maral, to the city morgue and pressured them to sign a document, confirming they had taken custody of the body, without allowing them first to see it. The family was not permitted to see her while she was alive and was not told where she was incarcerated after her trial August 25.
Ogulsapar Muradova was put on trial with two other defendants — Sapardurdy Khajiev and Annakurban Amanklychev — behind closed doors with no counsel present, in a municipal court in Ashgabat’s Azatlyk district. In proceedings that lasted just a few minutes, all three were found guilty of being in illegal possession of bullets and ammunition under Article 287 of Turkmenistan’s penal code. Muradova was sentenced to six years in a medium security prison. Her family had not seen her since she was taken from her home in Ashgabat by police on June 18 and only twice before the trial were allowed to send her a package of food and medication.
The Director of the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation based in Bulgaria, Tajigul Begmedova said today “Ogulsapar Muradova “was an extremely healthy person, she had no problems with her health. Only after her arrest she started to ask for drugs and we started to worry… Now she is dead and if authorities claim it was because of ill health, it would be an absolute lie”. According to the family, the medication sent to Muradova in custody was for elevated blood pressure and a minor heart ailment.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency that oversees U.S. international broadcasting, including RFE/RL, issued a statement July 13, demanding that Ogulsapar Muradova be released. Major U.S. and international human rights groups have also condemned the Turkmen government for imprisoning Muradova. They included Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, the International Helsinki Federation and Reporters Without Borders.
RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service broadcasts six hours of programming a day to Turkmenistan, produced in Prague and transmitted to listeners via shortwave, medium wave and satellite broadcasts. Turkmen Service programming is also available via the Internet; English-language news about events in Turkmenistan can be found on the RFE/RL website.
18 September 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has announced today that its interactive BLUCOM service has been awarded Product of the Year 2006 by the renowned European technology magazine Cable & Satellite International. The award is granted annually at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam. BLUCOM was nominated in the category best playout/connectivity/service/solution, one out of 16 categories. The Cable & Satellite International awards are one of the most prestigious technology awards internationally. With more than 1,000 exhibitors, the IBC is one of the most important trade shows in the areas of digital consumer electronics, broadcast and media.
The innovative interactive BLUCOM technology is already used by several German TV and radio channels. BLUCOM supports services like program guides, weather and sports information and other added value services. Furthermore, it enables voting, downloads, advertising, chats and transaction television, thus allowing the consumer to interact directly with the program. The mobile phone with its SMS functionality is used as a return path. As BLUCOM can be received via a set-top box as well as via UMTS/GPRS, virtually every household be it cable, satellite or terrestrial can use the service. BLUCOM has been developed by the SES ASTRA affiliate ASTRA Platform Services (APS) in Germany.
12 September 2006
The AIB Directory of Global Broadcasting is published every nine months, and of course changes to personnel in broadcasting organisations around the world occur throughout the year.
To keep users of the Directory up-to-date, the AIB produces a supplement to the publication that is updated every month. The latest supplement, including data on the soon-to-be-launched France 24 international television channel, is available online as a PDF file. Simply right click on the link below to save the latest update.
To order the current Directory, follow the link via our publications link on the navigation pane to the left of this screen.
12 September 2006
AIB Chief Executive Simon Spanswick is in Paris for the Asia-Pacific/Europe Media Dialogue taking place at UNESCO’s headquarters.
Organised by the Asia Institute for Broadcasting Development, this event brings together senior executives from broadcasting organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions.
Three days of debate includes a session moderated by the AIB’s Simon Spanswick. Full details are available online at the AIBD website – follow the link below.
