30 October 2009
Al Jazeera Satellite Channel has just finished preparations to launch a new look and a new cycle of programmes to coincide with its Al Jazeera Day celebrations on November 1st, the day on which the Network will also celebrate Al Jazeera Arabics thirteenth anniversary as well the sixth anniversary of the launch of Al Jazeera Sport Channel and the third anniversary of Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Documentary channels.
This Sunday nights edition of Al Hasad (Harvest of the Day), Al Jazeera Arabics main news programme, will have a new look and color scheme and new theme music. The changes include a newly redesigned studio incorporating a video wall and other state of the art technologies.
In addition, the management has also introduced important changes to its content based on findings from a recent opinion poll conducted by Nielsen, a leading international research company that specializes in viewer conduct and TV ratings. The sample survey included 27,000 viewers from 14 Arab countries.
Commenting on the New Look and new cycle of programmes at the Al Jazeera Channel, Wadah Khanfar, Director General of the Network stated, The changes are aimed at making the channels programmes more dynamic and more interactive to attract new audiences, especially the youth. He further added, The new programmes will provide much more indepth analysis and the new changes to the channels studios and on-screen graphics will reflect Al Jazeeras commitment to deliver to our audiences the best in broadcasting while maintaining Al Jazeeras authentic style which they have become accustomed to over the years.
Along with the new look there are a number of additional changes introduced to news programmes as well. The main news programmes, Midday and Harvest of the Day, will adopt more in-depth analyses and a faster rhythm with the new style aimed at giving the channels reporters and correspondents in the field a greater role in coverage and a closer engagement with its audiences through social and human interest stories. The channel will continue broadcasting its Maghribi North African bulletin daily at midnight Makkah time. In addition, a new weekly sports bulletin will be shown at 2:30 Friday afternoons.
One of the most important changes in programmes will include the channels talk shows. The new programming grid will see the introduction of two new talk shows. The first called Fi Alumq, Arabic for In-Depth, will host intellectuals, analysts, and strategists to discuss issues from different angles in news and current affairs presenting in-depth analyses of major issues pertaining to the region and the world. The programme will be aired at 10 pm every Monday night and will be introduced by Al Jazeeras well-known anchor Ali Al Dafiri. Another newcomer to the grid Al Milaf or The File will deal with political and social issues that are of key interest to the Arab world and the world in general. The programme will have packages and discussions that go beyond the surface and look at the essence of issues rather than focusing on overt controversies. The File will be aired at 10pm on Friday nights and will be introduced by Sami Kluaib.
Al Jazeeras viewers will also have a chance to enjoy more football related coverage through a weekly programme called Dunia Al Kura, or The World of Football. This programme will cover the different football events in a non-traditional style prepared by a team of sporting specialists. It will be hosted by Muhammed Saadoun Al Kuwwari at 8pm Monday nights.
Minbar Al Jazeera (Al Jazeeras Platform), the programme which gives a voice to the voiceless will also see several changes to its look with a more interactive format allowing the audience to have a greater ability to express their views by engaging through social media such as Twitter and Facebook. (Source: Al Jazeera press release)
23 June 2009
The Broadcasting Board of Governors increased television, radio and Internet transmissions of the Persian-language programs of the Voice of America (VOA)’s Persian News Network and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda to fight jamming and signal interference in Iran.
“Despite accusations about foreign media, our broadcasters are simply reporting the news, increasingly by drawing upon the eye-witness accounts of Iranians themselves,” said D. Jeffrey Hirschberg of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees both VOA and RFE/RL. “This Iranian interference with our television and radio signals is against international agreements and, most importantly, an injustice to the Iranian people.”
Jamming of satellite television broadcasts has increased in recent weeks beginning in May and twice in June including interference with BBG and other broadcasters’ satellite uplink and downlink signals. To combat this censorship, VOA’s Persian News Network (PNN) television programs are now beamed through five satellites with six different distribution channels.
Shortwave transmissions of Radio Farda were increased beginning June 21 as part of an effort to counteract jamming by the Iranian government. With the recent shortwave additions, the most popular morning and early-to-mid evening hours have at least five simultaneous transmissions and ten at peak times. The shortwave jamming of international broadcasters began on June 14.
As well reported, use of the Internet new media has been an information lifeline for many Iranians during the aftermath of the elections. Visits to VOA’s PNN website and RFE/RL’s Radio Farda website the weekend of June 20 were both over 400% more than at the start of the month.
Iranian government censorship of external news sites has increased. VOA’s PNN and RFE/RL’s Radio Farda have seen a 200% growth in use of proxy servers and web censorship circumvention software from the day before the Friday election to three days later. Over the weekend, the response to the VOA and RFE/RL Persian-language Web sites has been so great that our proxy service reached full capacity, resulting in some visitors not reaching the site. We are adding additional infrastructure to handle this increased traffic.
To better serve their audiences in Iran with breaking news of events as they unfold, VOA and RFE/RL implemented a number of program expansions in the last week including:
– VOA added a one-hour morning satellite TV news program and replaced two hours of its normal evening program line up with a two-hour Special Report on the latest developments inside Iran following the disputed Presidential election. – RFE/RL extended its evening and midnight news magazine shows from 30 to 90 minutes, and is interrupting non-news programming as necessary with breaking updates. – VOA established a new Twitter account in Persian, which attracted over 3,500 followers in less than a week. PNN’s main Web site, plus its YouTube, related blogs and Facebook pages all increased their postings of news, video and viewer comments. PNN has received, verified and broadcast hundreds of user-generated videos from inside Iran. – RFE/RL posted a special blog to follow the election and aftermath, which is updated with photos, videos and comments from inside Iran. Radio Farda is also providing instant updates and analysis on its website, and Twitter.
VOA Persian News Network: Reaching nearly 30% of adults each week, VOA broadcasts seven hours of original TV programming daily, including a new one-hour breakfast show added to cover the aftermath of the election, repeated for a full 24 hours on satellite and streamed online. VOA simulcasts four hours of TV programs on medium wave and shortwave radio and produces a one-hour daily radio program.
RFE/RL Radio Farda: Broadcasts 24 hours a day on shortwave, medium wave and satellite, and streams online. Seventeen hours is live news, including evening and midnight magazine shows, and seven hours (off-peak) is music.
More than 30% of Iranians tune in to BBG broadcasts at least once a week.
11 July 2008
WRN is pleased to announce that, as of the 28th June, its Moscow AM station on 738 kHz has been extended to continuous 24 hours a day operation.
Vsemyrniya Radioset, which translates as World Radio Network, broadcasts the best Russian language news and feature programmes from the most respected international radio broadcasters, alongside local content from Russian broadcasters.
Previously the station broadcast from 0600 to midnight, local time, however, there was much interest in it being on air round-the-clock. This has resulted in the decision to take the station 24/7 as of 28th June.
WRN is very pleased to provide this fantastic opportunity to broadcasters wishing to be heard in Russias capital city and therefore reach the millions of people who live and work there.
Karl Miosga, WRN’s Chairman, said: We are delighted with the success of the Moscow station which has been on the air for the past three years. Russia is a dynamic and fast changing country and its geopolitical position on the world stage means having a voice in Moscow is becoming increasingly important. We would like to invite any broadcasters or producers with programming in Russian or English to contact us to hear about opportunities to be heard in this important city.
3 July 2008
After nearly 60 years of providing uncensored news and information to the people of Romania, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty‘s Romanian-language service will cease broadcasting to Romania on August 1, 2008. However, Romanian-language broadcasts to Moldova and the Transdniester region will continue.
“During the course of nearly six decades, hundreds of RFE/RL journalists, researchers and analysts displayed extraordinary bravery, dedication and commitment to a free and independent press in Romania, often at great risk to themselves and their families” says RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin. Their contributions to the collapse of communism and in helping to pave the way for a democratic Romania’s entry into institutions such as NATO and the EU, will never be forgotten.”
The Romanian Service began experimental broadcasting on July 14, 1950 and was fully operational by May 1, 1951. For years, its broadcasts were a thorn in the side of Romania’s communist rulers who, according to a 2006 Romanian government report, may have been responsible for the deaths of three RFE/RL Romania service directors.
In a 2006 address to Parliament, Romanian President Traian Basescu paid homage to the RFE/RL journalists who, he said, “fought with altruism and passion for the knowledge and utterance of the truth
Their unforgettable [Radio] Free Europe broadcasts were the moral conscience of Romanians.”
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent U.S. government agency that oversees all U.S. international broadcasting, is closing the Romanian service as RFE/RL focuses its broadcasting efforts in places such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics.
“As the threat of communism recedes in Europe, RFE/RL’s mission is changing,” says BBG Governor Jeffrey Hirschberg. “The latest threat to democracy and free expression is authoritarianism. That’s why RFE/RL is directing its resources so heavily to places where repressive rulers deny their people access to free and independent media.”
Since Romania’s accesion to the EU last year, media competition has increased dramatically and Romanians now have access to more than 70 daily newspapers, 300 private FM radio stations, cable TV and the Internet.
In 2005, Romanian filmmaker Alexandru Solomon released his documentary, Cold Waves, a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the RFE/RL Romanian service’s struggle against Communist Dictator Nicolai Ceausescu during the Cold War.
Solomon writes in the film’s synopsis: “I grew up with it. Every evening, in an underground atmosphere, my father listened to Radio Free Europe as anyone else did. It meant more than information. While Ceausescus propaganda had less and less to do with reality, Free Europes Romanian section provided – apart from news some hope.”
The RFE/RL closure is in parallel with the end of the BBC’s Romanian service.
26 September 2007
The BBC Trust today published its provisional conclusions on the BBC Executive’s proposals for a high definition television channel. Having considered a public value assessment (PVA) carried out by the BBC Trust Unit and a market impact assessment (MIA) conducted by Ofcom, the Trust has concluded that the proposals would have high public value and positive impacts on the market, while causing little adverse market impact. The Trust has therefore provisionally approved the proposals for a BBC HD television channel, subject to some limited conditions. The Trust’s provisional conclusions are now subject to a four-week public consultation period and the Trust expects to reach and publish its final decision by Wednesday 21 November.
Diane Coyle, BBC Trustee and Chair of the Public Value Test Steering Group, said: “The BBC Trust has a duty to ensure the public receives value in return for paying the licence fee. Our view is that these proposals would deliver significant public value and create very little adverse market impact. As a result, we have provisionally approved them, subject to conditions to safeguard or enhance the public value and minimise any adverse market impact. Our provisional conclusions are now open to public consultation and we would like to hear from as many members of the public and stakeholders as possible before reaching our final decision. We are particularly interested in the public’s view about the options for an HD channel on Freeview. Would licence fee payers prefer the BBC to launch a four-hour service immediately, before a nine-hour service is possible because of spectrum capacity, even if that means having to buy two set-top boxes within a very short period of time?”
The BBC Executive’s proposals
The BBC Executive’s proposals are for a mixed-genre, high definition channel. The Executive’s intention is to launch the service on digital satellite, digital cable and digital terrestrial television (DTT or Freeview). There are two key variations within the proposals regarding these platforms: Satellite and cable: the proposal is for a nine-hour service broadcasting from 15.00 to midnight, with some flexibility to extend beyond this to allow coverage of significant live sport or other events. DTT: two options are proposed (i) after digital switchover a full nine-hour service as described above or in the meantime (ii) a four-hour schedule broadcasting overnight between 02.00 and 06.00.
Due to spectrum capacity constraints, the Executive would need to take down from DTT BBC Parliament, BBC Four and three BBCi streams between the hours of 02.00 and 06.00 to create capacity for the overnight schedule in option (ii). This action would be intended as an interim measure until spectrum capacity allows for the introduction of a nine-hour service on DTT.
Conditions of approval
In the event of final approval for a BBC high definition TV channel, the Trust is proposing conditions in the following areas:
Cable and satellite
Given that the BBC HD channel is operating in trial form on cable and satellite at present, the channel should be provided on a continuing basis on these platforms when a service licence is granted, and on Freesat from the launch of that service.
Freeview (nine-hour schedule)
The Trust believes that an HD channel should be provided on Freeview as soon as possible and early next year it will review options for delivery on Freeview in the light of what might be technically possible following Ofcom’s proposals for rearranging spectrum.
Freeview (four-hour overnight schedule)
Although the BBC could launch a four-hour overnight service almost immediately on Freeview within its existing spectrum allocation (subject to the schedule changes specified in the management’s application), Ofcom’s possible reorganisation of the DTT platform in the future could mean licence fee payers having to make two equipment upgrades in a short space of time. In short, the set-top box which could deliver the first four-hour service would not work after reallocation of the spectrum and a new set-top box would be necessary in order to receive the full nine-hour channel.
In view of this, the Trust is minded to delay the launch of the four-hour interim service on Freeview until after Ofcom’s proposals for digital spectrum are clear early next year. However, the Trust is particularly interested in the public’s view on this in its consultation: would people prefer the BBC to launch the service as soon as possible, even if that meant people having to buy two set-top boxes in order to receive the service within a very short period of time.
Launch on internet protocol TV (IPTV)
The Trust expects the BBC Executive to maintain contact with internet protocol TV operators both to gauge feasibility and to ensure that the BBC does not over-burden their capacity before they are ready to accommodate HD.
HD content on-demand over the internet
The Trust considers it is appropriate for HD content to be provided on-demand over the internet through bbc.co.uk. The impact of this on the costs of internet service providers might raise concerns. Because of capacity constraints, the BBC is unlikely to be able to offer a significant volume of HD content through this route in the immediate future. The Trust will pay particular attention to this area as it becomes possible to offer more content on-demand in HD.
Simulcasting
The channel should not replicate the BBC One schedule, but should aim to schedule the programmes from across the BBC’s portfolio of channels which would make the best use of the upgrade in quality that HD offers.
Genre mix and events rights
The mixed genre nature of the channel will be specified in the service licence and the channel must not become a head-on competitor for sports and movie HD channels. Spending on events rights should also be monitored to ensure that it is not distorted by the presence of an HD channel.
Picture resolution
The channel would use the recognised HD standards for picture resolution. The Trust would only expect the BBC Executive to consider switching to an emerging higher resolution when the vast majority of HD consumers had already upgraded to it. Otherwise, the Trust would expect a proposal to be put to it for consideration.
BBC Parliament
The Trust will safeguard the provision of BBC Parliament on Freeview. The Trust will ensure the guarantees given by the BBC regarding coverage of the House of Commons and the House of Lords are honoured. On the few occasions when the Commons sits all night, provision of BBC Parliament on Freeview will take precedence over the HD channel if capacity to broadcast both services is not available and this will be reflected in the service licence for the HD channel.
Service review
The Trust will conduct its first review of the service no later than 2013 following the completion of digital switchover.
Next steps
The Trust’s provisional conclusions will now be subject to a 28-day consultation period which opens today and closes on Tuesday 23 October. The Trust will consider the responses it receives and aims to reach and publish its final decision no later than Wednesday 21 November.
