12 August 2010
2010 marks an important period in the annals of Africa: its the year when a 10-year follow-up on the declaration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be made, 5 year post the Gleneagles G8 Summit commitments, 26th anniversary of the Ethiopian famine that claimed the lives of millions, and a year when 17 African countries are marking their 50th anniversary since independence.
And in spite of making tremendous progress in economic, social and political spheres, Africa is still regarded by the international world as a failing, if not a failed continent.
As part of the Annual Meeting of the Africa Progress Panel (APP) held in Geneva, the APP organized a debate in front of an informed audience where answers were sought for the following questions:
Is Africa its own worst enemy?
Does Africa deserve special treatment?
Does the world need Africa more than Africa needs the world?
To view the trailer, please click here
Delivery will be by FTP!
Please contact Farah Chaudhry on farah@a24media.com should you require the debate for broadcast purposes.
12 August 2010
As millions of Muslims await the start of the holy month of Ramadan, VOA’s Hausa Service will be among the first in Nigeria to broadcast the official announcement of the start of the annual fasting and prayer season.
The holy month of Ramadan begins in Nigeria when the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who leads the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, confirms reports that the new crescent moon has been sighted, an event expected Wednesday but perhaps as late as Thursday.
Muslims from around the country have been urged to call the palace when they see the new moon. A committee of experts will evaluate the reports.
A Hausa Service reporter will be in the Sultan’s palace for the announcement, and is expected to speak with a member of the Moon Sighting Committee, as well as get reaction from people gathered at the palace for the event.
VOA’s Hausa Service has four daily broadcasts and a weekly audience estimated at approximately 21 million listeners in the region on shortwave and AM with a website that features live and on-demand audio broadcasts. The Hausa program line-up includes integrated newscasts, discussion shows, diverse stringer reports, interviews, feature programs, and special reports covering a wide variety of issues.
Visit the Hausa Service website, http://www1.voanews.com/hausa/news/, for a Ramadan timetable that will include the timing of breakfast and when Muslims are expected to cease eating, drinking and sex.
In addition, the Service will be running a series of special programs all month, including a call-in show that will allow listeners share their Ramadan preparations.
12 August 2010
The appeal is being made by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – an umbrella organisation of 13 UK humanitarian aid agencies.
The UN says four million people have been affected by the floods, and at least 1,600 have died.
Donations can be made by phone, post, at Post Offices and banks.
The TV and radio appeal was presented by journalist and former British hostage in Lebanon, John McCarthy.
The DEC said aid from its members was now reaching more than 300,000 survivors.
DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said the appeal was crucial “because of the scale of the tragedy”.
Aid agencies are already working in the region, distributing clean water and food parcels, but “they want to scale up their work, so this is the way of going to the public and saying ‘please help’,” Mr Gormley said.
The DEC charities are ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Care International, Cafod, Christian Aid, Concern, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.
12 August 2010
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) met on July 30, 2010 in closed session in Washington, D.C and agreed to the following items by consensus:
Cuba Broadcasting. Governors Ashe, McCue, and Perino are requested to conduct “listening tour” of Congress regarding the future of broadcasting to Cuba during the month of August 2010 and report their observations back to the Board. Other Governors are welcome to provide background materials to support these efforts.
Use of Social Media. Governors Lynton, McCue, Meehan and Perino are requested to organize information-gathering sessions on the use of social media as a part of BBG-sponsored United States international broadcasting. These Governors will propose an agenda, speakers list and a target date for the session in November 2010 for the approval of the BBG Chairman in consultation with fellow Governors.
VOA Persian News Network (PNN). Governor Wimbush is requested to chair a working group with other Governors designated by the BBG Chairman in order to gather information concerning the current strategy and operations of PNN and to make recommendations to the Board concerning PNN’s mission and performance.
Open Meetings. The BBG will look for opportunities to hold open meetings to the extent that it can responsibly do so while protecting the integrity of Board processes and the BBG’s statutory mandate.
WikiLeaks. By resolution, the Board authorized the Director of the Voice of America to proceed with reporting on the disclosure of classified documents available on the WikiLeaks website in a manner that is consistent with the VOA Charter and the BBG’s statutory mission, and to balance this effort with due consideration for the laws and executive orders applicable to the use, disclosure, and transmission of classified information by federal employees.
5 August 2010
Here are key dates to
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12 April 2010
Awards launched and open for entry
2 July 2010
Closing date for entries
9 November 2010
Awards dinner and presentations, London
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10 July 2010
President Barack Obama has appointed eight media, communications, and foreign policy leaders to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal agency which supervises all U.S. civilian, international broadcasting.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is a bipartisan board comprised of nine members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate; the ninth is the Secretary of State, who serves ex officio. The new governors include the following individuals.
Walter Isaacson, Chair Walter Isaacson is President of the Aspen Institute and serves as chair of the board of Teach for America. He is the former Chairman and CEO of CNN and former editor of Time Magazine. Mr. Isaacson is the author of Einstein: His Life and Universe and Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, and the co-author of The Wise Men. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Mr. Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard College and Pembroke College of Oxford University.
Victor H. Ashe Victor H. Ashe recently served as United States Ambassador to Poland from June 2004 to October 2009. He also previously served as a Tennessee State Senator and State Representative. Mr. Ashe was the longest serving Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, was the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 1994 to 1995, and received the Distinguished Service Award for Leadership from the Mayor’s Conference in 2003. He is a former member of the Americorps Board of Directors and currently sits on the Board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Rivers Association. Mr. Ashe is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Tennessee’s College of Law in 1974.
Michael Lynton Michael Lynton is the Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. He is the former CEO of AOL Europe and Chairman and CEO of Pearson plc’s Penguin Group. Mr. Lynton is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Rand Corporation. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School and is proficient in French, German and Dutch.
Susan McCue Susan McCue is President of Message Global, a strategic advocacy firm she founded in 2008 for social action campaigns. She was the founding President and CEO of The ONE Campaign to combat extreme global poverty and was Chief of Staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 1999 to 2006. Before that she held numerous communications positions in government and campaigns. She is currently Vice Chair of Humanity United and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A New Jersey native, Ms. McCue is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., with degrees in economics and journalism.
Michael P. Meehan Michael P. Meehan currently serves as President of Blue Line Strategic Communications, Inc. and as Senior Vice President at Virilion, a digital media company. He also served as the first President of BGR Public Relations, LLC. For over two decades, Meehan served in senior roles for U.S. Senators John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, Maria Cantwell and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, two presidential campaigns, two U.S. House offices and congressional campaigns in 25 states. Mr. Meehan earned a B.A. in political science from Bates College.
Dennis Mulhaupt Dennis Mulhaupt is founder and managing director of Commonwealth Partners, Inc., providing advisory services to philanthropic institutions and families. He previously served as Executive Vice President at KCET in Los Angeles, a west-coast flagship public broadcasting and media company. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President at Claremont McKenna College; Vice President for Medical External Relations at Stanford University; and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at the University of Southern California. Mr. Mulhaupt received his B.A. from the University of Southern California and an M.Phil. in international relations and criminology from Cambridge University.
Dana Perino Dana Perino is the founder of Dana Perino and Company, a strategic communications firm, a member of the Burson-Marsteller Global Strategy Team, and a Fox News Contributor. She is the former White House Press Secretary to President George W. Bush. She is the creator of Minute Mentoring, a program helping young women entering the workforce, and a member of the ONE Campaign’s Women’s Advisory Board, Mother’s Day Every Day, Running Start, and Pets2Vets. Ms. Perino served in the U.S. Justice Department, was Director of Communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and worked for Representatives Dan Schaefer (R-CO) and Scott McInnis (R-C). She holds a M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois – Springfield and a B.A. in Mass Communications from Colorado State University – Pueblo.
S. Enders Wimbush S. Enders Wimbush is Senior Vice President at the Hudson Institute. From 1987-93, he served as Director of Radio Liberty in Munich, Germany. Mr. Wimbush has worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, Science Applications International Corporation, and the Rand Corporation as a consultant, strategist and analyst of international security issues, and for Runzheimer International as director of communications. Earlier Mr. Wimbush directed the Society for Central Asian Studies in Oxford, England. In addition to dozens of policy studies, Mr. Wimbush is the author or editor of seven books. Mr. Wimbush studied for a PhD at the University of Chicago, where he received his A.M. from the Committee on International Relations. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
