9 July 2010
As you will have seen, we have extended the deadline for entries to be submitted to the 2010 AIBs, the international media excellence awards, until 1600GMT on 16th July due to numerous requests. Broadcasters, content producers, providers of technology and others are responding to the extra time granted with large numbers of entries arriving at AIB headquarters every day.
So far companies in 21 countries have entered – from Argentina to China and from Australia to the USA. From phonecalls made to the AIB, we also know that many more entries are on their way.
It is particularly pleasing to see new companies entering for the first time – companies like KI.KA (Der Kinderkanal von ARD und ZDF) in Germany, TV Antena 1 in Romania, Russian Travel Guide Co Ltd Russia, Conker Media Ltd UK, Press TV Iran and eTV South Africa.
It is still not too late to enter if you are a producer or broadcaster of international TV or radio programmes (whether using terrestrial broadcasting, satellite, online or mobile) or if you produce the technology to power broadcasts, or if you run marketing programs for broadcasts (see the categories page on the website for the full list of different awards).
But with only one more week to the deadline, you will have to hurry so if you still want to enter go to the entries page for full details
25 June 2010
The AIB is proud to announce that the judges announced today for the 2010 AIBs come from 18 countries in 5 different continents, reinforcing the truly international character of the awards. The 29 judges will be working hard and independently of any commercial interest. Over the summer they will assess the shortlisted entries in fifteen different categories, from single news events to cross-media productions, from the new children’s factual programming award to best creative feature, and from creative marketing strategy to most innovative technology.
The full press release can be seen here and biographical details of the judges, together with photos, can be accessed here.
The sixteenth category at the awards is the People’s Choice of best TV coverage of climate change. This will not be assessed by the judges but the winner will be chosen by the votes of online viewers. We will be publishing details of the viewing and voting procedures in the next few weeks.
4 June 2010
Because the AIBs (international media excellence awards) this year include a People’s Choice category for the best TV coverage of climate change, I have been looking at the online coverage on this subject and the wide range of different views expressed. It is a fascinating subject because of the way it affects, or may affect, different nations and peoples around the world (listen, for example to an interview with a campaigner from Samoa talking about climate justice) and also because of the widely differing views on the subject from fervent climate change disbelievers (e.g. Watts Up with That) to those who have made careers out of propounding manmade climate change (e.g. Al Gore)
But it is interesting to see other angles taken on climate change – from Ecological Buddhism’s view of the morality of mankind treating nature as a resource to be cared for, through those who care passionately about the effect on people living at the margins (see Oxfam’s website, for example) to those who focus on green technologies as business opportunities as well as necessary for our future (e.g. Clean Technology Business Review).
If you do not have a set viewpoint, it is difficult to make sense of all the conflicting claims and studies. Thank goodness for sites like “Information is beautiful”, in particular the blog post putting arguments from opposing views on climate change side by side with the data graphed inbetween. It is a really useful infographics tool to allow readers to make informed decisions themselves.
It can be difficult to make up your mind on the arguments, but once you have, you can be sure of finding a group who is championing the point of view on which you decide.
27 May 2010
“Passionate, dramatic and engaging.” Some of the key words used by the judges of the 2009 AIBs (international media excellence awards) about the winning entries. They highlight the qualities that make programmes stand out above others in their category, whether it be news, current affairs, documentaries or technology and marketing in support of programmes. They apply equally to radio and TV, as well as online and mobile presentation.
Last year the winners provided insight into the drama and tension of elections; gave gripping insights into the lives of children and adults affected by war, natural disasters and HIV; put the spotlight on Korea, China and Africa among other places; and showed how innovative use could be made of iPhones and online interaction. You can see a full list of winners here or contact us for a copy of The Channel, Issue 1 2010 with a full write-up of the 2009 winners and runners-up
We are looking forward to equally compelling, exciting and innovative submissions to the 2010 AIBs. With over a month left to the 2nd July closing date for entries, we are already hearing of exciting work on its way. 2010 promises to be another year when international broadcasting is able to demonstrate it’s continuing quality.
21 May 2010
The AIBs’ new People’s Choice category, focused this year on programmes dealing with climate change, is limited to television programmes. This is because, unfortunately, it is difficult to ask an international audience to judge radio programmes because of language barriers. At least with television we can (and will) provide subtitles in a range of languages for the programs to be chosen by popular vote, and the online viewers can see the original output and understand the way that the story is treated. With radio, in order to convey the quality of a programme, a translation has to be very precise and convey the original intonation and expression. We hope that AIB members and other colleagues working in radio will forgive us that we were not able to include radio this year.
This is a pity since there are many good examples of radio programmes dealing with climate change. Only this week it was possible to hear:
- Vatican Radio reporting on Pope Benedict XVI expressing serious concern for the plight of herders in Mongolia, where extreme weather conditions threaten the livelihood of hundreds of thousands. The Pope stated that “environmental issues, particularly those related to climate change, are global issues and need to be addressed on a global level”
- Vermont Public Radio (VPR) on the effects of climate change at Lake Champlain, which now often fails to freeze over in winter. This visible result brings home the reality of the changes to local people. While it causes problems, Curt Stager of Paul Smith’s College in the northern Adirondacks points out “It’s a mix of good news and bad news in a way. The bad news is that climate change is likely to amplify some of our existing environmental problems. And the good news is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to deal with that.”
- MetadelPlaneta, the first radio programme in Mexico about climate change, appealing for funds
- an online podcast about Project Survival Pacific, discussing the danger to low-lying islands in the Pacific of rising sea levels and how the islanders are reacting
However, there were claims that the 4th International Conference on Climate Change hosted by the Heartland Institute was not given coverage by the media. But you can catch up here to see video and audio of the conference as it is posted.
The programmes mentioned above show how radio broadcasts can bring to life personal stories of how climate affects individuals all over the world. But the continuing wide divergence of views about what change is happening, what causes it, how damaging it is and what we should do, still challenges the listeners ability to put facts into perspective and broadcasters ability to shed light.
