19 September 2014
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian Service marked its 60th anniversary on September 18 at an event in Kyiv, attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko and hosted by the Prague Freedom Foundation.
In keynote remarks, Yatsenyuk said, “Empires collapsed, walls fell, dictators disappeared, but Radio Svoboda exists and will exist, as well as freedom.” The Prime Minister told the audience of diplomats, members of the Ukrainian parliament, civil society leaders, and journalists, “I wish all of us to listen to Radio Svoboda and be free people thanks to the truth and thanks to Radio Svoboda.”
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, currently visiting the U.S., sent a written statement that was read at the event. “Generations of modern Ukrainian politicians grew up listening to your programs, despite artificially created obstacles,” he wrote. “Your many years of work are an example of how to care for the interests of the society, independent of party interests and political regimes.”
Also attending the anniversary celebration were Karel Schwarzenberg, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Czech Chamber of Deputies; Laima Andrikiene, a former member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Human Rights; Ukrainian parliament members Iryna Gerashchenko and Hryhoriy Nemyria; and Hromadske TV founder Mustafa Nayem, all of whom participated in a panel discussion on the role of propaganda and the power of independent journalism in situations of conflict and war.
Service director Maryana Drach said the Service’s accomplishments draw on a distinguished history, citing the service’s support of dissidents during the Soviet period and its reporting on issues long hidden by the Soviet government and media, such as Holodomor (the man-made Great Famine of 1932-33, which resulted in the death of millions of Ukrainians). Drach added, “Today Radio Svoboda reports on the seizure of the [Crimean Tatar parliament] Mejlis, the closure of Ukrainian schools in Crimea, and alleged torture of captives in Eastern Ukraine,” always remaining faithful to its mission to provide journalistically sound news and analysis.
RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, known locally as Radio Svoboda, began its first broadcast from Munich, West Germany on August 16, 1954 with this call: “Brothers and sisters! Ukrainians! We live abroad, but our hearts and minds are always with you. No Iron Curtain can separate us or keep us apart.” The Service has enjoyed dramatic growth among local audiences this year as a result of its live-streamed coverage of events relating to the Euromaidan demonstrations. Its on-site reporting from Crimea and the conflict zones in eastern Ukraine, and investigations into the properties and finances of the Yanukovych regime is regularly cited by major international and local media.
About RFE/RL
RFE/RL is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 21 countries, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). (Source: press release)
4 September 2014
PRESS RELEASE
The Association for International Broadcasting has announced its panel of judges for its tenth annual international broadcasting awards, the AIBs 2014. The senior media executives who make up the independent panel come from all across the world and will judge the best in global factual radio, TV and online broadcasting.
CRANBROOK, UK 04 SEPTEMBER 2014 – The panel of 50 senior international media experts brought together by the AIB (Association for International Broadcasting) to judge the AIBs 2014 represents TV, radio and online broadcasting from all across the globe with in-depth knowledge of commissioning, writing, producing, editing and distribution. They have extensive experience in current affairs, investigative documentaries, short documentaries, children’s programmes, sport, science, transmission and broadcasting technology and will be bringing their insight and extensive knowledge to the judging the record number of entries received for this year’s awards which have come from all over the world.
“We are grateful to our panel of experts for agreeing to give up their time to judge the awards” said Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting. “Their diversity of backgrounds and wide experience, coupled with the fact that they are free to choose the best entries without being influenced by any vested interest, ensures that the AIBs will continue to reward the very best of international broadcasting.”
The AIBs 2014 judges are:
- Faisal Abbas, Editor-in-Chief English online, Al Arabiya MBC
- Neeraj Arora, EVP Head of International Business, MSM Asia Limited/Sony Entertainment Network
- Tim Ayris, Director Channel and OEM sales EMEA, thePlatform
- Amadou Ba, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, All-Africa Global Media Inc.
- Hannelie Bekker, Founding MD, Wananchi Programming
- Klaus Bergmann, Director of International Relations, Deutsche Welle
- Graeme Blundell, The Australian
- Jenny Buckland, CEO, Australian Children’s TV Foundation
- Fernando Calvino, CEO/Owner, Señal Internacional
- Catherine Cano, Executive Director News Programs CBC/ Radio-Canada
- Rahul Chopra, SVP Global Head of Video, Newscorp
- Eugen Cojocariu, Head of Radio Romania International
- James Cridland, Radio Futurologist
- Verona Duwarkah, GE: Television, SABC
- Anastasia Ellis, Head of Europe TV, Bloomberg
- Géraldine Filiol, Deputy Managing Director, Eurosport
- David Finch, VP Europe, News Republic
- Marco Frazier, Senior Vice President Global Distribution, AMC Networks International (AMCNI)
- Angela Fung, Phoenix Satellite TV
- Mihai Gadea, CEO, Antena 3
- Lee Gal, Chief producer, i24 News
- Sumit Grover, Director, Pixel Party
- Mohamed Ali Harrath, CEO, Islam Channel
- Sven Herold, VP Creative Development, Shell
- Carlson Huang, Vice Manager and English Program Host, RTI
- Richard Jacobs, Business Development Director, Babcock International Group
- Emmanuel Josserand, Marketing Director, Civolution
- Bettina Klauser, Head of Press and PR, N-tv (Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland)
- Cheryl Knapp, Series Producer, Wild Kratts
- Nathalie Lenfant, Marketing Director, France Medias Monde
- Marcus Metzner, Head of Marketing Services and Communication, arvato Sysyems
- John Momoh, CEO, Channels TV
- Alexey Nikolov, Managing Director, RT Channel
- H Nwana, Executive Director, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance
- Lemi Olalemi, Deputy CEO, TVC News
- Lindsey Oliver, International Media Consultant
- John O’Loan, CEO, iO Media Group Europe
- Nenad Pejic, Editor-in-Chief, co CEO, RFE/RL
- Jonathan Perelman, Vice President Motion Pictures, Buzzfeed
- Helen Stehli Pfister, Producer/Editor, Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen
- Tom Porter, Commissioning Editor, Channel 4
- Libby Powell, CEO, Radar
- Paul Robinson, CEO, Creative Media Partners
- Gillian Rose, Managing Director, PBS Distribution
- Alla Salehian, CEO, TIMA
- Vatche Sarkisian, Director of Program Review, MBN (Alhurra/Radio Sawa)
- Ruth Sloss, Director of Programming, Spafax
- Simon Spanswick, CEO, AIB
- Lek Hwa TAN, VP English Current Affairs, Channel NewsAsia
- Htar Swe TIN, Editor South East Asia and Burmese Service, BBC
The list of judges, with links to their biographies of the judges can be found at theaibs.tv/aibs-2014-judges/.
The AIBs are now in their tenth year and are independent of commercial interest. They attract entries from throughout the world, representing the best of international factual broadcasting. The 15 different categories to be judged cover radio, television and online media across a broad spectrum from single news events to long-term investigation with special categories for children’s programmes, for sport and for coverage of science. The categories also include awards for radio and television personalities of the year.
The winners of the AIBs will be announced at the AIB awards gala on Wednesday 5 November 2014 which will be held at LSO St Luke’s in London.
The AIBs 2014 are sponsored by Eutelsat
Contact
For further information please contact
Roger Stone, AIB
roger.stone@aib.org.uk
T +44 (0)20 7993 2557
AIB, PO Box 141, Cranbrook TN17 9AJ, UK
About the AIB
Established in 1993, the AIB is the international industry association and global knowledge network for the international broadcasting industry– cross-media, cross-border, cross-cultural. With a reach of over 25,000 communicators and media professionals, AIB is a unique centre of information about international broadcasting, covering TV, radio, online and mobile. AIB researches regular market intelligence briefings for its members and provides client-specific consultancy and project support. Members receive an extensive package of services throughout the year. AIB publishes the comprehensive Global Broadcasting Sourcebook and the international media magazine, The Channel. AIB hosts the annual AIB International Media Excellence Awards – the “AIBs”. For more information, visit www.aib.org.uk and theaibs.tv or call +44 (0) 20 7993 2557
About Eutelsat
Eutelsat is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 36 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location.
For more information, visit www.eutelsat.com
AIB | PO Box 141 | Cranbrook | TN17 9AJ | United Kingdom
T +44 20 7993 2557
F +44 20 7993 8043
www.aib.org.uk
12 May 2014
Television and radio stations in eastern Ukraine carrying programming of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America have been forced off the air, depriving audiences of popular sources of unbiased news and information.
On May 12 at 10:30 a.m. local time, unidentified, Russian-speaking armed men forced employees to turn off the transmitter at a station in Donetsk used by RFE/RL broadcast affiliate Radio Era FM. The men then reconfigured the transmitter to broadcast programming from “Radio Respublika,” a previously unknown station airing Russian state radio programs and other pro-Russian content. RFE/RL programs normally run on Radio Era FM from 6-7 a.m. and 9-10 p.m. Monday through Friday but are currently off the air. This follows a shutdown of Radio Era’s FM transmitter in Crimea on March 9.
RFE/RL Editor-in-Chief Nenad Pejic condemned the Radio Era FM takeover, stating that “millions of Ukrainian citizens are being deprived of access to accurate, verifiable information about what is happening around them, at a crucial juncture in their lives. The seizure of Radio Era FM’s transmitter is a deplorable violation of the universal right to freedom of opinion and expression.”
Voice of America is also experiencing disruptions to its programming in the area. Channel 5, which broadcasts the VOA Ukrainian Service news program Chas-Time, has lost its terrestrial signal in several cities in the eastern part of the country, including Donetsk and Luhansk. According to Channel 5, several cable providers in the region have also been threatened, potentially further disrupting distribution via cable.
Despite the increasingly dangerous environment for reporters in the region, VOA and RFE/RL have been providing much-needed news and information. Threats to journalists in Ukraine have been escalating, and on May 1, an RFE/RL video crew was attacked while covering a demonstration in Kharkiv.
On May 2, masked, angry men carrying knives and axes threatened two VOA video reporters in Donetsk. In addition, a VOA reporter working in the Donetsk area returned to Kyiv for a few days after being warned that he was on a “snatch list” of journalists targeted for capture. He has since returned to Donetsk. (Source: Press release)
7 April 2014
The Broadcasting Board of Governors has condemned a decision by Russian authorities to cut off all remaining radio transmissions by US international media in Russia.
In a one sentence letter dated March 21, Dmitriy Kiselev, the director of the Russian information agency Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today), stated that “we are not going to cooperate” with the BBG’s request to continue a longstanding contract for broadcasting on Russian soil. From the end of March, this decision removes the last vestige of Voice of America [VOA] programming including news in Russian and English language lessons from a local frequency in Moscow (810 AM). This frequency also carried selected programmes from Radio France International.
“Moscow has chosen to do the wrong thing and restrict free speech,” said BBG chairman Jeff Shell. “This is a fundamental value shared by many countries around the world. The BBG will continue to reach audiences in Russia through digital platforms and via satellite transmissions.” Distribution of VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty [RFE/RL] programming in Russia reached a high point in 2005, when VOA Russian programming was distributed on a nationwide television network and both VOA and RFE/RL had extensive partnerships with domestic Russian radio stations. But starting in that year, the Russian government turned greater attention to these stations and
asked them all to reapply for their licences. And beginning in 2006, by denying the licences of the stations that reapplied and intimidating the others, Russian authorities systematically eliminated domestic radio distribution of BBG supported
programmes and almost all television distribution. In 2012, Russian authorities forced RFE/RL off its last remaining domestic radio outlet, an AM frequency in Moscow.
“We urge Mr Kiselev and other Russian authorities to open Russian airwaves to more of our programmes and those of other international broadcasters,” Shell added. “We’re asking for an even playing field: As Moscow’s media crackdown deepens, Russian media including Russia Today television, which is under Mr Kiselev’s authority enjoy
open access to the airwaves in the United States and around the world. The Russian people deserve the same freedom to access information.”
Kiselev was appointed in December 2013 to lead Russia Today. At the same time the Voice of Russia and the RIA Novosti news agency were merged into Russia Today.
Russians are increasingly turning to the internet and social media for their news. VOA’s digital strategy incorporates content across platforms. In addition to live interactives with domestic television channels, such as Russian Business Channel, VOA’s webTV
show, “Podelis”, allows users to connect and engage with the content in real time using social media. “Podelis”, which means “share” in Russian, provides a unique opportunity to engage in discussions about current events, Russian politics and US-Russia
relations. VOA’s social media following in Russia has grown significantly and visits to VOA’s website have doubled every year since 2008.
There is an abridged version of a report into the way Russians consume news in the MIPTV supplement to the AIB’s international media magazine, The Channel.
22 March 2014
Dr. Mohammed Bdaiwi Owaid Al-Shammari, the Baghdad bureau chief of RFE/RL’s Iraq Service, Radio Free Iraq (RFI), was shot and killed at a checkpoint near his office this morning in an incident that company managers have called tragic, senseless and shocking.
Dr. Al-Shammari was shot on his way to work in the Jadriyah neighborhood of Baghdad, an area adjacent to the Presidential Palace.
The shooter has been identified as a member of Iraq’s presidential guard.
RFE/RL editor in chief Nenad Pejic expressed extreme sadness and shock at the news. “Al-Shammari went through this checkpoint every day. It is inexplicable to us that this could have happened, and we insist on a thorough investigation and prosecution of the gunman,” he said. “This is a profound loss for RFE/RL and Radio Free Iraq, and our deepest sympathies are with Al-Shammari’s family and the colleagues he leaves behind.”
RFI reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki went to the scene of the murder and promised members of Al-Shammari’s family that the gunman would be brought be justice.
Al-Shammari, 46, was known on the air as Hasan Rashid. He joined RFI in 2006 and was appointed as Baghdad bureau chief in 2012. A journalist since 1993, Al-Shammari served on the editorial boards of several local media institutions, and was an associate professor of journalism at Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. Al-Shammari is survived by his wife and three children.
Al-Shammari is the third RFI journalist to be killed since the Service began broadcasting in 1998. In April 2007, Khamail Muhsin Khalaf was kidnapped and shot dead in Baghdad; one month later, her colleague Nazar Abdulwahid Al-Radhi was shot dead in the southern Iraqi city of Al-Amarah. (Source: Press release)
