Radio Taiwan International has been broadcasting since the 1920s. Now it’s moving into the future with increased online and video activities supplementing its traditional radio offering. AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick visited RTI’s headquarters and talked with the broadcaster’s President, Weber Lai.
The winners of the 2015 AIBs were announced on the 4th November at a gala dinner at LSO St Luke’s in London. These annual international broadcasting awards are now in their eleventh year and celebrate the best in radio, TV and online – journalism, programmes and talent. The AIBs are judged by an independent and international panel of distinguished media professionals representing broadcasting across the world and they ensure that the awards are judged independently from commercial influence. The chosen winners demonstrate the best in engaging, powerful, moving and innovative reporting and investigation from entries which are submitted by countries in every continent of the world.
Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO said: ”The entries in 2015 demonstrated the continuing dedication of programme makers and journalists to uncover important and challenging stories, to take risks, both personally and professionally and to work expertly to investigate and explain complex subjects. The entries educate, entertain and engage their audience using the latest technologies at their disposal. We have seen important and sometimes harrowing stories brought to light, the power of the voice to captivate as well as exciting and engrossing coverage of sporting events. Once again the judges have had the hard but rewarding search for the best out of a very strong set of entries.”
This year’s awards were hosted by CNN’s Hala Gorani. Hala is based in London and anchors The World Right Now, with Hala Gorani, which airs every weekday evening. As an accomplished international journalist, Hala frequently goes into the field to report on major breaking news stories. Most recently, she’s been covering the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East.
The AIBs 2015 | Winners and highly commended finalists are:
TV Journalism
The winner is CNN for its coverage of the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.
Highly commended
Al Jazeera English for Nepal in Ruins
Euronews for Fighting Boko Haram
Domestic current affairs
The winner is Channel 4 for My Last Summer, a programme that gathered together five terminally ill patients to share their experiences of coping with the last months of their lives and the effect on their families and friends.
Highly commended
Antena 3 for The Thing with Rom-Mania
Verve Productions for Filming My Father: In Life and Death
International Current Affairs
The winner is Al Jazeera Media Network for Al Jazeera Investigates – Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787. This was a disturbing tale of corporate greed as the world’s major aircraft manufacturer put profit ahead of safety.
Highly commended
Mongoose Pictures/Quicksilver Media for Outbreak: The Truth about Ebola
True Vision Productions for Kids in Camps
Domestic investigative
The winner is VRT for The Price of Cheap Food. This documentary looked at the never ending price war between supermarkets to lure consumers in with the cheapest possible food, asking who pays for this cheap food and whether a Pandora’s box has been opened in which food producers – principally farmers – have become the first victims.
Highly commended
BBC Northern Ireland for Spotlight: A Woman Alone with the IRA
Channel 4 for The Paedophile Hunter
International Investigative
The winner is Flying Cloud Productions for Human Harvest, a programme that investigated claims that first emerged from China in 2006 that state-run hospitals were killing prisoners of conscience to sell their organs.
Highly commended
Al Jazeera Media Network for Al Jazeera Investigates – Inside Kenya’s Death Squads
Sky News Arabia for Death Boats
Children’s Factual
The winner is Strix Television (part of the Nice Group) that produced The Museum for SVT. The Museum is a competition show in which knowledge, excitement, history and the present day are woven together in a children’s programme that is just as much fun for adults.
Highly commended
BBC for Being Me – A Newsround Special
deMENSEN for The Blacklist – Getting Married
Science programme
The winner is Channel 4 for Drugs Live: Cannabis on Trial which was a ground-breaking scientific trial looking at the effects on the brain of two different forms of cannabis – ‘skunk’ and ‘hash’.
Highly commended
Flimmer Film for Death – A Series about Life
True Vision Productions for Curing Cancer
Short news report
The winner is VICE News for Russian Roulette, Dispatch Fifty Seven in which Simon Ostrovsky spoke to residents in Eastern Ukraine which are innocently caught up in the middle of a bloody campaign – and who are dying as a result.
Highly commended
CNN for Ebola Battle through Nurse’s Eyes
TVC News for Customised Coffins in Ghana
Short feature
The winner is Blue Chalk Media for Burned Girl. Ragini is one of millions of children who are suffering from severe burn injuries. Blue Chalk Media travelled to India to document Ragini’s story through video and still photographs.
Highly commended
BBC World Service for Hooked
ITN for On Assignment: Heroin on the East Coast
Specialist programme
The winner is by TBI Media with Snappin’ Turtle Productions for D-Day 70 Years On. The BBC brought the UK together in a tour de force production to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings – the programme was broadcast on TV and radio, and screened in cinemas across the country.
Highly commended
LOOKS Film & TV Produktionen & ARTE for 14 – Diaries of the Great War
Kansai Telecasting for Bunraku – Soul of the Art
Online factual
The winner is Bayerischer Rundfunk for Do Not Track which explored how information about you is collected and used as you browse the web.
Highly commended
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for My Ukraine
Radio journalism
The winner is BBC World Service for its Ebola Coverage, one of the biggest stories the international broadcaster covered during 2014.
Radio current affairs
The winner is RTE Radio One for Voices which, over 12 episodes, explored issues like suicide, abortion, addiction, and raised questions about who we are and how we live.
Highly commended
ABC for Indigenous Soldiers Who Hid their Identity to Serve – the Untold Story
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for Tradition of the Blade
Radio investigative documentary
The winner is BBC World Service for The Lost Children of the Holocaust. At the end of the Second World War, the BBC began a series of special radio appeals on behalf of a group of children who had survived the Holocaust but were now stranded in post-war Europe. 70 yearson, Alex Last tries to find out what happened to the children named in the recording.
Radio creative feature
The winner is BFBS for Children of Belsen, a compelling anniversary story that deserved to be told and to reach a wider audience.
Highly commended
RTHK for Bipolar Express
Television personality
The winner is Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent and anchor of the
network’s award-winning, flagship global affairs programme Amanpour.
Radio personality
The winner is Kathryn Ryan of Radio New Zealand, where she anchors the daily Nine to Noon, a
three-hour live news and current affairs programme which runs each weekday.
AIB Founders Award – Mike Wooldridge
The AIB Founders’ Award is in recognition of Mike Wooldridge’s lifetime work as an outstanding correspondent.
AIB Lifetime Achievement Award – Larry King
The inaugural AIB Lifetime Achievement Award is in recognition of Larry King’s remarkable career on radio and television, and his extraordinary impact on the news industry.
In its 30th anniversary year, CNN International’s anchor and correspondent Hala Gorani is to host the AIBs – the eleventh international awards for the best factual television, radio and online productions.
Taking place in London on Wednesday 4 November 2015, the AIBs celebrate the work of producers, editors and journalists from around the world. Entries from over 30 countries have been submitted to this year’s AIBs, and the shortlist includes work from major broadcasters, online video companies, and independent producers.
Hala Gorani is based in London and anchors The World Right Now, with Hala Gorani, which airs every weekday evening. As an accomplished international journalist, Hala frequently goes into the field to report on major breaking news stories. Most recently, she’s been covering the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East.
“It’s a great honour to be involved with this year’s AIBs,” said Hala Gorani. “The journalism and productions entered are remarkable, telling stories from around the world. I’m looking forward to meeting the people responsible for getting these important stories to viewers and listeners in so many countries.”
Hala, who was born in Seattle and raised in Paris, has worked for Agence France Press, the La Voix du Nord newspaper, Bloomberg Television and France 3. She speaks English, French and Arabic.
“We’re delighted that Hala Gorani has agreed to present this year’s AIBs, helping not only to celebrate these awards but also the 30th anniversary of CNN International,” said Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “As someone who has worked on the frontline of international journalism, Hala knows exactly what’s involved in telling the most challenging and complex stories in the world. She will bring that knowledge and experience to this year’s awards as we celebrate the world’s best journalism and factual programming.”
The AIBs will be presented in London on 4 November 2015 in front of a truly global gathering of journalists, editors, producers and directors representing countries across four continents.
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:
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
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
The Association for International Broadcasting has today announced that it has appointed Amitabh Srivastava as its regional head in South Asia. This appointment is the first of a series of expansions of AIB’s work in a number of regions of the world.
Srivastava will also be able to assist AIB’s existing members who are seeking to develop their businesses in the South Asia region, drawing on his experience in working for a range of major international brands. He has also developed partnerships between media owners and mobile operators in South Asia.
“I am delighted to welcome Amitabh to AIB,” said Simon Spanswick, AIB chief executive. “He has worked in the media sector in India representing major brands for a number of years and has achieved remarkable successes. Now we look forward to Amitabh leading AIB’s growth in one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing media markets.”
Commenting on his appointment, Amitabh Srivastava said “It is great to be joining the world’s leading industry association and supporting major international TV and radio broadcasters as well as service providers. I am looking forward to developing AIB’s membership base in South Asia and to involving more broadcasters from this region in global conversations.”
Amitabh Srivastava joins AIB from Radio Netherlands Worldwide where he was country manager. While at RNW, he developed the first partnership between All India Radio and an international broadcaster, and achieved significant rebroadcasting and content syndication deals with commercial FM stations and new media platforms in the region. Before RNW, Srivastava worked with Walt Disney, BBC, MTV and a range of other international media houses developing their operations in India andSouth Asia.