Radio Okapi Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary

Radio Okapi marked its tenth anniversary on February 25, 2012. Events to celebrate this milestone are scheduled to take place throughout the year.

The anniversary is not just a ritual, an occasion to  celebrate, but it is also a powerful symbol. It is a solemn occasion to take stock of the previous year and a pact for the year ahead.

This anniversary year will be a time to question what we are doing and the role that our radio station is playing right now. To give meaning to the occasion, we need a slogan, a signatory phrase. We have often used “Radio Okapi, the radio for peace”. Of course, Radio Okapi remains the media outlet contributing to stabilisation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it is not just that. It also brings humanity in a context scarred by history. Radio Okapi is “people together”, a statement of faith in the future.

Read more

(Source : Fondation Hirondelle via www.kimandrewelliott.com)

The future of European audiovisual cooperation

The future of the European audiovisual cooperation was the focus of yesterday's meeting at RAI's headquarters in Rome between the President of RAI, Paolo Garimberti, the Director General Lorenza Lei and an EBU delegation headed by EBU President, Jean-Paul Philippot, EBU Vice President Claudio Cappon and EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre.

The success of recent joint activities between the EBU and its Member RAI to support Members in need in North Africa, as part of the EBU's Special Assistance Project, was intensely discussed, with the true belief that these initiatives play a key role in building true democratic societies. The EBU’s Special Assistance Project is designed to reinforce support for Members encountering deep financial, technical, political or other difficulties, and to underline the Union’s prime principle of solidarity. RAI's vast technical experience and high professional editorial staff was very beneficial to Tunisia TV and radio. Following the successful collaboration in Tunisia, the EBU and RAI look forward to working together in order to assist other South Mediterranean countries, namely Lybia, in their transition to democracy.

The two delegations also discussed spectrum management and frequency reallocation. Following the World Radio Conference in Geneva, RAI and EBU called upon national and international institutions to carefully consider the distribution and management of digital frequencies, which are an important public good that need to be managed taking into account social concerns, and not only economic ones. RAI is at the forefront of the digital revolution, and is already offering its viewers access to 14 digital channels.

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)

New BBC Radio Manchester Editor announced

Kate Squire, Head of BBC Local Radio Development has been appointed as Managing Editor of BBC Radio Manchester.

She replaces John Ryan who is leaving the BBC at the end of March after six years with the corporation, previously in charge of BBC local radio stations in Leeds and Northampton.

Kate has worked at the BBC for more than 20 years starting out as a graduate trainee studio manager at Broadcasting House, London.

During her career, Kate has worked as a reporter in news and sport at BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Radio Nottingham. She presented the Breakfast Show and sport programmes at Leicester before moving into regional television, as the sports presenter at East Midlands Today. She’s worked at the Barcelona Olympics and in sport at BBC Breakfast. Kate also spent two years as one of the main news presenters of East Midlands Today.

For the last year Kate has been Head of BBC Local Radio Development taking a strategic view of BBC local radio. 

Kate grew up in Sale and is a mum of three teenagers. She said: “I’m thrilled and delighted to be taking up the reins at BBC Radio Manchester.”

Aziz Rashid, Head of Region, BBC North West, said: “Kate is a highly experienced manager with a long and varied career in radio and I am really looking forward to working with her.” 

Kate will start her new role at MediaCityUK in April 2012.

(Source : Radio Today, UK)

UNAMID donates self-powered radios to Darfur’s disabled

Disabled people of Darfur need full access to information, particularly from radio. That was the objective behind the provision of 30 wind-up and solar-operated radios to the El Fasher Association for the Disabled today organized by Radio-TV El Fasher, the state broadcaster.

The wind-up radios were a gift by the Communications and Public Information Division of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). In addition, as the state broadcaster was also holding a workshop on covering peace and reconciliation for journalists from around North Darfur, UNAMID gave five radios for correspondents from distant parts of the state where electricity is inconsistent or not available.

The Mission had also provided the Disabled Association with a new building which will be used to house an audiovisual library. This centre is intended to assist disabled university students, particularly the sight-impaired, with accessible material so that they can proceed through a standard university programme. For now, the building is empty as the Association is seeking funds and gifts for Braille materials.

UNAMID had another objective to the gift of radios: the mission’s Yala Nebni Darfur programme will begin to be broadcast next week over Radio El Fasher’s FM frequency. Currently the UNAMID programming is broadcast to Darfur over shortwave by the Sudan National Radio Corporation’s Al Salaam (peace) Radio.

UNAMID’s acting director of communications, Susan Manuel, discussed with El Fasher broadcasting director Saad Abuzeid Ali, collaboration on a listener survey with the University of El Fasher’s Peace Centre, to determine what kinds of programming are most popular and effective for the ongoing peace process.

(Source: UNAMID via Media Network Weblog)

Digital radio at CeBIT 2012

The world's largest computer fair CeBIT 2012 in Hanover (6th to 10th March 2012), will present the new digital radio. Visitors can get an idea of ​​the variety of new digital radio channels, and test a variety of digital radio sets. Expert of the Project Office Digital Radio to explain all the trends for the future and radio show, where digital radio is received. Digital Radio presents itself at CeBIT at the same level as the ARD-transport service - in Hall 6, stand K06.

(Source : bayerndigitalradio.de via Google Translation)

French State Council will vote on March 15, 2012 filed by the two referred SIRTI

The SIRTI (Interprofessional Union Independent Radio and Television) filed two applications for interim relief that just passed the barrier of entry to the State Council: the first against the refusal of the CSA to issue authorizations in NTR in Paris, Marseille and Nice, the second against the CSA's decision to issue a call for nominations for a distributor to pay radio services, which is set at the close today.

 

The SIRTI campaigning for the deployment of Digital Terrestrial Radio depending on the model of free, using a method of authorization by editor, for all categories of stations, including local, regional and thematic independent. It is this model that was retained when the call for applications in March 2008, after which 136 radios have been shortlisted in Paris, Marseille and Nice.

 

However, the CSA has decided to block the broadcasting licenses of Paris, Marseille and Nice on the pretext that he would like to add the DAB + standard.

 

Meanwhile, the CSA launched on 28 December, a call for applications on a purely national model, with the standard T-DMB, potentially paying, open a service distributor. This model of the launch of NTS rules out a whole side of the radio landscape for the benefit of some selected programs by distributors selected by the CSA.

 

This denies the aspirations of hundreds of publishers to participate in the launch of DAB in France.

 

The hearing at the State Council for the two interim application is 15 March 2012.

(Source : artesi, France via Google translation via WorldDMB) 

Radio Australia launches new multilingual web and social media services

Radio Australia – the international broadcasting service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) - has launched new multilingual web and social media services.  Targeting audiences in Asia and the Pacific, the new digital services bring greater immediacy in coverage of breaking news, major stories, activities and events as they happen in and around Asia and the Pacific including Australia.

New multilingual websites featuring Burmese, French, Indonesian, Khmer, Mandarin, Tok Pisin and Vietnamese will be accompanied by three English language websites, tailored for Asian, Pacific and the wider international audiences.  As well as continuing to offer high quality news and current affairs radio programs in multiple languages, Radio Australia’s new web services encourage the sharing, participation and collaboration of stories of interest and relevance among audiences in Asia and the Pacific.  English language learning content is also available in five languages.

Visitors to Radio Australia’s new sites will experience more tailored and relevant content thanks to the latest technology that allows location detection enabling content to be delivered to and tailored for audiences on the basis of location and language.

“Socially, politically, and economically, Australia continues to more closely embrace the people, nations and cultures of Asia and the Pacific. Our neighbours in this region are growing in wealth, education and confidence and we are interested in what matters to them, what they are doing and what they have to say.  In addition to that, our neighbours are curious about us, as Australians, who we are and what we do, how we live our lives and why we think and perceive issues the way we do.  Our new web and social media services provide the opportunity for thoughts, attitudes and opinions to be shared and exchanged,” said Dr Mike McCluskey, CEO of Radio Australia.

Radio Australia’s new website is located at www.radioaustralia.net.au and for Australian audiences Radio Australia’s multilingual audio streams can be accessed through the ABC’s mobile apps at: http://www.abc.net.au/services/mobile/.

(Source: Radio Australia via Media Network Weblog)

Court hands back broadcasting licence to Klubrádió

The municipal court of Budapest through a Tuesday ruling facilitated a broadcasting licence for Klubrádió, in a suit filed by the radio station against the Hungarian media authority NMHH. Klubrádió sued NMHH after it had won a bid for the 92.9 MHz frequency in Budapest, but the authority refused to conclude a broadcasting contract. In December 2010, NMHH’s Media Council decided to invalidate the bid results, saying that Klubrádió already held a contract for another frequency. This contract, however, expired in February 2011.

In its reaction to the ruling, NMHH said in a statement that it had confirmed the Media Council’s position that one media owner should operate only one radio station in a given city, otherwise it could develop a “monopoly of opinion”. The ruling also demonstrates that no bidder could gain one-sided benefits or be given a preferential frequency, the statement added. NMHH will assess the ruling and determine further steps, said the document.

(Source: politics.hu via Media Network Weblog)

Radiodays Europe Sold Out!

Barcelona, 28 February 2012

Radiodays Europe today announced that the 2012 conference 14-16 March in Barcelona is now sold out! Due to high demand for tickets Radiodays Europe is now running a waiting list for all those who have missed out on tickets.

The organisers of Radiodays said in a statement “Radiodays remains the largest and only conference dedicated to radio in Europe and an annual meeting point for over 700 radio executives and opinion leaders. This year we have seen sales of tickets grow on previous year and the speed at which tickets have sold out is even faster”.

It is a good sign for radio as an industry that so many want to be part of a conference dedicated to the innovation of radio and radio´s future.

As an industry we know that radio remains relevant reaching 95% of Europe’s population every week. But radio must look to the future with broadcast, internet and now the mobile sector converging. Radiodays Europe gives both public and commercial broadcasters a platform on which to discuss all of these issues”.

The line-up of speakers has been finalised and the full programme is available on the website: http://www.radiodayseurope.com

If you are unable to attend this year’s event you can follow the conference on our website and on twitter (hashtag: #rde12). We will also have independent bloggers giving their views on the two days as well as press releases and audio sound bites available for press use.

Once again, the Radiodays Europe team would like to thank all local partners for co-hosting the even in Barcelona and helping making it a success: Obs! (The Catalan Radio Observatory), Catalunya Radio (The Catalan public broadcaster), ACR (The organisation of Catalan commercial broadcasters), AERC (The organisation of Spanish commercial broadcasters), RNE (The national public broadcaster) and the local authorities (Generalitat de Catalunya, Deputació de Barcelona and Ajuntament de Barcelona). 

We look forward to seeing you in Barcelona!

Radiodays Europe, 14-16 March 2012, venue: CCCB, Barcelona, Spain

Greetings from

the Radiodays Europe team

(Source : Radiodays Europe)

Nominations for ARRL Awards Now Open

Each year, the ARRL Board of Directors has the opportunity to select recipients for a number of awards in various categories that honor Amateur Radio operators. The nomination period is now open for the ARRL awards that are designed to recognize educational and technological pursuits in Amateur Radio, as well as an award to honor a young Amateur Radio operator.

Read more at ARRL

(Source :  ARRL via Facebook)

Next Sirius XM Radio satellite facing multi-month delay

Sirius XM Radio’s next broadcasting satellite will remain on Earth several months longer than expected to address a technical concern on the spacecraft, according to a company spokesperson.  “The planned launch of [the] Sirius FM6 satellite has been delayed in order to confirm its readiness status,” Patrick Reilly, a Sirius XM spokesperson, said in a written statement provided to Spaceflight Now, adding the launch has not yet been rescheduled.

• Read more from Spaceflight Now

(Source : Media Network Weblog)

KBS Media President visits ABU

The President of KBS Media, Mr. Cho Dae-Hyun, met with Directors of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union in Kuala Lumpur to discuss current and future projects.

Mr. Cho’s delegation was briefed on events covering sport, programmes, news and technical matters.

The Director of the ABU’s Technical Department, Sharad Sadhu described the forthcoming Digital Broadcast Symposium (DBS), which had become a major event in the Asian broadcast calendar.

Mr. Sadhu said that nearly 400 people had registered from throughout Asia, the Pacific and Europe for the DBS that would feature more than 70 leading speakers, and 60 booths.

The delegation was also given current information on two major initiatives in the area of Programming: two song festivals for both radio and television.

The Director of Programmes, Mr. Takeshi Doki, said he expected strong support from sponsors and broadcasters for the two festivals, one of which would be held in the KBS concert hall in Seoul.

Mr. Cho was also keen to know about sports acquisitions and new events. The Director of Sport, John Barton, said the ABU had a large inventory of events which it was supplying to members. They included the Olympic Games, European Football Championships, Fifa Club World Cup and others.

Mr. Cho concluded his visit with a tour of the headquarters and brief discussions with other staff members.

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

BBC World Service celebrates 80th Anniversary

Global audience gets unique behind the scenes access as move from iconic London home begins.

Audiences are to be given unprecedented behind the scenes access as part of a special day of live programming on February 29, to mark the BBC World Service's 80th birthday. 

Highlights from the day will include a special global audience with Sir David Attenborough and The Strand - the WS global arts programme - will be edited by guest artist and music producer William Orbit. 

Audiences will be able to join a special debate about what they want from the World Service, both on air, online and across social media forums. (#bbcws80) 

The day will give audiences around the world a unique insight into production of their favourite programmes and multilingual videos will be produced of all the broadcasts throughout the day online at bbc.co.uk/worldservice.

For the first time audiences will be invited to watch and participate in over 12 hours of programmes in English and across more than 12 different languages. The day will be hosted by BBC Persian's Pooneh Ghoddoosi and BBC World Service presenter Ros Atkins.

BBC World Service's daily morning editorial meeting, which normally takes place behind the doors of Bush House, will be opened up and broadcast live for the first time. In this meeting - a daily part of life in the building - the newsroom's editors discuss and agree the big stories and developments and decide on which stories will shape the day's news agenda. 

The open courtyard of Bush House will host many of the programmes that day. Flagship programmes such as Newshour and World Have Your Say will invite audiences to join a conversation about international broadcasting and the future priorities of the BBC World Service. 

Listeners around the world - and the audience at Bush House - will have the chance to shape the news agenda and debate by making suggestions from the floor, or through Twitter, Facebook and Skype.

Peter Horrocks, Director of BBC Global News, said: "The 80th birthday and departure from Bush House means these are historic and changing times for the BBC World Service. We want our audiences to be at the heart of both the commemoration of the past and conversation about the future." 

BBC World Service Commissioning Editor, Steve Titherington, said: "We are turning Bush House inside out showing who we are and what we do to our audiences and asking what the world wants next from the BBC World Service."

On February 29, BBC World Service is also launching a new series of programmes on the human body. Linked to the Olympics, The Human Race will invite the public to take part in a 'healthcheck special' featuring leading international scientists and sportspeople.

Not only celebrating 80 years of broadcasting, this special day of programming marks the start of the BBC World Service's move from Bush House, its iconic London home for over 70 years, to a new state of the art broadcasting centre in Oxford Circus. 

The move will see all of the BBC's news services - UK and international - based together for the first time. The aim is to create 'the world's newsroom' - enhancing the BBC's global newsgathering and creating a forum for the best journalism in the world.

Read More from BBC

(Source : BBC Press Release)

Radio Australia to resume FM services in Fiji

Fiji’s military government has agreed to allow Radio Australia to resume its FM services inside the country. In 2009, the Fiji Ministry of Information shut down Radio Australia’s two transmitters, one in Nadi, the other in Suva. Ministry officials and soldiers escorted local technicians to the transmitters and ordered them to be switched off.

At the time, the director of the ABC’s international operations, Murray Green, said the shutdown removed one of the few remaining uncensored sources of information in Fiji. But now the government has agreed that the services can resume and they’ll be on new frequencies, which are still to be announced.

• Listen to Joanna McCarthy speaking to Radio Australia CEO Mike McCluskey

(Source: Radio Australia via Media Network Weblog)

Becoming BBC Media Action

Welcome to our new blog and website and the main launch of our new name: BBC Media Action. We are excited about unveiling a new look and identity for the BBC’s international development charity – and we hope you like it. Please let us know what you think as we will be testing and refining the site over the next few months.

The process of changing our name and introducing a new logo has allowed us to reflect on who we are, why we exist and where we are heading. It has also provided an invaluable opportunity to share stories, talk about what we believe in, and discuss the positive and lasting difference that our work makes to millions of people around the world.

This website helps encapsulate some of those conversations, sharing the personal observations and insights of our colleagues, partners and audiences around the world. It is summed up by the phrase ‘My Media Action’ with the emphasis on ‘my’, and expresses multiple perspectives on why our work matters.

Three BBC Media Action colleagues have made short films that are launched on the website today, you can watch Diana on Somalia, Josephat in Tanzania, and Dipika in Nepal. We’ll be adding more to  the site over the next few weeks and months. They encapsulate the powerful role media and communication plays in development.

I’ve been genuinely delighted at how quickly and naturally we have all started using ‘Media Action’ not just as a name but as a way to describe what we do. 

Read more from BBC Media Action

(Source : BBC Media Action)

Melting pot or goldfish bowl? BBC exposes engine room to the public gaze

The public will soon get the chance to see close up the work of news presenters such as Huw Edwards and Emily Maitlis, along with thousands of other BBC journalists.

The new Broadcasting House building will feature a Media Café for up to 450 people, who will be able to drink cappuccino while looking into the BBC's giant new, glass-fronted newsroom, the biggest in Europe.

Staff from the BBC World Service will begin moving into the new offices at the end of this month. The historic Bush House building will be refurbished by its Japanese owners when the BBC's lease runs out at the end of the year, and may re-open as a hotel.

The World Service, which celebrates its 80th anniversary in December, will work more closely with other parts of BBC News when it is incorporated into the new 12-storey multimedia Broadcasting House complex at Portland Place in London. The large newsroom will be a "fantastic melting pot", said Helen Boaden, the director of BBC News. "Simply being in the same building should encourage our ambition. The Today programme will have language service colleagues from the World Service in the same building. When there's a breaking foreign story, those World Service colleagues will be able to give the context for the Radio 4 audience."

Read more from The Independent

(Source : The Independent, UK)

Dutch-based KBC Radio to broadcast daily in April

Dutch-based KBC Radio says on its website: “The Mighty 6095 will soon broadcast daily for a couple of hours in April”. Currently the station is on the air every Sat/Sun at 0900-1600 UTC on 6095 kHz.

(Source: kbcradio.eu via Media Network Weblog)

RIP Stanley Leinwoll

Dan Elyea of WYFR informs us that renowned shortwave engineer and frequency planner Stanley Leinwoll passed away on 21 February, 2012, aged 85 years.

During his long career in international broadcasting, Stanley worked as Frequency Manager for Radio Free Europe for 27 years, and was a consultant to WYFR Family Radio for 37 years.

He wrote seven books, probably the most well-known being “From Spark to Satellite: A History of Radio Communication.”  Stanley was a strong supporter of the idea of holding an HFCC (High Frequency Coordination Conference) in the United States - a goal that was finally realized by the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) in 2011.

(Source: NASB Facebook Page/New York Times via Media Network Weblog)

Call for relaunch of RFE Hungarian

An opinion piece in the Washington Post calls for the re-start of Radio Free Europe’s Hungarian service. The article is jointly written by Mark Palmer (US ambassador to Hungary 1986-1990), author Miklos Haraszti (OCSE representative on freedom of the media 2004-2010) and Charles Gati (professorial lecturer in Russian & Eurasian studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies).

According to the three, “With the fall of Hungary’s Western-style, pluralistic democracy, the time is right for the United States to reinstate Radio Free Europe’s Hungarian-language broadcasts.” They go on to argue that “While Hungary is a member of both NATO and the European Union, it is at risk of becoming a constitutional dictatorship and a pariah in the West.”

• Read the article

(Source : Media Network Weblog)

UK regulator plans public consultation on 648 kHz

UK media regulator Ofcom is hopeful that it will soon be in a position to draft a consultation document regarding any possible future use for 648 kHz. Until last year the frequency was used to transmit the programmes of the BBC World Service - and for about six weeks carried Dutch Radio 1 on a temporary basis - but the BBC has now confirmed to Ofcom that it has no intention of using the frequency for any purpose in the future.

The regulator is now in discussion with the company that owns the transmitting infrastructure for this channel [Babcock], and whilst this process may take some time, Ofcom has confirmed that its intention is to proceed with drafting the document which will invite members of the public to make Ofcom aware of how they would wish the channel to be used.

(Source: radiocaroline.co.uk via Media Network Weblog)

ABC Australia MD could be the next BBC DG

Corporate headhunters Egon Zehnder have approached senior ABC management and former board members to assess the suitability of ABC managing director Mark Scott for the BBC’s top job. It is understood the headhunters have approached individuals to assess Mr Scott’s suitability to be placed on a shortlist of candidates to be presented to the BBC by Easter, detailing replacements for BBC Director-General Mark Thompson.

Mr Thompson, who has been BBC director-general for eight years, has not announced his departure, but it is expected sometime after the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June and the Olympic Games in July. One former ABC board member “couldn’t confirm or deny” they had been approached but said, “there is no question in my mind that the BBC would look internationally and he’s got a lot of things going for him”.

• Read more from The Australian

(Source : Media Network Weblog)

Voice of America remembered

The Voice of America radio station started its Polish-language broadcasts 70 years ago today.

 

Its last Polish-language programme was aired on 27 February 2004. Alongside the Munich-based Radio Free Europe, Voice of America served as an important source of uncensored information for Poles during the communist period.

For many years, Voice of America was associated not only with politics. One of its legendary figures was jazz broadcaster Willis Conover. His programmes, which featured interviews with the likes of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Benny Goodman, attracted tens of thousands of listeners in Poland.

 

(Source : Polskie Radio S.A)

The BOBs: Over 1000 submission in

In just a little over a week, you’ve sent in over 1,000 suggestions for the best blogs, online initiatives and sites to our contest. Thanks!

We’re ready for even more submissions. Can’t decide which category fits the blog you love? Go ahead and submit it in all the categories where you think it belongs.

(Source : The BOBs)

BBC News App Launches Internationally for Android Tablets

BBC News and BBC.com today announced the launch the BBC News app for Android large tablet devices for audiences all around the world. The app is available to download from Android Market.

This launch follows the success of the BBC News app for Android smartphones, which has been downloaded more than three million times globally since launching in 2011. 

Growing numbers of people are accessing BBC News on mobiles and tablets. In an average week, the BBC News sites and apps are visited by around 9.7m users worldwide on mobile and tablet devices, representing about 26% of the total visits to BBC News sites. 

The number of people accessing BBC News on mobiles and tablets has tripled in the last year.

This latest version gives an optimised experience for larger tablets – on devices running Android’s Honeycomb 3.0 operating system and above. Smaller 7.1-inch tablets will continue to receive the smartphone app. 

The BBC News app on Android tablets delivers global news, business, politics, health, education, science and environment, technology and entertainment stories, as well as correspondent features and analysis. Key features of the BBC News app on Android are:

• Simple design with easy scrolling for efficient browsing in landscape and portrait
• Post stories to social networks, or share via email and SMS
• Watch or listen to the latest news headlines
• On Demand video within stories, in both 3G and wi-fi.
• Listen live to BBC World Service radio
• Personalize your home screen by adding and removing sections
• Set text size to suit your preferences

Read more at BBC

(Source : BBC Press Release)

Janis Siksnis to head Latvian State Radio

The National Electronic Mass Media Council unanimously selected Latvian State Radio News Service editor in chief Janis Siksnis to head the Latvian State Radio.

Siksnis has been the radio's acting head since Dzintris Kolats stepped down last November to work as the head of Latvian State Television's News Service.

The Electronic Mass Media Council interviewed all of the candidates for the post, including Siksnis, Latvian Composers Union member Janis Porietis, media group Super FM Marketing Director Polina Nazarova, and businessman Uldis Plumite.

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)

Lynne Polak, former EBU staff member, passes away

Lynne Polak, a greatly valued EBU employee and consultant working for Eurovision TV, regrettably passed away on 22 February.

Since she began working for the EBU in 1999 her contributions have been significant. She has worked on high quality projects with strong public service values. Lynne was very much appreciated by many colleagues and fellow broadcasters especially because of her ability to listen, her contagious enthusiasm and wonderful warm smile. She had the ability to gather very different people from various places and backgrounds around common projects. She knew how to keep them together until the goal was reached.  Through the process often many of them became her friends.

The two latest projects Lynne worked on were: 

The Diversity Toolkit, which has been extremely successful and has been translated into more than 10 languages, has been reprinted and used extensively by broadcasters and NGOs that are still building workshops and training sessions around this excellent tool.

The Solidarity Package - an unprecedented project in its scale - in which 13 broadcasters with budgetary constraints were offered a package of over 700 high quality programme hours from more than 10 EBU Members. Lynne managed to negotiate a number of complex deals and the fruits of her work are now on TV screens in numerous countries.

Lynne also managed the Geneva-Europe Prizes, awarded every year since 1987 to the best TV fiction written by a newcomer. Furthermore, she worked with the Editorial Council that was set up to assist RTK (Radio Television Kosovo) in achieving its role as a Public Service Broadcaster until it became independent in 2001.  These are just some of the projects she made a difference on.

Lynne Polak’s inspiring personality has a left a long-lasting impact on the EBU and the people she has worked with.

Her colleagues and friends will miss her.

Messages to Lynne’s family can be sent to her husband, Ramon Garcia using this email address: vasova@ebu.ch

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)

New tax proposal to keep Radio Pakistan on air

In a bid to pull the ailing Radio Pakistan out of a deep financial crunch, a National Assembly standing committee has approved recommendations by the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to collect 2% tax on every recharge from cellular phone users and a one-time fee on the purchase of new vehicles.

• Read the story from the Express Tribune

(Source : Media Network Weblog)

New Prasar Bharati CEO lists priorities

Improving presentation qualities of Doordarshan (state TV) and All India Radio (state Radio) and filling up of key vacancies in both organizations are the top priorities of the new Prasar Bharati CEO Mr. Jawhar Sircar in a press-conference in New Delhi.

Mr. Jawhar Sircar, who assumed the office on Wednesday, was previously Secretary, Ministry of Culture, before joining the Prasar Bharati.

In his remarks Mr. Sircar hailed the news content and reach of Doordarshan and Al India Radio as “remarkable”. However, the new CEO pointed out,  the presentation standards of the state TV and Radio channels were not up to the mark. “Presentation is an area where we need to give attention ….,” he said, adding, “We are high on content and could improve upon presentation of content.” Sircar said he needed time to understand why presentation was not up to competitive standards.

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

ABU making a valuable contribution to media development in the world’s biggest market

“The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union is providing a valuable contribution to broadcast services and media products throughout Asia and the Pacific” - the ABU Vice-President, Mr. Naoji Ono, told the Secretariat staff during his visit to the headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr. Ono, who is also Vice President of NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation, added that enormous progress had been made in recent years to satisfy the needs of emerging markets and those who wanted to understand and evaluate new technologies.

Addressing staff on his first visit to the ABU he said that the Digital Broadcast Symposium, which 8^th edition is to be held in March in Kuala Lumpur,  has become a prestigious regional and was testimony to the ABU's sense of innovation.

"I am delighted to know that the DBS is now a standard bearer in Asia, and will provide a platform for so many broadcast organisations and speakers," he added.

At least 70 keynote addresses will be made and more than 600 delegates will attend the symposium due to begin on March 7th.

During a meeting with ABU Directors and staff Mr. Ono said that Japan was committed to supporting the development of media throughout Asia and the Pacific. He said that new co-production programmes were being developed alongside existing ones such as Robocon, and Digista Teens, which had proved to be very popular among members.

The ABU Secretary-General, Dr. Javad Mottaghi, said that with the support of NHK and other large media groups within the ABU, there was a greater sense of cooperation which would lead to better service to members, and those who might want to join the ABU.

"We are a union dedicated to the aspirations of our members, and how best the ABU can support their activities," Dr. Mottaghi said.

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

Radio Program Directors course to go international

A new professional education initiative from Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) will see the Radio Program Directors (PD) course delivered internationally through a partnership with the International Media Broadcasting Academy (IMBA). The course will begin next month and will be delivered online, making it available to radio professionals anywhere in the world.

The PD course was developed by CRA and has been delivered in Australia by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) for over ten years.

The IMBA is an Australian broadcast training business with a range of industry training affiliates in India, Afghanistan, South Africa and throughout the Asia Pacific. IMBA is owned and operated by AMT Pty Ltd.

Commercial Radio Australia CEO, Joan Warner, said radio professionals in other countries have been interested in doing this course for many years but AFTRS does not accept international students into its course.

Announced at the Australian Broadcasting Summit in Sydney today, Ms Warner said: “CRA has decided to partner with IMBA to offer professional training for program directors and managers who want to improve their own career prospects and the success of the radio industry in their country,” Ms Warner said.

“The PD Course has been widely credited with lifting the quality of radio industry management in Australia and the industry believes the time is right to open up the course internationally.

“So many countries want to improve the quality of radio programming and management just as we have done in Australia. We hope this course will help the radio industry in those countries and will offer individuals the same level of personal career success as this course has given to Australian radio industry staff.”

IMBA CEO, Steve Ahern, who was previously Director of Radio at AFTRS when the course was developed, and is a renowned broadcast trainer, said he had enlisted a range of highly respected Australian and international program directors to tutor course participants, including Craig Bruce, Peter Brennan, Duncan Campbell, Dan Bradley and Valerie Geller.

“This course is a path to a career in programming or management. It has helped many professional broadcasters jump to the next level, because it teaches the skills that lie behind successful staff leadership and programming theory,” Mr Ahern said.

Media contact:
Jenny Stevenson (0402) 214 039
Melissa Fleming (0417 499 529)

(Source : Commercial Radio Australia)

Winner of BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Award 2012 announced

The winner of the overall BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Award 2012 was announced last night on BBC Radio 2’s Young Brass Awards 2012 programme, presented by Frank Renton and Simone Rebello.

Scooping the highly acclaimed accolade was 19-year-old tuba player Ross Knight from Carnoustie in Scotland who had already been named as the recipient of the Award for Soloist of the Year under 21.

Soloist Ross will now be given the opportunity to showcase his musical talents on a further broadcast when he appears as a featured soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra on their prestigious live music programme Friday Night is Music Night. 

The two other category award recipients taking part were Soloist of the Year under 18, James Fountain (cornet), and The Best Youth Brass Band of the Year, The Carnoustie and District Youth Brass Band. 

Lewis Carnie, Head of Programming for Radio 2, said: “This award has long been an important part of Radio 2’s musical year. The award exemplifies the station’s on-going commitment to supporting the vibrant brass scene in the UK. Ross was a thoroughly deserving winner and certainly wowed the judges with his musical talents. I’m sure he has many great things ahead of him.” 

Talking about receiving this prestigious award, winner Ross, who is studying at the Royal Academy of Music, London, said: “When I found out I had won I could hardly speak. I’m so thrilled to have won such a prestigious award. It’s been one of the biggest achievements of my life. Taking part in the competition was such a great honour. And I’m hoping that winning will open up doors to some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. That’s the ambition.”

This year, the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Awards expanded from one to three awards. This was to reflect the talent and achievements of young brass players from around the UK.

Highlights of the programme will be on the Radio 2 website. 

Radio 2 continues to commit to music at a grass roots level. In November last year Ella Rainbird-Earley from Coventry Cathedral and Richard Decker from the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy were presented with the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2011 Award. The competition celebrates the unique contribution young people make to church choral music in this country, recognising the training, skills and repertoire they receive. 

And at the recent Folk Awards 2012, held in Salford earlier this month, Northern Irish band Ioscaid were given the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award - an award given to the most promising young folk artist in the UK.

(Source : BBC Press Release)

ABU Prizes 2012

The ABU Prizes 2012 is now open!

Email us your entry form and English script to abuprizes@abu.org.my and send in your entries to:
c/o Mazura Mansur (Mrs)
Head, International Relations Unit
Radio Television Malaysian (RTM)
Level 6, Wisma TV, Angkasapuri
50614 Kuala Lumpur

For contest enquiries or to check your entry status, drop us a note at abuprizes@abu.org.my

Document downloads:

• Entry form
• Contest rules

Read More from ABU

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

Digital radio at your fingertips

A 'plug in and play' DAB interface is claimed to be a neat and effective way of upgrading your existing car radio.

 

With the UK scheduled to switch fully to digital radio by 2015, more and more drivers are wondering about DAB radio reception without having to add an unsightly box and extra wires to their cars.

UK-based Connects2 has developed a range of DAB interfaces covering 95 per cent of all vehicles. Called AutoDAB, the interface fits behind the existing head-unit and requires an installation process taking no more than 30 minutes. The consumer drives away with hundreds of new radio stations (including Planet Rock, Smooth and Talk Sport) as well as a voice prompt menu system for added safety.

AutoDAB is claimed to be compatible with any original equipment or aftermarket RDS FM radio. Customers simply visit www.autodab.com to find out which model is compatible with their car. Once the unit is purchased, they take it to a specialist to be installed.

After installation, the radio text, artist information and song is transmitted via RDS text using the existing display and the DAB functions are controllable from the steering wheel buttons. Favourite stations can be stored, while FM stations are maintained.

The kit includes DAB interface, antenna and aerial adapters and a vehicle-specific wiring harness.

(Source : The Telegraph)

BBC Africa Debate in Freetown examines land acquisition

BBC World Service’s new monthly programme, BBC Africa Debate, will bring to the fore the issue of land acquisitions in Africa. Broadcast on Friday 24 February from Freetown, Sierra Leone, the debate is presented by BBC Africa’s Alex Jakana, and Justin Rowlatt, correspondent for BBC’s TV current-affairs programme, Newsnight. 

Large-scale acquisitions of farmland in Africa, Latin America and Asia have made headlines across the world. The investors include some of the world's largest food, financial and car companies. In Africa, countries such as Ethiopia, South Sudan, Mozambique, Liberia, DR Congo and Sierra Leone have all signed major land deals with foreign investors. The host governments and investors say that these investments will lead to economic development, promising positives such as employment, creation of infrastructure and social services.

Critics, who describe these acquisitions as “land grabs”, believe that their main beneficiaries are the foreign investors because most of commodities produced, including food, biofuel and flowers, are for export. They argue that the land deals are not done transparently, thus creating a breeding ground for corruption.

BBC Africa Current Affairs Editor, Stephane Mayoux, says: “When the state is weak and lacks capacity, it opens itself to deals that are not always in full interests of the local population. Some land acquisitions have been particularly contentious in sub-Saharan Africa. If it matters to Africa, we’ll debate it in Africa – that’s what BBC Africa Debate is about. With panellists and live audience in Freetown, we will try to answer the question whether ‘land grab’ is really a development opportunity and if ‘land grabbing’ is actually good for Africa.”

BBC World Service has commissioned a global poll exploring the way citizens around the world view foreign investment in Africa’s resources. The poll findings will be discussed at BBC Africa Debate which will take place in Freetown in front of an audience of invited guests including prominent Sierra Leonean politicians, academics, civil society activists, media personalities.

This edition of BBC Africa Debate will be broadcast by BBC World Service at 19.00 GMT on Friday 24 February.

(Source : BBC World Service Publicity)

ABC hires British consultants to review newsgathering

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has engaged British consultants to conduct a major review of its daily TV, radio and online newsgathering operation. The director of ABC news, Kate Torney, said British news experts Gary Rogers and Gay Flashman from Venture Consulting had vast experience at the BBC, ITN and Sky and would spend time with staff in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to “get a sense of the workflow in various newsrooms and the different demands and pressures”.

• Read the story from The Australian

(Source : Media Network Weblog)

LSE to offer EBU Radio News members prestigious research fellowship

The EBU is partnering with POLIS, the journalism think tank of the London School of Economics and Political Science, to offer EBU Radio News members a prestigious research fellowship in London. It will be launched to coincide with the POLIS-BBC College of Journalism-EBU 'Reporting the World' conference, which is taking place at the LSE, on Friday 23rd March.

The month-long research fellowship will be open to journalists who wish to carry out a short piece of original research into an aspect of contemporary news media practice. It is being offered on a competitive basis.

Interested journalists will have to submit an abstract of about 500 words for a study proposal as part of their application. The abstract should set out the issue they want to address and outline what they would do in London. 

The subject should be related to contemporary news media with a particular interest in how media change is impacting on ethical, political and editorial aspects of journalism.

EBU Radio News will draw up a short-list of candidates by July 2012.  After consultation with POLIS, the EBU will choose a candidate who will spend one month based at the LSE, in the autumn term of 2012. 

In London, the candidate will be provided with a desk in the POLIS office and will be supervised by POLIS Director Charlie Beckett. She or he will have access to Media and Communications Department lectures and the LSE library, as well as all POLIS and LSE events. 

She or he will also have the opportunity to interview any relevant LSE Media and Communications staff. The candidate will also be facilitated to connect with journalists and other media researchers in the UK. 

The EBU Radio News journalist will be invited to give a research seminar during her or his stay in London. 

The research fellow will be expected to write a paper of at least 2,500 words that will be published by POLIS. The deadline for completion of the report will be 1st January 2013.

POLIS is a joint initiative of LSE's Department of Media and Communications and the London College of Communication, aimed at working journalists, people in public life and students in the UK and around the world. POLIS is the place where journalists and the wider world can examine and discuss the media and its impact on society.

Distinguished speakers taking part in 'Reporting the World' include Lucian Sarb (Director of News and Programmes, Euronews), Paul Mason (Economics Editor, BBC Newsnight), Solana Larsen (Managing Editor, Global Voices), Peter Heilbrunner (Business Editor, ARD-SWR), Esra Dogramaci (Al Jazeera Social Media Team), Cilla Benkö (Deputy Director-General, Swedish Radio) and Richard Sambrook (Chief Content Officer, Edelman).

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)

Intel, Once Again, Plans to Remake Radio Circuitry

Intel has few peers when it comes to driving digital technology. Now the Silicon Valley giant believes it has penetrated one of the last bastions where another approach still prevails: radio.

The company is using a technical conference in San Francisco this week to disclose progress in designing new versions of key radio components that are typically built using analog technology and different materials than the silicon used to create most digital chips. It’s referring to things like power amplifiers, transmitters, modulators and other “radio frequency” components, often collectively described by the initials RF.

“We are getting close to having the complete kit of digital RF building blocks for these radios,” says Justin Rattner, Intel’s chief technology officer.

Why should we care? It all comes back to Moore’s Law, the technology tenet Intel rides for all its worth.

The relentless pace of transistor miniaturization that Intel co-founder Gordon Moore first described in 1965 keeps bringing us more inexpensive and useful microprocessors and memory chips, not to mention devices like laptop computers and iPhones. If RF circuitry can be produced in the same chip factories–with the same ever-declining cost per function–radios used to send data over networks like 4G or Wi-Fi can be much less expensive and ubiquitous, Rattner argues.

Read more

(Source :  The Wall Street Journal Blog)

Samsung and IDAG Launch GALAXY S WiFi 5.0 for Digital Radio and Mobile TV

Seoul, Oslo – February 22, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, and International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG) today announced the launch of digital radio, mobile TV and internet services with the Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 5.0. The device will be available from April, 2012 in Germany, the Netherlands, UK, Switzerland, Norway and South Africa.

Samsung and IDAG see big opportunities in an environment where consumers are spending more time on mobile entertainment and news.

- “Samsung believes that such functionalities will take GALAXY S WiFi 5.0 to a new level. Built-in DMB/DAB+ provides excellent radio and TV experiences on the go,” said Byung Joon Jang, Director of MID Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics.

Combining broadcasting and the internet in the same product introduces a range of new possibilities that can strengthen radio and TV programs and widen their appeal among audiences. Digital radio via DAB/DAB+ or Mobile TV via DMB is currently available in more than 40 countries globally, and expects to extend to other countries.

- “The functionalities of the Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 5.0 stand out. We expect that Samsung’s entry into this area will inspire new fans of digital radio and mobile TV,” said Gunnar Garfors, president of IDAG.
European governments are responding positively to the replacement of FM with DMB/DAB+, the de facto standard for digital radio. This creates a huge demand as hundreds of millions of traditional FM radios will be replaced or upgraded to DMB/DAB+ which is a flexible technology, allowing for mobile TV services together with radio.

The GALAXY S WiFi 5.0 will be exhibited with the demonstration of mobile TV and digital radio services at Hall 8, Mobile World Congress 2012.

(Source : Samsung Press Release)

CBS Radio Launches Facebook App

CBS Local Digital Media has released a new app that Facebook users can add to the social network’s Timeline feature, enabling them to share news, traffic and weather with friends. 

 

While Facebook currently lets users share links to news stories and events, CBS’ app streamlines this process. According to a press release from CBS, users have “full control over what information they share with friends.”

Timeline is a recent addition to Facebook, letting users see their friends’ activity, ordered chronologically, going back as far as they have been a member of the site

The app is available at CBS Local Digital Media’s New York or Los Angeles websites. 

(Source : Radio World)

BBC Young Musician Final 2012 to be held at The Sage Gateshead

The Final will be broadcast in full on BBC Two and BBC Radio 3 and the winner will be awarded the title of BBC Young Musician 2012, a prize of £2,000 and a specially commissioned trophy.

Paul Bullock, Executive Editor, BBC Young Musician, said: “The Sage, Gateshead is one of the finest venues for live performance in the UK and we’re delighted to be taking the final of BBC Young Musician 2012 to the North East. 

“The three instrumentalists who win through to the final will have the opportunity to perform a concerto of their choice with the Northern Sinfonia, under the exciting young Ukranian conductor Kirill Karabits. It promises to be a very special concert and an opportunity to see three new talents at the start of their careers, one of whom will join a distinguished group of performers who share the title BBC Young Musician.” 

The Category Finals take place between March 5 and March 9 at the Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and feature 25 category finalists competing for five places in the semi-final on Sunday 11 March. 

Extensive highlights of the Category Finals will be broadcast on BBC Four over consecutive Friday nights beginning on April 13 with the semi-final being shown on BBC Two (time tbc). BBC Radio 3's In Tune, presented by Suzy Klein, will also be featuring performances by the semi-finalists leading up to the broadcast final. 

More at BBC

(Source : BBC Press Release)

Culture Minister thanks EBU for assistance to Georgian Member

Tbilisi - Culture Minister Nicholas Rurua thanked the EBU for assisting Georgian Public Broadcasting (GPB) in developing a five-year strategy, and he promised government support to help GPB preserve its archives and move to new premises.

Mr Rurua met EBU Vice-President Claudio Cappon and his predecessor, Boris Bergant, following presentation of GPB's strategy for 2011-2015 at a conference attended by GPB staff, Board Members and representatives of international organizations in the Georgian capital.

The EBU's help in the developing of GPB's new strategy was mounted as part of the EBU's Special Assistance Project under the leadership of Mr Bergant and with the participation of consultants Bernard Broyet (formerly of France Télévisions), Maartens Verwaest (ex-VRT) and Marja-Riitta Kavanen (ex-YLE). The work was supported by the United Nations Development Programme with funds from the Swedish International Development Agency.

Vice-President Cappon, who was accompanied by Mr Bergant and by EBU Head of Special Assistance David Lewis, told Mr Rurua it was very important for every European country to have a modern public service broadcaster. He praised the management of GPB for their energy, ambition and speed of action, and expressed the EBU's readiness to continue offering support - for example in the area of archiving.

Mr Rurua said it was vital to save GPB's archives, which included some material from Soviet times which had survived only in Tbilisi. He hoped the European Union could provide some funding to save the archives, which were being lost "as we speak", but that Georgia itself could also provide funding.

The Minister also promised funding to help GPB host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, possibly in 2013, and to assist GPB in its plans to build a new headquarters on the edge of Tbilisi in time for digitalisation due by 2015. GPB plans to sell its ageing headquarters in the centre of the city to finance the new building, but requires a government guarantee to cover the construction period.

GPB's new strategy was presented to the conference by Director General Giorgi Chanturia, who expressed his sincere thanks to the EBU and in particular to Mr Bergant. "The EBU is a bridge between GPB and the rest of the world,"  he said.

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, also paid tribute to the EBU's support and expertise. He pledged to support implementation of the strategy, and stressed the importance of media being free of political and commercial influence in the run-up to Georgian parliamentary elections due in May.

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)  

Changes to BBC satellite services on 24 Feb 2012

Satellite operator SES Astra is making a number of changes to its fleet of satellites at the 28.2° East orbital position, serving the UK and Ireland, over the next few years. The first of these changes will take place during February when the Astra 1N satellite, which was launched last summer, replaces the Astra 2D satellite, which is coming towards the end of its life.

The BBC currently broadcasts many of its television and radio services on Astra 2D, so as part of this replacement process BBC services that are currently located on Astra 2D will be moved across to Astra 1N. The services affected are:

• BBC One (including all National and Regional variants)
• BBC One HD
• BBC Two (including all National variants)
• BBC Three
• BBC Four
• BBC HD
• CBeebies
• CBBC
• BBC News
• BBC Parliament
• BBC ALBA
• BBC Radio 5 Live
• BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

The migration will be taking place during the early hours of the morning on Friday 24 February, between approximately 03:00 and 05:00 UTC. If you are watching or listening to BBC channels via satellite during this time you may experience some intermittent disruption to service. PVR recordings of BBC programmes made during this time may also be disrupted.

The tuning details used for BBC services on Astra 1N following the migration will be the same as those used today for services on Astra 2D. The signal strength of the new satellite will also be the same or possibly better in some parts of the country. This means that the change of satellites should be invisible to most viewers.

(Source: Alix Pryde, Director of BBC Distribution via About The BBC blog via Media Network Weblog)

Frequency details for DAB+/DMB trials at Mobile World Congress 2012 confirmed

The frequency to be used to broadcast DAB+/ DMB signals at Mobile World Congress 2012 has been confirmed as being in block 9C in Band III corresponding to 206,352Mhz.

The features are:

Block 9C -  1,7 Mhz BW (from 205,584 Mhz to 207,120 Mhz) central freq. 206,352Mhz

Tx Power: 200W.

Antenna gain: 9,6 dBi

Azimuth: 0º

Beam aperture 3dB: 65º

Polarization: Vertical

For more information please contact Gunnar Garfors: gunnar.garfors@nrk.no

(Source : WorldDMB)

Antenna repairs under way in Madagascar

We have received some more photos from our colleagues in Madagascar, showing the damage to the antennas caused last week by Tropical Cyclone Giovanna, and repairs under way. The first photo shows the satellite dish that was used to receive BVN TV and the RNW audio channels from the satellite. The broken dish has been replaced by a backup. Damage to several of the antennas was similar to the one in the second photo. One has already been repaired. The third photo shows some repairs taking place on the ground to the feeder of the log periodic antenna.

 

(Source: Media Network Weblog)