USA: Atlanta gets new radio station -- Power 96.1

Clear Channel Atlanta on Thursday went live with Power 96.1, a new mainstream contemporary hit radio station.

Atlanta native and television personality Ryan Seacrest launched the station’s broadcast at the Philips Arena during the Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez concert. The station played 9,600 commercial-free songs in a row to mark its debut.

Elvis Duran and the Morning Show will move from Atlanta’s WILD 105.7 & 96.7 to Power 96.1 weekday mornings from 6 - 10 a.m. It also will feature On Air with Ryan Seacrest, weekdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. beginning Sept. 4.

The complete programming line-up will be announced soon.

Click here to check out the station.

Clear Channel Atlanta owns and runs WBZY-FM, WGST-AM, WKLS-FM, WWLG-FM, WUBL-FM and WWVA-FM.

(Source : Atlanta Business Chronicle)

Apple reportedly in talks to create radio streaming service

Apple is working on a custom streaming radio service that would challenge Pandora and similar virtual radio stations, according to a report.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said Apple was in talks to license music for a custom-radio service. Such services work by asking users to input their favorite artists or genre of music and matching them with songs from relevant bands or singers.

The Journal said Apple's service would work across its devices, including the iPhone, iPad tablet and Mac computers; it might also run on Microsoft's Windows operating system. But sorry, Android fans -- the service is said to not work on gadgets running Google's operating system because of an ongoing feud between the two tech giants.

Like on Pandora, music on Apple's service would be interspersed with ads, the report said.

"Apple only recently initiated licensing negotiations with record labels for its putative service, and even if it does complete deals, it could be a matter of months when such a service might launch, according to these people," the Journal's report said.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr declined to comment.

(Source : Los Angeles Times, USA)

All India Radio (AIR) FM transmission goes off air for a day

The FM stations of All India Radio, FM Gold (106.4) and FM Rainbow (102.6), were shut down for the day today for urgent maintenance and repairs of the Pitampura transmitter in Delhi. 

The shut-down also affected to some extent to Radio Mirchi, Radio City and some other Delhi-based FM stations which use the same transmitter in addition to their own. Sources from some private FM channels said their programming had only been affected minimally as they also use other transmitters. They said they had been informed about the closure well in advance. 

Senior personnel in AIR told Radioandmusic.com that the maintenance had been continuing since 3 September and was being carried out during night hours. However, it had been felt necessary to work during day time so that the entire work could be completed in a day. 

This had not affected the transmission of the channels through direct-to-home platforms. Personnel said that the channel would work start functioning from tomorrow but there will be another half-day shut-down for the same reason on 15 September. 

(Source : Radioandmusic.com)

Eritrea: Reporters Without Boarders-Backed Satellite Radio Station Sabotaged Again

Radio Erena, a Paris-based satellite radio station that broadcasts to Eritreans in Eritrea and to the Eritrean diaspora, is again the target of a pirate transmission from within Eritrea that is blocking its broadcasts - this time since 4 September.

The sabotage resumed two days after the radio and TV satellite company Arabsat restored Radio Erena's signal, ending three weeks of satellite silence that had been the result of an earlier pirate transmission from inside Eritrea.

Radio Erena was launched by Reporters Without Borders in 2009 with the primary chief aim of providing an independent news service to the residents of what is one of the most closed countries in the world, one that is ranked even lower than North Korea in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

The method of sabotage is similar to the one that forced Radio Erena off the air from 14 August to 2 September. Arabsat, owner of the BADR-6 satellite that the station uses to reach Eritrea, said it had to suspend Radio Erena because its signal was being jammed by a pirate transmission.

Using geolocation, Arabsat has established that the jamming, which is targeted directly at the Radio Erena signal, has come both times from inside Eritrea. The first time, the jamming began after the station broadcast an interview with an Ethiopian government minister.

"This Reporters Without Borders-backed radio station is really essential for Eritreans because the country's state media just carry the regime's bellicose and ultranationalist discourse," RWB director-general Christophe Deloire said.

"Radio Erena is the only source of independent news and information in the local language in what is an information black hole. We are not surprised by these attacks from a country that is ranked last in our press freedom index, but we reserve the right to take legal measures."

Reporters Without Borders created a mirror of the station's website so that another cyber-attack would not prevent Eritreans from accessing Radio Erena's news reports online. The organization urges Internet users to visit this exact copy of the original and to create more copies of it, in order to thwart the government's censorship.

The Reporters Without Borders mirror site was itself the target of cyber-attacks last night but the hackers failed to gain control of it.

Ranked last in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index for the past five years, Eritrea is Africa's biggest jail for journalists and the fourth biggest wordwide, after China, Iran and Syria. In reality, it is one vast open prison for the media.

(Source : Reporters Without Boarders via allAfrica.com)

Radio France, RFI to not bid for digital terrestrial radio

Radio France and RFI will not participate in audiovisual regulator CSA's tender for digital terrestrial radio in France due to the significant costs it would involve, the French government has decided. Les Echos reports that the state has nevertheless reserved the possibility of future involvement depending on the results of work undertaken in this area. France's major private radio groups, Lagardere, NRJ, NextRadio TV and RTL, have already informed the CSA that they would not bid for digital terrestrial radio licences, but smaller independent radio stations are interested. The government previously allowed both the DAB+ and T-DMB standards to be used. 

(Source : telecompaper)

Line-up grows of speakers for ABU General Assembly in Korea

Organisers of the ABU General Assembly in Korea, say they are excited by a growing list of top flight panellists who will be taking part.

With just five weeks till the conference starts on 11 October in Seoul and one week till special rate registrations close on 14 September, the ABU & KBS Conference Secretariats are urging would-be delegates to book a place in the special forums.

The two-day Women With the Wave forum on empowering women through media and ICTs is lining up to be thought-provoking and controversial, with speakers from around the globe.

Already lined up are: Geena Davis, Oscar winning actor and ITU Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT; Deborah Taylor Tate, ITU Special Envoy and Laureate for Child Online Protection, Natalia Orozco, a Colombian filmmaker, news correspondent and two-times winner of the Simon Bolivar National Journalism Award; Judy Tam, Executive Vice-President of the Independent Television Service, the single largest program source of independent programming for US television; and Professor Hyechung Eun of Seoul National University of Technology and Science where she teaches digital content and broadcasting industry policy.

The ABU/FES Seminar, organised with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung is a particular highlight in the ABU GA calendar.  This year’s seminar is focusing on the impact of New Media on Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) and is moderated by Associate Professor Martin Hadlow with a keynote address delivered by the Director General of Germany’s Deutsche Welle Erik Betterman. The seminar will be a sharing experience through which practical examples of ‘new media’ impact can be elaborated and successful models can be discussed and assessed. In particular, the seminar will give voice to leaders of emerging country PSBs to enable them to have an opportunity to express their views and to hear how others have met and addressed ‘new media’ challenges.

The session on News beyond Smart Media will explore the transformation of news and journalism in the face of new technologies, services and interactions.  It features a panel of the region’s key media leaders such as Kim Woo-Sang, President of Korea Foundation; Lynley Marshall, CEO of ABC International Australia;  Cao Ri, Director of International News, CCTV; Jawhar Sircar, President & CEO of India’s Prasar Bharati and Ezatollah Sarghami, President & CEO of IRIB Iran who will discuss current challenges and posit future solutions at a regional and international level.

And the Super Panel session, focussing on what lies Beyond the Digital will serve as a the space for leaders of different media industries to interpret the sea change in media, consumer expectations and demands, and the impact on society.  Global leaders such as Rachel Payne, currently the Principal, Global Strategic Alliances at Google and one of the first employees to be hired at Google; John Tate, BBC Director of Policy and Strategy Naojo Ono, Vice president of NHK Japan will brings their collective industry knowledge and experience to the Super Panel session.  Each panellist will be challenged to explore the new order created by the digital wave, its affect on audience experience and engagement, and to offer some fresh perspectives on the elusive question of what comes next.

Information about the 49^th General Assembly and special sessions is available through the conference website and registration information is available here .

Delegates have until 14 September to register for accommodation at the special ABU rates and to lodge their visa requirements. 

 

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

Czech Radiokomunikace holds digital radio discussion

Broadcaster Czech Radiokomunikace has organised a public discussion on the digitisation of radio broadcasting in the Czech Republic. Currently, the biggest barriers to its further development include a lack of frequencies, limited possibilities to develop new value-added services besides pure sound transmission, quality limits to audio transmission, limited possibilities to integrate radio broadcasting with the internet and integration of analogue transmission systems with the current fully digital terminal equipment, such as mobile phones, tablets, navigation or electronic systems in cars. Pavel Balicek, head of the Digital Broadcasting team at Czech Radio, has called for a national strategy and an active dialogue on the future of digital radio broadcasting. 

(Source : telecompaper)

TRT teams up with Balkan broadcasters to build peace through music

Turkish Radio Television Corporation (TRT) has launched a cooperative project with public broadcasters of South-eastern Europe under the motto “From Balkan War to the Balkan Peace” on the Centenary of the First Balkans War in 1912.

The first concert titled “Balkan Feast (Friendship Feast)” aimed at displaying common historical ties through music was staged in Skopje Square in Macedonia. 

The concert was jointly broadcast live or delayed by several Balkan public broadcasters to reach across the whole Balkan region.

Singers took part from Turkey, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia.

The second concert organised by TRT titled “Friendship Symphony” will be performed this weekend in Sarajevo’s Zetra Sports Hall with musicians from Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Albania, Romania, Kosovo and Bulgaria.

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

RNW launches vote compass in Venezuela

Radio Netherlands Worldwide has launched a vote compass for Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election. ‘La Brújula Presidencial 2012’is an online tool that helps voters clarify their choice in a profoundly polarised society.

On the vote compass website, visitors are presented with 30 statements about various political, social and economic topics. After filling in the responses, the voter is advised which candidate best matches his or her preferences.

Professor Gabriel Reyes, at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, explained at Thursday’s launch that the project aims to help voters who are undecided or voters who want to check if their choice best matches their own views.

The Vote Compass has been developed by André Krouwel, political scientist and professor at the Free University of Amsterdam. In partnership with RNW he has previously launched similar Compasses in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt and this is the second time a vote compass has been made available in Latin America. More than 340,000 people completed the Mexican Vote Compass earlier this year.

The Vote Compass has been used in more than 45 elections around the world. Venezuela’s voters can access their version via the internet sites of MSN Venezuela, newspapers Últimas Noticias, El Diario de Guayana, El Nacional, radio station Fe y Alegría, and the Spanish site of Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

(Source : Radio Netherlands Worldwide)

Japan Prize judges choose top 100

One hundred entries from around the world have made it into the finals of the 2012 Japan Prize for educational media.

Organisers say there has been a significant increase in the number of entries from ABU members among the finalists this year.

ABU finalists include: DD-India, TVB-Hong Kong, JBA-Japan, NHK-Japan, EBS-Korea, KBS-Korea, PTV-Pakistan, SLRC-Sri Lanka, TPBS-Thailand, TRT-Turkey and VTV-Vietnam.

Of the 335 total entries, 95 finalists were selected in audio-visual categories of pre-school, primary, youth, continuing, welfare and innovative media and a further five were TV proposals.

According to the organisers and judges, the regional diversity represented by the entries bodes well for the genre: “The 2012 submissions for the Japan Prize showed a wide variety of genres and viewpoints, as well as a great regional diversity.  Using documentary, fiction, game-show formats and animation, all the submissions were universal in their originality and their pursuit to educate their viewers about pressing social issue topics.  It was particularly interesting to see some entries tackling difficult issues that, until now, were perhaps not addressed openly with audiovisual content in their country.”

Final judging will take place from 18 October at NHK Broadcasting Center in Tokyo as part of events that include the TV Proposal Division 10th Year Celebration Forum and the International Producers Conference for Educational Media (IPCEM), where creators, producers and other educational media specialists will discuss the future of educational media and share their expertise.

Japan Prize registration is available online at http://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/english/index.html.

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)