Posts from ‘March, 2005’

The Chairman of Te Mangai Paho (TMP), the New Zealand government agency that funds broadcasts in Maori, has suggested that the country’s 21 Maori language radio stations might be more effectively replaced with a single national station. Wira Gardiner says the current stations are poorly funded and equipped, and funding a single national station to [...]

The Stage says the BBC has announced that it will axe its popular World Service radio serial Westway in October as part of its plans to focus on more factual and news-based programmes.
Actors trade union Equity’s outgoing national organiser for BBC television and radio, Glen Barnham, told The Stage that the news was unexpected and [...]

Text of press release by the European satellite organization Eutelsat on 29 March
Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 3 satellite, located at 5 degrees West, has been selected to deliver to broadcast transmitters the five new digital terrestrial multiplexes, which will start commercial service in France on 31 March. The 5 degrees West location has been used to [...]

The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) will set up 47 new FM radio stations over the next three years to ensure 100 percent coverage in terms of both area and population, reports the Daily Times of Pakistan. This was stated by PBC Director-General Tarique Imam while talking to an eight-member Malaysian delegation led by Information Secretary-General [...]

Beijing Radio Station will start a trial broadcast on a 3G digital audio frequency on 18 April. According to Wang Liang, director of the Beijing Radio Station, this kind of technology can not only achieve the same voice quality as that of CD, but also show TV programmes and deliver other data information services. Qin [...]

The Indian Army is installing direct to home (DTH) kits in villages close to the Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan to counter “Pakistan television propaganda”. Called the Operation Sadbhavna (goodwill) project, it will provide villagers in the mountain areas an opportunity to watch Indian television, where state-run Doordarshan’s low power [...]

Dutch commercial radio station Slam!FM (formerly ID&T Radio) may have to pay a fine of 100,000 euro to the Radiocommunications Agency. According to the licence issued in 2003, ID&T promised that 95% of the transmission time would be music, of which 7.5% would be hit music. A spokesman for the Radiocommunications Agency said the station [...]

UK media regulator Ofcom has today published its Digital Television Update for the fourth quarter of 2004. The report examines the latest data provided by the main digital television platform providers. The update shows that by 31 December 2004 a total of 59.4% of UK households received digital television; an increase of 3.5%.
Digital Television [...]

The International Federation of Journalists has given its full backing to journalists working at RUV, the national broadcasting service in Iceland. The journalists are threatening industrial action over what they claim is political interference in the appointment of a new chief editor of radio news. “Reporters and editors have every right to protest when they [...]

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has started operating in Angola again, opening an office after a long period of inactivity. The office is planning several projects, including an “Open the Airwaves” campaign to underline the need for an independent public broadcaster. The Angolan MISA office is planning a series on on-air debates on [...]

The mediumwave frequency used for the 24 hour relay of the BBC World Service in Auckland, New Zealand will be changed at midnight local time on Thursday. The current frequency, 1476 kHz, has been sold by its owners, Auckland International Airport. The BBC broadcasts will move to 810 kHz, and the the Auckland Radio Trust, [...]

Irish public broadcaster RTÉ carries the following announcement on its website:
We regret to announce that due to a business policy change by Worldspace, from 0000 UTC on 15th April 2005 our free to air service from WRN via the Worldspace satellite will cease. Our sincere apologies for this situation.
FROM THAT TIME RECEPTION OF OUR SERVICE [...]

Trades union members at the Korea Broadcasting System have issued a statement demanding the resignation of the broadcaster’s president, Jung Yun-ju. Union leaders have been demanding Mr Jung’s resignation since managers were caught eavesdropping on a union meeting. The head of the union, Jin Jong-chulm said that if Mr Jung does not resign honourably, union [...]

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has signed an agreement with Mobile 365, a provider of mobile messaging services, to supply its SMS, IVR, MMS, and other WAP services. The ABC says that the provision of telephone information services to its TV and radio audiences and Online users promotes and encourages audience interaction via mobile phone. [...]

The Thai Senate yesterday set up a panel to check on the background of the 14 short-listed candidates for the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the country’s first independent broadcasting regulatory body, reports the Bangkok Post.
Seri Suwannapanont, Chairman of the Senate Affairs Committee, said although the panel was not required by the constitution, checks on candidates [...]