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July – September 2009
PP 4408/05/2010 (023973) ISSN 0127-4902
News of ABU activities and the broadcasting industry in the Asia-Pacific
Mongolia set to host its first
ABU General Assembly
Mongolia, the land of blue skies
and green steppes – and home to
more ABU members than any other
country in the Asia-Pacific region
– is gearing up for the hosting of
the 46th ABU General Assembly.
The host member – Mongolia National
Public Radio and Television (MNB) – has
been busy for the past year in planning
a memorable General Assembly, the
first to be held in Mongolia.
The annual meetings, to be held in the
Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, will
open on 30 September and continue
through to 6 October.
These will include the Technical and
Programme Committee meetings, the
Sports Group meeting, the Administrative
Council meeting and the ABU/FES
workshop for developing countries.
Delegates will take a break from the
annual meetings on Sunday 4 October
to visit a 13th century national park,
courtesy of MNB, stopping off on the
way at the world’s largest statue of
Chingghis Khan which was recently
completed on the steppes about an
hour’s drive from Ulaanbaatar.
On 5/6 October, the 46th General
Assembly will be held in Mongolia’s
Parliament building overlooking the
city’s impressive Sükhbaatar Square,
a short distance from the conference
hotels.
A typical ger on the Mongolian steppes with a satellite dish to receive TV
The first day of the General Assembly will
comprise the annual business sessions
and the ABU Prizes night, whilst the
second day will comprise the Special
Topic, a Professional Discussion, and the
election of a new Vice-President.
meeting – one on taking Asian content
to international TV markets, and one
where radio broadcasters will reveal
their strategies for increasing audience
share.
The Special Topic this year will address
the issue of piracy of movies, television
programmes and other broadcast
content in developing countries, and in
the Professional Discussion members
will share experiences on cost-saving
initiatives adopted during the global
economic downturn.
The Technical Committee this year will
reduce its meetings from four to three
days, and will focus more on policies
and issues that impact broadcasters
and others in the industry. As a new
feature, several informal forums, each
lasting 45 minutes, will be organised
on topics of common interest to
members.
There will also be two professional
discussions in the Programme Committee
The annual meetings will help
Asiavision prepare for the file
transfer system that it will introduce
to exchange news stories alongside
t h e ex i s t i n g s a te lli te - b a s e d
exchange.
More than 300 delegates from
overseas are expected to be in
Ulaanbaatar for the annual meetings,
as well as up to 100 from the nine
local ABU members.
Early October in Ulaanbaatar is
predicted to deliver clear and crisp
autumn days with temperatures
ranging from below zero at night, to
5-10 degrees Celsius during the day,
so don’t forget to pack some warm
clothes!
INSIDE: 410th International Radio Festival 4ABU Prizes finalists 44th Asia Clean Energy Forum
in this issue
Quarter 2008
July –4th
September
2009 Vol.
Vol.27
28No.
No.43
17
10
COVER STORY
1
Mongolia set to host its first ABU General Assembly
NEWS
9
18
7
LEGAL
16
The 18th World Intellectual Property Organisation, Standing
Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (WIPO SCCR)
Session
RTM-Malaysia appoints new chief
Broadcasters Treaty moves forward
ASIAVISION
6
Asiavision monthly award winners
6
Oyuntuya learns – and teaches
7
New media ‘changing war propaganda’
8
Asian broadcasters capture the solar eclipse
8
News group endorses journalist safety code
9
Asiavision to launch file transfer system
PROGRAMME
10
10th International Radio Festival
14
ABU Children’s TV Programme Item-Exchange meeting
and workshop
15
Good work despite cultural differences
ABU Prizes 2009 finalists
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
17
The 4th Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF)
SPORTS
BBC pleads for key sports to stay free
18
19
John Barton says:
Media ‘plays crucial role’ in climate change
Premier League deal in China opens up possibilities
fro other Asian markets
Publisher
Contributors
Office
Printed by
David Astley
[email protected]
Alan Williams
John Barton
Letchumi Achanah
Hanizah Hamzah
Tan Hock Guan
Axel Aguirre
Asia-Pacific
Broadcasting Union
2nd Floor, IPPTAR Building,
Angkasapuri,
50614 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Tel (603) 2282 3592
Fax (603) 2282 5292
Website www.abu.org.my
Tan Check Siong
32-3A-1, 4th floor,
Jalan 1/116B, Sri Desa
Entrepreneurs Park,
off Jalan Kuchai Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Editor
Sidney Yap
[email protected]
Published four times a year by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
For advertising enquiries,
please contact the Editor.
Editorial contributions
are welcome. ABU News
is supplied free of charge
to ABU members and is
available on subscription
to others. Subscription
US$20.00 a year (four issues)
airmailed to anywhere
in the world.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Sidney
I write in regards to an article ’Australian fires highlight role of radio in disasters‘
– ABU News (January to March issue).
I am concerned that your aritcle focused only on the role of the smaller sector
of the Australian radio industry, in terms of number of listeners – that is the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) . You did not highlight the key
role also played by the commercial radio sector in all emergencies. While
there is no doubt that ABC radio, (the government funded broadcaster in
Australia), played an important role in providing emergency coverage and
information during the recent bushfires in Victoria, your article gave the
incorrect impression that in times of crisis the primary source of information
for the public is the ABC.
Given the fact that nearly 80 percent of Australians, or the vast majority
of the listening public, listen to commercial radio, it is important that any
public message in times of emergency is generated via commercial radio
stations as well as the ABC and other public broadcasters.
Given the excellent job done by local commercial stations during the last
bushfire emergency, (at times for a lengthy period when the ABC was offair); it would be a mistake for any government to direct people primarily to
only one sector of the radio industry for information. It is important that the
message is clear – all media sources must be used in getting information
to local communities during times of emergency.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify the situation in Australia. It is
important for your readers to understand that all radio sectors work
together with the government and have done for many years in times of
emergency. All media outlets must be used at these times in the interest
of public safety.
Joan Warner
Chief Executive Officer
Commercial Radio Australia Ltd
4
ABU News
Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons
to be considered for appointment as
ABU Secretary-General
The Secretary-General is the administrative head of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), reporting to the ABU President,
and responsible for managing the ABU Secretariat located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and implementing the decisions of
the ABU Administrative Council and General Assembly.
The key responsibilities of the Secretary-General are to:
●
Implement the initiatives contained in the ABU’s Strategic Plan to achieve the Union’s vision, mission and
objectives
●
Promote and project a positive image of the ABU in the global media environment, and be a channel of
communication and liaison with other international organisations
●
Provide leadership to and oversee the operations of the ABU’s departments to ensure that they provide quality
and timely services to members
●
Manage the finances of the Secretariat, control the assets and funds of the ABU, and oversee the preparation
of budgets and financial reports
Candidates will be assessed against the following selection criteria:
1.
Proven track record of leadership and management in a broadcasting or similar organisation
2.
Experience in planning and implementing strategic initiatives in an international broadcasting context
3.
High level financial management experience including the preparation of budgets and financial reports
4. Good working knowledge of broadcasting issues in the Asia-Pacific region and have familiarity and understanding
of the work of the ABU
5. Ability to promote and project a positive image of the ABU and be a channel of communication and liaison
with other international organisations
6. Demonstrated strong inter-cultural and inter-personal skills with the ability to generate consensus and influence
outcomes among people of diverse backgrounds and nationalities
7.
Very high level writing and communication skills in English are a pre-requisite, but a working knowledge of other
languages in the region would be an advantage. A degree in a relevant discipline is desirable
Applicants must be a citizen of a country in the ABU region. The successful candidate will be appointed for a three-year
term, with a possible three-year extension.
Applications should include a curriculum vitae and a statement indicating how the candidate meets the above selection
criteria. Applications should be sent to:
Ms. Mariko Saeki, International Planning and Broadcasting Department,
NHK Broadcasting Center, 150-8001, Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81-3-5455-2273, Fax: +81-3-3481-1576, Email: [email protected]
The closing date for applications is 16 October 2009.
ASIAVISION
Asiavision monthly award
winners
The Asiavision Award for the
best story of the month has
seen a varied list of winners
over the past seven months for
their quick and comprehensive
coverage of events.
CCTV-China won the award in June
for its comprehensive coverage of
a deadly fire on a bus in the city
of Chengdu, capital of southwest
China’s Sichuan province. It provided
visuals of the 5 June incident on
the same day and followed it up
with updates. The bus blaze killed 27
people and injured 74 others.
The May award went to IRIB-Iran
for its efforts in making available
the visuals of a bomb blast at a
mosque in the southeastern Iranian
city of Zahedan. The terror attack on
the Amir al-Momenin mosque during
the evening prayers of 28 May killed
25 people and injured 125 others.
The IRIB updates included visuals
of hundreds of thousands of people
attending the funeral procession of
the victims of the attack.
Reporting on the political turmoil
in Thailand earned MCOT the April
award. Anti-government protestors
held rallies in Bangkok before moving
to the resort town of Pattaya which
was to host the ASEAN regional
grouping and ASEAN + 3 (China,
Japan, South Korea) summits.
Several foreign leaders had to be
evacuated by helicopters and the
summits cancelled when protestors
managed to storm the summit venue
on 11 April.
The anti-government rallies then
moved back to Bangkok and Thai
authorities enforced a crackdown
on protestors on the morning of 13
April before normalcy returned in the
Thai capital after security forces took
control on 14 April.
Making available early visuals of a
dramatic crash-landing of a FedEx
cargo plane at Narita Airport in Japan
earned NHK the Asiavision Award
for March. The American pilot and
co-pilot on board the plane died in
the morning incident of 23 March.
The FedEx cargo plane which was
flying in from Guangzhou, China,
crashed into the runway and caught
fire after failing to keep a proper
landing position in strong winds.
SLRC won the award for February for
its early coverage of a Kamikaze-style
air attack by the Tamil Tiger rebels
on the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
It provided visuals of the aftermath
of the 20 February night time raid by
two light aircraft. Sri Lankan security
forces shot down one aircraft while
the other crashed into the Inland
Revenue Building in Colombo.
MCOT of Thailand and RTB-Brunei
were the joint winners in January.
MCOT won on its coverage of a deadly
fire at a nightclub in Bangkok where
revellers were partying in welcoming
the new year. Fireworks used to
highlight the new year countdown
were believed to have set off
combustibles on the premises of the
nightclub. Several hundred revellers
were packed into the club when the
fire broke out after midnight, claiming
some 61 lives and injuring more than
200 people.
Brunei was hit by floods and
landslides in the later half of January
and RTB won the Asiavision award
for the month with its coverage of the
wet season. A much heavier rainfall
than usual triggered landslides and
flash floods around the country. RTB
also provided follow-up visuals of
the inundation in various parts of
the country.
The December 2008 award went
to RTM-Malaysia for its prompt
coverage of a deadly landslip
incident on hilly terrain near the
Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur,
including regular updates on the
search and rescue efforts. The early
morning landslip in Hulu Klang on
6 December buried 14 bungalows in
two housing estates under rubble.
The tragedy claimed four lives and
forced the temporary evacuation of
several thousand residents living in
the vicinity.
Oyuntuya learns – and teaches
It was a two-way learning
experience when Oyuntuya
Dugersuren of TV5-Mongolia
spent a month on attachment
to the Asiavision centre in Kuala
Lumpur in May.
Oyuntuya, who has worked for TV5
since its launch in 2003, learned how
journalists at the centre carry out
the daily coordination of the news
exchange, including the compilation
of offers from members and the
allocation of satellite time.
Oyuntuya won the ‘Best Engineer’ award in the Golden Falcon TV Awards
2008, organised by the Union of Mongolian Television Channels. She also
attended a 45-day Deutsche Welle Akademie course in Internet broadcasting
for television in 2005.
As TV5’s main Asiavision coordinator, she combines her engineering skills
with a journalist’s role. She was the first person from the station to spend
time on attachment to the centre.
“It was a great experience,” she said shortly before returning to Ulaanbaatar.
“I learned how members send their offers and the need for same-day offers.
The Asiavision centre works hard to obtain same-day stories.”
Oyuntuya Dugersuren
But as a graduate in computer and science technology, she was also able
to pass on valuable tips in areas such as online storage of video clips and
the transfer of material from television monitor to computer.
6
ABU News
TV5 has been a member of the news exchange since January 2007.
Oyuntuya’s attachment was part of a scheme funded by Asiavision
under which journalists from member stations spend time at the centre
learning more about how the news exchange works and helping in the
daily coordination.
New media ‘changing war propaganda’
The new media is changing the
face of war propaganda, often
to the advantage of insurgency
groups, an international
conference in Bonn, Germany,
has heard.
reporting, said the fundamentals
of propaganda remained the same.
What had changed was the speed
of the new media environment,
enabling insurgency groups to act
quickly.
Speakers told the Global Media Forum
on 3-5 June that all sides in conflicts
were now using dramatic images on the
Internet as a form of public relations.
This in turn forced ministries of
defence to move quickly to put out a
response.
“It’s a war of images…a war
of conflicting virtual realities,”
Sebastian Kaempf of the University
of Queensland said.
He was speaking at a session that
looked at how the Internet was being
used for such activities as conflict
information and misinformation, cyberterrorism, hacking and military blogs.
Another speaker, Thomas Rid, a US
expert on the media and conflict
Insurgents could act rapidly because
of the nature of their organisations,
Marc Hecker of Institut Français des
Relations Internationales said.
A war of images…the new media under the spotlight in Bonn
Armies on the other hand were large
organisations and slow to handle
media communications.
Mr Rid said the use of the Internet
had not only dramatically changed
military strategies and secret service
activities but also reporting about
armed conflicts.
In the 1990s, journalists had practically
had a monopoly over war reporting.
Now thousands of soldiers had blogs,
as did civilians in regions of conflict.
“The images from the first US-led war
in Iraq were controlled by the large
international news agencies. But now,
those taking part in war, like soldiers,
regular troops or insurgent or militant
groups, are making videos and placing
them online,” he said.
Professor Mantello noted that some
people in the Middle East, unhappy
with video war games in which the
heroes were American, were producing
their own war games to reclaim their
“digital dignity”.
The Global Media Forum, staged by
Germany’s international broadcaster,
Deutsche Welle, brought together
about 900 people from around the
world.
“In doing so, they are making hangings,
explosive attacks and ambushes
available to everyone around the
world.”
Another session looked at how the US
military was using virtual war games
to boost recruitment at a time when
it was struggling to attract enough
new soldiers.
The Global Media Forum opening session in Germany’s old parliament
building in Bonn
Global Media Forum participants
Peter Mantello, Professor of New
Media at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific
University in Japan, said the military’s
official online war game, America’s
Army (www.americasarmy.com), was
now the most successful recruiting
tool it had produced.
Held in Germany’s old parliament
building, it focused on ‘Conflict
prevention in the multimedia age’.
T h e ga m e wa s a lso u se d i n
simulators that the army set up
at large events such as fairs to give
people a “virtual army experience”,
he said. Genuine army footage was
also used, mixing the imaginary
with the real.
The forum included a workshop
on ‘Covering conflict – an Asian
perspective’ organised by the
ABU, the Asia-Pacific Institute for
Broadcasting Development (AIBD)
and the Asian Media Information and
Communication Centre (AMIC).
Peter Mantello
ABU News 7
ASIAVISION
Asian broadcasters
capture the solar eclipse
Asian broadcasters pulled out
the stops on 22 July to cover the
total eclipse of the sun from land,
air and sea.
Many broadcasters went live as
the eclipse moved across the
heart of Asia, sweeping through
India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal,
Myanmar, China and Japan.
Among those showing the event
live was Bhutan’s national
broadcaster, BBS, which shared its
coverage with other members of
Asiavision, the ABU’s daily news
exchange.
China’s national broadcaster, CCTV,
and Japan’s public broadcaster,
NHK, also provided Asiavision with
news flashes on the eclipse.
Other Asiavision members who
provided footage of the total or
partial eclipse were BTV-Bangladesh,
TVB- Hong Kong, DDI-India, IRIB-Iran
and MCOT-Thailand.
Not since the tsunami of December
2004 had so many members offered
simultaneous coverage of a single
story.
In India, a six-member crew from
DDI joined scientists on board a
transport plane that took off from
Agra to view the eclipse from high
altitude.
An NHK crew was on board a
passenger vessel in the Pacific,
about 1,200 km south of Tokyo,
to record striking images of the
eclipse.
CCTV provided live footage as
the eclipse followed the path of the
Yangtze River across the country.
“
International broadcasters such as
BBC World, CNN International and
Al Jazeera also devoted widespread
coverage to the event.
At 6 minutes and 39 seconds, it
was the longest total solar eclipse
of the 21st century. A longer one is
not due until 2132 – and one can
only imagine what technologies
broadcasters will have at their
disposal to cover it.
Not since the tsunami of December 2004
had so many members offered simultaneous
coverage of a single story
”
News Group endorses journalist safety code
The ABU News Group has endorsed a wide-ranging safety code
for journalists who work in hostile environments.
The code, drawn up by the International News Safety Institute (INSI),
calls for appropriate safety training and the provision of safety equipment
for staff sent to hazardous locations.
It urges news organisations to consider safety first, before competitive
advantage, for journalists in hostile environments.
The code says assignments to war and other danger zones must be
voluntary and only involve experienced news gatherers and those under
their direct supervision.
At its annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the News Group also endorsed
the Jakarta Declaration on the Safety of Journalists in the Asia-Pacific,
drawn up at a news safety conference in the Indonesian capital in
December 2008.
Among other things, the declaration says freedom of expression
and a free press are critical to the sustained development of
8
ABU News
nations, to the end of corruption and to the alleviation of poverty.
It deplores the killings of, attacks on, and unwarranted detentions of
journalists and other news professionals in the region.
INSI’s Director, Rodney Pinder, told the News Group meeting that some
news organisations were cutting back on their foreign bureaus and instead
relying on stringers and contract workers for foreign news coverage.
“They are often little more than cannon fodder. It’s an outrageous
situation and has to be addressed by the industry.”
Mr Pinder was one of two guest speakers on the second day of the
meeting. The other was Aale Raza, Vice President of Benchmark
Broadcast Systems, Singapore.
Mr Raza spoke on digital newsrooms and the effect the work flow has
both on the work of newsroom staff and on the bottom line.
●
For the INSI safety code please see http://www.newssafety.org/index.
php?option=com_content&view=article&id=165&Itemid=100066
Asiavision to launch file transfer
system
Asiavision is to launch a file
transfer system for exchanging
news in parallel to the existing
satellite-based exchange.
for any members who wish to use
it, with Asiavision paying the initial
set-up costs and monthly network
charges.
The ABU News Group, which sets
policy for the news exchange, took
the decision at its annual meeting in
Kuala Lumpur on 2-3 July.
In another decision, the group
unanimously elected Prattana
Nuntaratpun of MCOT-Thailand as
its new Chairperson, for a three-year
term. She succeeds Shaun Seow of
Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia.
The move is aimed at helping smaller
broadcasters who are unable to
contribute news stories by satellite to
start offering items for the first time.
Some Asiavision members either lack
the technical facilities to transmit
to AsiaSat 2, the satellite the news
exchange uses, or cannot afford the
uplink charges. A low-cost file transfer
system using the Internet is designed
to remedy that.
File transfer tests among selected
members have been taking place for
some time. The News Group decided to
launch the system as soon as possible
Harjit Singh of RTM-Malaysia became
Vice-Chairman, joining Ms Nuntaratpun
and the other Vice-Chairman, Yoshio
Nishikawa of NHK-Japan, on the
leadership team.
The group also decided to increase
funding for training in the coming
year. Planned training events
include a regional workshop on
digital newsrooms covering content,
management and technical issues.
The three Asiavision Annual Awards
for 2009 were announced at the
meeting. DDI-India won the award
for the most news flashes during the
past year, while RTB-Brunei and MCOT
won for the overall quality of their
contributions. Each award carries a
cash prize of US$700.
Opening the meeting, the ABU’s Acting
Secretary-General, David Astley, urged
Asian broadcasters to make more use
of new technology and new media
platforms to both collect and deliver
news content.
He said this included making more use
of user-generated content.
“There have been many instances
where user-generated content has
provided broadcasters with breaking
news video coverage that has not been
available from their own reporters or
agencies,” he said.
Mr Astley said new media platforms
would not take over from traditional
broadcasting or news gathering
practices for a long time, but would
gradually eat into audience shares.
“The only way you can combat that is
to be on these new media platforms
as well. And that means you should
be users as well as followers in order
to fully understand the potential of
the new media.”
Deborah Steele of ABC-Australia –
Asiavision’s newest member – said
the Australian national broadcaster’s
audiences were increasing, against
all the trends, largely as a result of
developing new media support for
traditional broadcasting.
“Podcasts are now a tremendous part
of TV audiences,” she said.
Channel NewsAsia’s Chay Ting Ngee
said the Singapore broadcaster had
seen a big growth in visitors to its
website. It was also experimenting
with citizen journalism, although
ethical issues remained.
RTM-Malaysia
appoints new chief
Malaysia’s government broadcaster, Radio Television Malaysia
(RTM) has a new Director-General.
He is Datuk Ibrahim Yahaya, who was formerly the Media Advisor to
Malaysia’s Minister of Information.
He takes over from Dato’ Abdul Rahman Hamid – one of the ABU’s
Vice-Presidents – who has moved to a new role as Special Advisor to the
Minister of Information.
Datuk Ibrahim has a background in both the print and electronic media.
He was Chief News Editor of the Malaysian news agency, Berita Harian, and
for three years was editor and manager of current affairs and talk shows
with the commercial broadcaster, TV3.
Photo by Rinchen Norbu
Ibrahim Yahaya
With his nickname ‘Tiger’, he is well known in local media circles, and said
he aspired to turn RTM into a “dynamic and respected” station.
ABU News 9
PROGRAMME
Tehran forum probes
in the multi
In the very grand surroundings
of IRIB’s conference centre
(at the heart of an imposing,
tree-lined campus where all of
the IRIB radio and television
activities are centred), over
600 local and international
broadcasters were introduced
to the dominant themes of the
conference.
With heavy media coverage, and
elaborate multi-media presentation,
the format of the opening provided
a framework for the discussion which
threaded through the following
sessions exploring both the challenges
and excitement of radio’s future.
Some of the future is here, according to
self-styled futurist Gerd Leonhard from
Speakers at sessions which followed
explored in more detail than Gerd’s
panoramic view how radio has so far
adapted to the new digital landscape,
and how it might continue to do so
productively in the future, exploring
the history of digital radio and the
multimedia platforms of KBS-Korea
and RTHK-Hong Kong.
Podcasting was enthusiastically
advocated, and Iranian broadcasting
was also analysed by local and
international scholars who focused
on the role of the media in recent
presidential elections, and set
out a theoretical framework for
understanding the next stage of
development on the Internet.
Paul Bushnell of Radio New Zealand, responds to questions after his
presentation to the session on new delivery platforms for radio services
This year’s International
Radio Forum, organised jointly
by the Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting (IRIB) and the
ABU, was held in Tehran in
May in conjunction with IRIB’s
annual radio festival.
The theme of this year’s
conference was ‘Meeting the
Challenges of the Multimedia
Era – Using New Platforms to
Serve Markets’.
Paul Bushnell, Group
Manager, Spoken Features,
Radio New Zealand, was one
of the international guests at
the forum and provides an
overview of the presentations
for ABU News.
10 ABU News
Switzerland. In his keynote speech, he
laid out a challenge for broadcasters to
not rely on its traditions, but instead to
embrace the new forms of distribution
the Internet can offer, and benefit
from the result – a fluid, intimate
connection with the listener in which
many of the things we once thought
important are now redundant, such as
defined programme schedules and the
technological apparatus of analogue
broadcasting.
In its place a new world of consumer
choice and content delivery means
that broadcasters must get to know
and use the Internet, including social
networking sites, to expose our content
to a rising generation for which
traditional radio forms are increasingly,
or actually, irrelevant.
The idea of ‘green radio’ was
explored in a special session which
looked at different perspectives on
the environment and responses to it.
This was an expansive hour which also
flagged future developments in the
‘Lights Out’ campaign being organised
by the ABU, and consideration of how
public-information campaigns can be
effectively mounted. Counter to much
of the online-focused discussion, the
value of live radio which is established
in the days immediately following a
natural disaster was also laid out for
consideration.
The second day was a full one,
beginning with a session looking
at development issues, and it was
intriguing to see how variously this
was defined for the different countries
which were represented. A number of
speakers suggested that traditional
and local radio fulfils critical needs
for many millions of listeners across
the globe.
As Mike Adams of the Far East
Broadcasting Co. had done the previous
day in talking about the importance of
live radio in a time of natural disaster,
Basharat Ahmed Khan from India
stoutly defended the public service
function of live radio. He argued that
public service broadcasters should
actively support campaigns promoting
basic health and education in areas of
poverty or great social need.
The recent history of community radio
in the UK was traced by Salvatore
Scifo of the European Union Institute,
and Hosseinali Afkhami of Iran
explained how radio assisted rural
development in eastern Azerbaijan,
where, as recently as during the 1970s
there was no telephone or electricity.
The Armenian experience was also
analysed by Dr Mushegh Hovsepyan.
In a session on innovations in digital
radio, Steve Ahern from Australia
discussed the implications of
fragmentation of audiences, and
the resulting change in the patterns
of consumption, on the nature
Masud Ahmadi, Secretary of the
Festival, said the event provided an
opportunity to take a more scientific
and educational approach in radio
NEWS
s the future of radio
media era
by Paul Bushnell
Barry Clarke from ABC-Australia
flagged the introduction of digital
radio in Australia in July 2009, and
considered the changes it will entail.
The value of traditional local radio
was emphasised, given the particular
example of how they assisted in
providing emergency information to
listeners during this year’s disastrous
bush fires.
In a closing address to the Festival,
IRIB chief Ezzat Allah Zargami said
media needed to be saved from the
capitalism that had been driving it
of programming which media
organisations create.
He suggested that we should call
ourselves ‘audio content creators’
rather than broadcasters.
Several speakers were from Tehran
University: Dr Azam Ravadard
and Mohammed Hoseini and Dr
Sayed Vahid Aghili contrasted the
characteristics of analogue and digital
radio, along with its cultural and social
context.
The role of drama and music in radio
was traced by a variety of speakers,
including two German academics
whose papers were connected by a
remarkable 1930s experimental radio
play which was a precursor to Orson
Photo by Ali Feizabadi
Welles’s famous War of the Worlds
broadcast a decade later.
The afternoon concluded with a
further session by Gerd Leonhard,
exploring in more detail the themes
set out in his keynote speech.
Among the points he set out were the
following broadband broadcasting
principles:
1) Broadcasters should be and remain
the best possible curators, on all
platforms
2) Broadcasters should support timeshifting
3) Broadcasters should support
convergence (devices, platforms,
UIs)
4) Broadcasters should support
sharing
5) Broadcasters should support
interactivity and engagement
6) Broadcasters should embrace
community and conversation
And the wrap-up discussion
began with a funny and charming
presentation by Palle Bo, from the
Radioguru company in Denmark,
about producing powerful radio
commercials. These were mostly gems
of programme-making, condensed
into between 30 and 90 seconds.
The radio festival event that was
staged alongside the conference
had a number of international
broadcasters in attendance from all
round the world. Programme-makers
from places as diverse as Slovenia,
China, Korea, India and Argentina
mixed with academics and other
broadcasters from other parts of
the globe.
It was really a wonderful part of the
event to make contact with many local
broadcasting staff – all bursting with
energy, and keen to discuss many of
the issues raised during the forum’s
sessions. All of us international guests
seemed to be giving an endless series
of interviews, too, on the nature of
radio, its philosophical underpinnings
and practical future.
In addition to the extensive formal
programme of the conference,
the organisers showed delegates
around the campus of IRIB, many
Tehran museums, and we spent an
unforgettable day visiting the city
of Shiraz and the nearby historic site
of ancient Persepolis.
The pride and enthusiasm of our
hosts was evident in all of these
activities, and they provided insights
into both the financial commitment
to broadcasting, and the rich history
of the country.
Delegates to the International Radio Forum listen to Gerd Leonard’s keynote address on ‘broadcasting meets
broadband’ on the opening day
ABU News 11
PROGRAMME
(from previous page)
Prize winners of the 10th International Radio Festival pose for a group photo after the prize giving ceremony at the IRIB Convention Centre
IRIB occupies not just a building, but
a whole complex of buildings on a
very attractive, leafy campus beneath
the Alborz mountains which overlook
northern Tehran.
We were toured round some of the
many huge production studios of
IRIB radio, all large enough to hold
a full symphony orchestra and
sizeable audience. In one of these
studios, devoted to recording a drama,
the actors and directors (along with
a foley artist) performed as if live,
with production music fed in as the
performances were being captured.
The IRIB environment is entirely
digital, from recording and editing,
to programme delivery to air.
The television studios are similarly
well-equipped, with sets for several
news programmes located in the
middle of the working newsroom.
A scale of a different order was seen in
the highlight of the excursion day – a
visit to the ancient city of Persepolis.
The ruins to this remarkable site now
12 ABU News
have UNESCO world heritage status,
and it’s not hard to see why.
On an impressive podium in front of
bare, rocky hills which wrap round it
like a stage backdrop, Persepolis is an
atmospheric place which awakens the
imagination.
Full of epic gateways, pillars, and
statuary, it’s also got the most delicate
and individualised bas-reliefs, together
conveying the splendour of life in the
palace 2,500 years ago.
buried in a most impressive location
enlivened only by a flock of swallows
which circled constantly in the still,
hot, air.
We also spent time in an old fort and
the atmospheric bazaar in the nearby
town of Shiraz, where everyday life
seemed to amble on.
The use of traditional design was an
appealing feature of the contemporary
tombs of several leading poets, and
a garden which was intended to
emulate paradise. With abundant
beds of flowers in full scent and
fountains, these park-like venues were
an attraction for local visitors as well
during the day and night.
We were privileged to see a number of
museums which contained treasures
from the pre-Islamic and Islamic
periods of Iranian history, nearly all
of them visually gorgeous as well.
The contrast between this austerity
and simplicity, and the pretensions
of the palace of the last Shah, which
now houses a museum, could not have
been greater.
Exemplifying the full glory of the
Persian Empire during the Achaemenid
dynasty, the site is all the more
impressive for having so few visitors,
and feeling so remarkably Ozymandian
as a result. Only a few hundred in
total were visiting on the day of the
excursion, and we wandered like ants
amid the ruins.
And then there are the equally
breathtaking Tombs of the King of
Kings, in a cliffside setting some ten
kilometres distant. Here the remains
of a number of Achaemenid kings are
Parni Hadi, President of Radio Republik Indonesia, makes a point during Gerd
Leonard’s second-day workshop on the future of radio
10th International Radio Festival
Title
Winner’s name
Documentary
Hello, this is Yi Mu
Zhaxidunzhu
The lesson of Vox pop
The Paper Trail
Commercials
Ardebil Carpet Festival
Announcement
Announcement Radio
Al-Bilad
Crystal Hell
Radio Competition
Radio Quiz: Family No.1
(HIV)
Max95
Podcast
My reports
Topic
Organisation
China National
Radio-China
Kamran Boroumideh IRIB, Radio Quran-Iran
Peggy Giakoumelos SBS-Australia
Place
1st
2nd
2nd
Title
Religion and Globalization
Two Religions,
Dejan Fujs
Two Worlds,
Are They Really?
Environment and Natural Resources
Where the Buffalo Roam Sarah Passmore
Soghra Farshi
Mohammad Adnan
Al Rubaye
Mahnaz Hashemi
IRIB, Ardebil-Iran
Radio Al Bilad-Iraq
1st
IRIB, Radio Alborz-Iran
2nd
Meenu Khare
India
1st
Bashir Jafari Nia
IRIB, Radio Tehran-Iran
2nd
Creative Programming
Night Don’t Let Me Sleep Joaquin Cofreces
Book and Bullet
Esperanza Quong
Faride Seiedein
NIL-Independent
Producer-Argentina
DZMM Radyo
Patrol Sais Trenta,
ABS-CBN Broadcasting
Corporation-Philippines
IRIB, Khorasan Razavi
-Iran
1st
1st
2nd
IRIB, Drama Centre-Iran
IRIB, Kermanshah-Iran
1st
2nd
Station ID
Station ID
Dmitry Pavlov
First National Channel
of Belarusian Radio
-Belarus
2nd
General
Radio and Youth Needs
Korean’s Most Beloved Soon Young Hong
Tales
Mahdi Namini
Moghadam
Amin Aban
Announcer
Festival Announcement Fatemeh Ale Abbas
Announcement Voice
Hayat Makarm
of Youth
KBS-Korea
RTHK-Hong Kong
1st
1st
2nd
IRIB-Iran
1st
IRIB, Alborz Radio-Iran
2nd
IRIB-Iran
Arab Syrian Radio-Syria
1st
2nd
China National Radio
-China
Mehrnoosh Sabetnia IRIB-Iran
Zeinab Kuchakian
IRIB-Iran
2nd
2nd
Vivek Shrivastava
AIR-India
1st
Host
Candle’s Night
Max95
Maki Yanai
Ehsan Karami
TBS-Japan
IRIB, Tehran Radio-Iran
1st
2nd
Sound Manager
Sniper Louis
Bread
Andrzej Brzoska
Qasem Rezaie
Polish Radio-Poland
IRIB, Ardebil-IRIB
1st
2nd
Agha dar
Wild Flowers
Feng Huiling
Presenter
Radio Quiz, Family No.1
(HIV)
Effector
Night Don’t Let Me Sleep Joaquin Cofreces
Peace and Friendship among Nations
Why War?
Tayebeh Sheikhzadeh IRIB, Youth Radio-Iran
Christmas with
Mehrnoosh Sabetnia IRIB, Gilan-Iran
Special
Olive taste
1st
1st
2nd
Farshad Azarnia
Soheila Nosrati
IRIB, South Khorasan
-Iran
Radio Murskival
-Slovenia
2nd
Radio Drama
Rhino
Mother – story – sleep
Family A new axis for Development
Migration
Hamid Reza
Salahshoor
Place
Director
Rhino
Bahram Sarvari Nejad IRIB-Iran
Christmas with the taste Bahram Noori
Islamic Republic of Iran
of Olive
Broadcasting (Gilan)
Actor/Actress
Rhino
Sayyed Mohammad IRIB, Radio Maaref-Iran
Mahdi Rokni Hoseyni
Maryam Noori –
IRIB, Radio Isfahan-Iran
Masoud Noori
Organisation
1st
Reporter
Singing to the Heaven
Partner Failon and
Sanchez
Winner’s name
1st
1st
Prize
Beep
Davod Mohammadi
Writer
Mahkhunik
Masoud Hassani
Ripples in a Still Pond
Anuba Mukherji Sen
(Independent Producer), 1st
Argentina
IRIB, Mazandaran-Iran
2nd
IRIB, South Khorasan
-Iran
AIR-India
1st
2nd
1st
ABU News 13
PROGRAMME
ABU Children’s TV Programme Item-Exchange Meeting and Workshop
Good work despite cultural
differences
The trainers at this year’s ABU
Children’s TV Programme ItemExchange meeting and workshop
lauded the quality of programmes
produced by participant producers
despite the differences and
barriers in language and in cultural
background.
Despite some people being discouraged
from travelling because of the outbreak
of Influenza A (H1N1), the attendance
was promising.
This week-long event featured three
days of programme screening and
a two-and-a half-day workshop. A
total of 142 short programmes (50
ABU items and 92 EBU items) from
28 participants from 15 organisations
were screened and exchanged. These
comprised programmes from the
Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America
and Africa. The categories were: how
things are made, nature and animals,
children’s stories, and innovative and
experimental programming.
Christoph Biemann and Sabine
Ennulath from Germany – who are
currently producing youth programmes
for German public broadcaster ARD
– facilitated the workshop, which
focused on how to create ‘Effective and
Entertaining Magazine Structure’.
Participant producers collaborating at the practical workshop session
During the practical workshop,
participants were divided into three
groups, with each group provided
with two cameras, non-linear editing
machines, editors and lighting
equipment. The meeting venue was
instantly transformed into a mini
studio.
For the first time in the history of the
Children’s TV programme exchange,
ABU and EBU producers worked
(From left) Trainers Sabine Ennulath and Christoph Biemann explain what
makes a good TV magazine
together to produce experimental
magazine programmes using the items
screened at the meeting, under the
supervision of the two trainers.
This year’s meeting welcomed
newcomer Edu-TV/Mongolia, of
which Bud Lavsandulam, Head of
Children’s Department, and Byambaa
Badamtsetseg, Programme Producer/
Editor, were representatives.
Since its first workshop in 1991, this
event has grown into a platform
for children’s programme producers
across the Asia-Pacific and beyond to
meet and exchange ideas for further
development.
Participants brainstorming ideas for their project
14 ABU News
ABU Prizes 2009 finalists
This year’s ABU Prizes saw a total of 187 entries from 53 member
organisations over 27 countries. Of these, 122 are in the TV category
and 65 in the radio category.
After a three-month long selection process, the panel of judges for the ABU
Prizes, have shortlisted candidates listed below. These entries were judged
ABU Prizes TV finalists
Children
1. TRT-Turkey
2. MNB-Mongolia
3. EBS-Korea
4. ZDF-Germany
Documentary
1. RTPRC/CCTV-China
2. SBS- Australia
3. MBC-Korea
4. KBS-Korea
Drama
1. RTHK-Hong Kong
2. JCCTV-Qatar
3. TBS-Japan
4. NHK-Japan
5. KBS-Korea
Entertainment
1. MediaCorp TV-Singapore
2. RTHK-Hong Kong
3. SBS-Korea
4. NAB/YTC-Japan
5. TBS-Japan
6. NAB/MBS-Japan
News
1. Pheonix TV-Hong Kong
2. NHK-Japan
3. RTHK-Hong Kong
4. TVB-Hong Kong
Sports
1. SBS-Australia
2. NHK-Japan
Programme title
Surprise
Can you…?
Docutale, a Snail
“Logo! Extra”: Who will be the most
powerful man in the world?
Dream Weavers-Beijing 2008
First Australians Series 1 (Episode 4 )
The Land of Dinosaurs
Mysterious Food is Born
Equal Opportunities Special
My Siblings and I
Ties of Shooting Stars
A Samurai’s Devotion (Ep. 2: Crybaby
Yoroku)
Woman in the Sun
Come Dance With Me
The Seven Little Fortunes
Capture the Moment – What in the
world?!
2008 Japan International Birdman Rally
The Iromonea
Ode To Joy: 10,000 Voices Resound!
Breaking News – The Great Sichuan
Earthquake
China in a Torrent: The Patient Parade
Hong Kong Connection – why did school
building collapse?
News At 6.30: Sichuan Earthquake
3. IRIB-Iran
4. SBS-Australia
5. RTPRC/CCTV-Iran
2008 Tour de France – Opening Titles
The 88th Emperor’s Cup: All Japan
Football Championship Final
Sport Outlook 2
The World Game – Opening Titles
Wushu Masters
Youth
1. NHK-Japan
2. ZDF-Germany
3. IRIB-Iran
4. KBS-Korea
Tackling Online Bullying
What do you do?
Hunter
The School Song Transformation Project
Special Jury Prize
1. KBP/ABS/CBN-Philippines
2. MNB-Mongolia
3. SMO-Afghanistan
4. Metro TV-Indonesia
Hawkeye
Can You…?
The Hand Print: Omid
Tears of Bangka Island
Category
TV Youth
TV Children
TV Documentary
TV Documentary
based on the criteria of target and aim, originality of content, structure and
production technique.
The winners will be announced and awarded on 5 October 2009 at the ABU
Prizes Night during the ABU 45th General Assembly and annual meetings in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
ABU Prizes Radio finalists
Children and Youth
1. MNB-Mongolia
2. KBP-ABS-CBN/DZMM,
Philippines
3. NHK-Japan
4. RRI-Indonesia
Documentary
1. RTHK-Hong Kong
Programme title
Nomadic Culture
What’s New : Year-End Report Special
(Bago Yan Ah!)
On the Stairs at Night
The Rain Friendly
Around the World on the Olympic Trail
– London 2012
Sonoko’s Letter
2. NAB/Tokyo FM
Broadcasting Co Ltd, Japan
3. KBS-Korea
Report on Sexual Assault: No Country for
Girls
4. NAB/MBS-Japan
13 Years in Prison
Drama
1. NHK-Japan
2. RRI-Indonesia
3. RTPRC/CNR-China
4. RNZ-New Zealand
Starting Over
Haunted
A Heroic Monk in Earthquake
The Moehau
External Broadcasts
1. RTPRC/CRI-China
2. BBC-United Kingdom
3. IRIB-Iran
How Far Away is Sudan?
Our Questions
Media’s Role
Infotainment
1. VOV-Vietnam
2. RRI-Indonesia
3. IRIB-Iran
4. RNZ-New Zealand
News
1. MediaCorp-Singapore
Programme On Cultural Exchange
between Vietnam’s Ethnic Groups
Rama Shinta
Chamce Khatoon
The Secret Life of ‘Minders’
2. IRIB-Iran
3. ABC-Australia
4. RTHK-Hong Kong
Lifting The Veil On The Malay Underworld
/ Help for Juvenile
Rhythm of Life
Nepal Protests
Death Note
Special Jury Prize
1. MNB-Mongolia
Nomadic Culture
2. Radio Bangladesh
FM-Bangladesh
3. Voice of Maldives
-Maldives
4. MNB-Mongolia
5. Radio Bangladesh
FM-Bangladesh
6. SMO-Afghanistan
Me the Heroine
Category
Radio Children &
Youth
Radio Documentary
Once a Day,
Once a Day
When the World
Changes
The Tangle-less Love
Radio Children &
Youth
Radio Documentary
The Hand Print
Radio Drama
Radio Drama
ABU News 15
LEGAL
Broadcasters Treaty moves forward
An ongoing issue, discussions on
the proposed Broadcasters Treaty
continued at the 18th WIPO SCCR
Session (World Intellectual Property
Organisation, Standing Committee
on Copyright and Related Rights)
in Geneva in May.
The ABU was represented by the
Chairperson of the ABU Copyright
Committee, Maloli Espinosa of KBPPhilippines, Secretary of the Copyright
Committee, Yukari Kojo of NHK-Japan,
and the ABU’s Legal Counsel, Axel
B Aguirre.
A lso p re se n t to lo b by o t h e r
governments were representatives
f r o m N A B -J a p a n a n d o t h e r
broadcasting unions, namely, the
European Broadcasting Union (EBU),
the African Union of Broadcasting
(AUB), North American Broadcasters
Association (NABA) and Association
of Commercial Television of Europe
(ACT).
The member states (WIPO members
from governments of different
countries) have expressed the will to
continue working on an international
instrument for the protection of
broadcasting organisations.
Through the WIPO, the member
states invited experts and resource
speakers for an Information Meeting
to help them understand the current
conditions of the broadcasting
environment. Regional seminars were
likewise planned by the WIPO in the
coming months.
The speakers addressed a range
of topics: Developments in the
Broadcasting Industry, Developments
in Broadcasting Technologies,
Technological Developments in the
Broadcasting Industry: The Perspective
of Developing Countries, Broadcasting
and Development, Sports Broadcast
Piracy, The Production of Broadcasts
and Remuneration of Rights: A
Business Perspective; Broadcasting
and Governance, Broadcasting and
the Public Interest, and Broadcast
Infringements: Case Studies.
The Information Meeting, which ran
alongside the 18th WIPO SCCR Session,
highlighted the pressing issue of signal
piracy. Based on industry estimates,
it was reported that in 2008 US$1.75
billion was lost in piracy in Asia alone.
The meeting also urged the members
to shed light on sports broadcast piracy,
particularly on the Internet, because
this issue has posed a huge problem
for sports rights owners. Realising
the unabated problem of broadcast
signal piracy, most member states have
expressed the need to speed up work
on the Broadcasters Treaty.
Milestones of
International
Broadcasting Treaties
1961 – Rome Convention
The ‘International Convention for the Protection of Performers,
Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations’ concluded
in Rome. It set the minimum international standards of protection
for broadcasting organisations in respect of their broadcasts.
1974 – Satellites Convention
The ‘International Convention Relating to the Distribution of
Programme – Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite’ concluded in
Brussels. The treaty was designed to combat piracy by requiring the
Contracting States (governments) “to take adequate measures to
prevent the distribution on or from its territory of any programmecarrying signal by any distributor for whom the signal emitted to
or passing through a satellite is not intended”.
1994 – TRIPS Agreement
World Trade Organisation-Member States adopted an agreement
on trade related aspects of Intellectual property rights. This treaty
obliges Member States not party to the Rome Convention to provide
under their national law an equal level of minimum legal protection
to beneficiaries under the terms of the Rome Convention.
1998 – WIPO Discussion on Protection of Broadcasting
Organisations
The WIPO started discussing the possibility of creating a new
international treaty for the protection of broadcasting organisations
at the WIPO SCCR. SCCR is an expert committee within the WIPO
of a technical nature established to consider emerging issues in the
copyright and related rights.
1999 – Submission by the ABU and other broadcasting
unions of draft on Broadcasters’ Treaty
The ABU, together with other broadcasting unions, submitted a
draft treaty for the protection of broadcasting organisations. It
was discussed at the 2nd WIPO SCCR Session.
2006 – WIPO General Assembly Meeting
The WIPO General Assembly agreed to convene a Diplomatic
Conference in 2007, the last step in the treaty-making process.
Revised Draft Basic Proposal was submitted by the Committee.
2007 – WIPO General Assembly fails to achieve consensus to
convene diplomatic convention. It required WIPO SCCR special
sessions to agree on signal-based approach, its objectives, specific
scope, and object of protection of treaty.
Secretary Yukari Kojo and Chairperson Manoli Espinosa of the ABU Copyright
Committee
16 ABU News
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Media ‘plays crucial role’
in climate change
The role of the media is crucial
in highlighting the importance
of tackling climate change, ABU
members attending a high-level
climate change forum in Manila
have been told.
A leading thinker and researcher on
climate change, Rajendra K Pachauri,
made the remark in a briefing for ABU
participants at the 4th Asia Clean
Energy Forum (ACEF) in June.
“What gives me optimism about
climate change is that media is
circling at the centre of what is
happening,” he said.
Dr Pachauri chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), which shared the
2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former
US Vice-President Al Gore. He is also
the Director-General of The Energy
and Resources Institute (TERI).
Policymakers, private sector firms,
non-governmental organisations
and ABU members from across Asia
gathered at the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) headquarters on 17-19
June for the forum titled ‘Investing
in Solutions that Address Climate
Change and Energy Security’.
Participants from 13 countries attended the forum at the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila
The President of the ADB, Haruhiko
Kuroda, said: “Climate change
presents a daunting challenge
– perhaps the biggest ever faced
by humanity. But it also provides an
opportunity to transition towards a
more sustainable growth path.
“Developing countries cannot
be denied the chance to share
in the planet’s wealth. They can,
however, choose to approach
economic development differently
by leapfrogging directly to more
energy-efficient and sustainable
solutions.”
The forum’s main purpose was to
promote best practices in policy
and finance to catalyse actions that
respond to the region’s climate,
access and energy security challenges.
It also served as a precursor to the
United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP15) that will be held
in Copenhagen in December.
Dr Pachauri speaking at the forum
on climate change
The ABU brought 19 broadcast
journalists and producers from 13
countries from the Asia-Pacific
region to the forum to attend
t ra i n i n g o n c li m a te c h a n ge,
participate in the forum and file
reports from the event.
ABU participation in the forum
was part of a 18-month ABU-ADB
partnership on climate change,
which will see an additional regional
production workshop in Kuala
Lumpur in November, 2009.
At least seven participants fed
news stories on the conference
to their respective stations, while
a satellite feed of interviews and
other material was provided to all
ABU members.
An ABU delegation will also
attend the Copenhagen meeting
in December.
Among the key announcements
to emerge from the forum was a
pledge of US$2 billion annually by
the ADB towards the Clean Energy
campaign.
In closing the forum, Philippine
Pre s i d e n t G lo r i a M a c a p a ga l
Arroyo pledged that five-million
compact fluorescent lamp (CFL)
bulbs would be provided to various
parts of Manila as part of the
Philippines’ commitment to the
ADB’s Clean Energy initiative.
ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda
makes a point
ABU News 17
SPORTS
BBC pleads for
key sports
to stay free
Making an impassioned plea for
Listed Events to be confirmed, the
British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) has said live coverage of
sporting events for free to air
television is essential to the fabric
of a sporting and cultural nation.
The BBC said in its submission to the
Davies Inquiry that not only should
the list be retained but that it should
be expanded to include other events
such as live cricket and football.
The BBC’s submission argues for the
retention of listing and suggests that
the current list be expanded to include
events of resonance in the Home
Nations and some live cricket.
As the UK Daily Telegraph disclosed,
the BBC did not call for live Test match
cricket to be restored to the A-list,
arguing that the commercial impact
on the game may be too great to justify
the wider reach that free-to-air coverage
would bring.
The only significant changes it demands
is that the criteria by which events are
listed be broadened to reflect the
“importance of particular sporting
events in the devolved nations”.
On that basis it called for all Home
Nations football qualifiers for World
Cups and European Championships to
be added to the A-list of live events in
the respective nations, along with Welsh
rugby union autumn and Six Nations
internationals, the Commonwealth
Games and the finals of the 50 and
20-over cricket world cups.
Former FA executive and BBC journalist
David Davies was commissioned to
review the system earlier this year,
and the BBC’s submission is the most
strident argument he has heard for
retaining the current system.
18 ABU News
While most governing bodies and Sky,
the dominant pay-broadcaster, have
argued that sports should be free to
choose who they sell their rights to,
the BBC argues that listing is in the
national interest.
Citing academic studies of the social
and cultural impact of televised sport as
well as audience research by Ipsos Mori,
it concludes that listing remains relevant
and vital to the wider national health.
“Sport is at the centre of UK culture:
it can break down barriers, it can
provide a common language and it
can be an agent for transformation,”
the submission states.
“There is still a massive virtue in the
UK being able to come together for
the biggest sporting moments, from
the football World Cup to Wimbledon.
And there is a widespread expectation
among the UK public that the major
sporting events will be available on a
free-to-air basis.
“We believe it is vital that the review of
listed events places the interests of the
UK audiences first and foremost.”
The BBC argues that from listing
works even in the new multi-channel
fragmented media landscape, and has
not prevented sports rights increasing
in value by an average of 15 percent
year-on-year, nor the emergence of Sky
as a hugely successful broadcaster with
more than 5 million subscribers.
Arguing that the audience willing to
subscribe to pay-TV is finite and has
levelled off in recent years, the BBC
contends that listing is crucial if sports
are to retain their connection with the
wider public.
“Without universal, free-to-air
availability the social and cultural
value of the biggest sporting events
would be severely diminished…Our
research indicates that the vast majority
of viewers would be lost to sport if
they had to pay a specific fee for the
privilege,” it submits.
The BBC’s focus on audiences above
the commercial interests of governing
bodies, many of whom could increase
the value of their rights were they free
to sell them without restriction, will be
seized on by its critics.
“The UK has a successful mixed
ecology within sport broadcasting;
a bedrock of major events that are
available to the whole UK population,
supplemented by additional services
for sports fans who are willing and
able to pay for greater choice. Plurality
is good for viewers.”
With guaranteed licence-fee income
of around £3 billion (US$4.8 billion)
a year the corporation already enjoys
financial security its commercial rivals
cannot match, and Sky contends that
listing hands it another indefensible
advantage.
The BBC also claims that with UK
society more culturally fragmented
than ever before sport is one of the few
sectors capable of providing unifying
“shared moments in the calendar”.
Arguing for an unmediated market
in sports rights Sky’s Chief Executive
Jeremy Darroch has argued forcefully
that the licence fee already constitutes
an intervention in the market place,
and that listing is a step too far.
The BBC’s proposed list
The BBC argues that the current A-list, protecting live coverage, and B-list,
protecting highlights, be amended. The A-list it says should be split into three
categories; A1 ‘Conversation’ events, A2 ‘Resonance in the regions’, and A3
‘Pinnacle’ events, where the final or highlight of a season be protected. The
BBC’s proposed additions to the list are marked with an asterisk.
A1 Conversation events
Winter and Summer Olympic Games
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championships
A2 Resonance in the regions (broadcast live in relevant nation)
FA Cup final
Scottish Cup final
Home Nations football qualifiers, home and away games
The Commonwealth Games
Welsh rugby union autumn and Six Nation internationals
A3 Pinnacle events
Wimbledon men’s and women’s finals
Rugby League World Cup final
Rugby League Challenge Cup final
Cricket World Cup final
World Twenty20 final
Grand National
The Derby
B-list (highlights)
Wimbledon Championships
Rugby World Cup
Cricket World Cup (all games)
World Twenty20 (all games)
Six Nations (all games)
Open Championship
Ryder Cup
England home Test matches
Lions Tours
Women’s football World Cup and European Championships, cricket World
Cup finals involving Home Nation teams.
Premier League deal in China opens up
possibilities for other Asian markets
by John Barton
China has moved to provide free
access for Premier League (PL)
matches which will give a boost
to other broadcasters in the region
who have been trying for some
years to gain a foothold.
Pay operator WinTV has sold rights to
one live match and weekly highlights
to Guangdong TV in a move that
will bring much joy to the free-toair market, and the executives of
the PL.
For some years now the chiefs of
the PL’s twenty clubs have been
concerned about the lack of ‘eyeballs’
in Asia, especially as the potential
audience of nearly US$4 billion is
by the far the biggest in the world.
The bigger the audience the greater
the opportunities for sponsors and
advertisers.
But the market has been dominated
by pay/cable operators particularly
ESPNStar (ESS). The PL telecasts,
along with cricket, are by far their
most valuable properties driving
subscriptions to an historic high.
ESS is in 24 countries, broadcasting
on 14 channels to over 200 million
homes (ESPN claims over 140 million,
and Star close to 70 million).
Add in other cable operators such as
StarHub-Singapore and I-Cable-Hong
Kong, and the big regional telcos, and
you can see why the competition for
the PL property is so intense. In the
current contract Asia is paying upwards
of US$1.25 billion over three years.
Big dollars and ones that simply
cannot be matched by domestic
free-to-air broadcasters.
The real competition in the next PL
tender will once again come from the
pay industry and telcos like Singapore’s
SingTel who feel they can leverage the
asset across various media platforms,
including free-to-air, and therefore
provide stiff competition in the bidding
process.
The battle lines were drawn some
years ago in the pursuit of the highly
desirable football matches and nothing
will change in the new contract, other
than the real possibility of at least
one live match and a highlights
programme having to be passed on
to local broadcasters.
The PL experimented with such a deal
in Sub-Saharan Africa and, according
to their head of Television Services, Phil
Lines, it was a good fit.
The pay industry got by far the biggest
slice of the product, and the free-toair market was served as well, albeit
with only one game. But that’s better
than nothing.
So, the lead given in China by WinTV
will make the free-to-air market feel
optimistic about their chances in the
coming tender especially if a package
is reserved for them.
The Premier League’s Commercial
Director, Richard Masters, without
confirming what the tender will offer,
has said that their approach was to
obtain strong revenue growth with
attractive viewing figures.
PL figures show that only 13.1 million
viewers watch the league each week,
leaving billions of potential fans out
in the cold. It is one reason, analysts
say, why in China basketball has
become the dominant sport serving
up hundreds of millions of viewers
on free-to-air each week.
“We have many pay-TV partners in
Asia and we have a responsibility to
maximise revenue for our clubs so
that we can continue to attract the
best players in the world,” Mr Masters
told the Chinese Football Industry
Development Forum.
“That said, we are obviously happiest
when we can match strong revenue
with good viewing figures. We want as
many people as possible to see Premier
League matches,” he said.
Calendar of Events 2009
September
4-5
7-13
9-12
10-15
30
UNESCO International Conference on Broadcast Media and Climate Change
OBS WBB – London 2012 Olympic Games
ABU/ADB In-Country Workshop with CCTV-China
IBC 2009 Conference and Exhibition
ABU annual meetings commence
Paris
London
Beijing
Amsterdam
Ulaanbaatar
October
1-4
5-6
3-5
8-9
12-15
26-28
27-31
ABU annual meetings continue
46th ABU General Assembly
13th Congress of International Olympic Council (IOC)
EBU Sports Assembly
Sportel
1WBM –Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010
ITU WP6 and Secondment at the EBU
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Copenhagen
Cyprus
Monaco
Delhi
Geneva
November
1-16
4-5
4-7
4-7
9-10
12-13
17-18
23-24
23-30
ITU WP6 and Secondment at the EBU continues
Asiavision Coordinators’ Meeting
CASBAA Convention
Broadcast & Multimedia Show (BMS)
Asia-Europe Media Dialogue
4th World Electronic Media Forum (WEMF4)
ABU/ADB Climate Change Workshop
ABU/IFA Football Symposium
ITU WP6, WBU-ISOG
Geneva
New Delhi
Hong Kong
Jakarta
Amsterdam
Mexico City
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Geneva
December
7-8
7-10
7-11
8-18
14-18
17-18
IOC RTV Commission
Public Broadcasters International (PBI) conference
Asiavision Digital Newsroom Workshop
SEA Games Vientiane 2009
19th WIPO SCCR Session
ASBU General Assembly
Lausanne
Kyoto
Mumbai
Vientiane
Geneva
Tunis
February 2010
22-24
RadioAsia 2010
Delhi
ABU News 19