44th general a s s e m bly set to convene in ira n news 3rdq 2007.pdfat present,without any...

I N S I D E

July/September 2007

PP 4408/2/2007 ISSN 0127-4902

44th General A s s e m blyset to convene in Ira n

C H I NA WINS ROBOCON • R A D I OASIA REPORT S • S P O RTS GROUP W R A P

ABU members attending thisy e a r ’s General Assembly in Te h ran will have some

i m p o rtant decisions to make.

Top of the agenda will be theAdministrative Council’s recommendationthat there be a five percent increase in the ABU subscription rate next year and the year after, and then smallerincreases in future years to help keep pace with infl a t i o n .

The proposal, if accepted by the General As s e m b l y, will help theSecretariat to deal with cost increases

which have inflated by more than 70percent since the subscription rate wa slast increased 18 years ago.

At present, without any increases beingreceived from membership subscriptions,the Secretariat is being forced to cut backon activities and staffing in order to keeppace with cost increases.

Whilst some additional income hadbeen received from new memberships inthe past few years, this has not beensufficient to cover all of the costs of theadditional activities that were introducedin the ABU’s 2002-07 five-year plan.

ABU Secretary - G e n e r a l , David As t l e y,said: “ We have been utilising accumulatedr e s e rves for a number of years to expands e rvices for ABU members.

“ H o w e v e r, the Administrative Councilhas resolved that we must achieve abalanced budget from 2008/09 onwa r d s ,so we need to either seek a small increasein subscription revenue to maintain thecurrent level of activities, or we will haveto discontinue some services in order tobalance the budget.”

The General Assembly will also beasked to approve a new Strategic Plan,

The historic Khaju Bridge will be one of the sightsthat delegates will see on the ex c u rsion to Isfahan

( c o n t ’d on page 3)

A BU N e w sN e w s & E v e n t s

3

covering the period 2007 to 2013, w h i c hhad been prepared by the Planning &Strategy Group (PSG), and approved asa draft at the mid-year Council meetingin Tu r k e y.

This year’s General Assembly will bethe first under the new two-day fo r m a trecommended by the PSG and approvedby the Administrative Council.

The change was made both as a cost-saving initiative for the ABU and thehosting member, as well as reducing thenumber of days that the members haveto spend attending the annual meetings.

The reduction has been achieved bycutting back the number of Profe s s i o n a lDiscussions from two to one, a n dcombining all of the committeechairperson reports into an interactivediscussion session.

This year’s Sports Group meeting (29-30 October) will also be an import a n tone for many members as it will be thefinal chance to reach agreement on acollective bid for the broadcast rights fo rthe 2012 Olympic Games.

The Programme Committee (30-31October) will consider a proposal fromC C TV-China to take on its successful As i a -Pacific Youth Arts Festival as an ABUe v e n t , and the Technical Committee (29 October - 1 November) will updatemembers on the latest developments indigital broadcasting including mobile TV.

The Content Exchange Networkworking party will present a progressr e p o rt to the Administrative Council on1 November, and on the same date theABU/FES Seminar will address the issueof ‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ from thepublic service broadcasting perspective.

A gala night for the presentation ofthe ABU prizes will be hosted by IRIB onthe first day of the General Assembly (3November) and NHK will host a receptionon the second night (4 November).

Between the annual meetings and theGeneral As s e m b l y, members will have theo p p o rtunity to relax with other delegateson a day-long excursion to Isfa h a n , t h eancient capital of Persia.

The exc u r s i o n , on 2 November, w i l lgive delegates the opportunity to see thecultural treasures of one of Iran’s mostbeautiful cities.

( f rom page 1)

a life-time ‘Distinguished Observ e r ’status at the ABU Technical Committeem e e t i n g s .

Shunichi Fujioka, Assistant GeneralM a n a g e r, Head of Content CreationProduct Marketing Division, B r o a d c a s tand Professional Pacific Asia (BPPA) –a Sony division – said: “Bolstering itsleadership role in high-definitiont e c h n o l o g y, S o ny is keen to supportthe industry to identify and rewa r dtalented engineering experts .

“ We are honoured to inauguratethis study tour so that broadcastp r o fessionals can further enhancetheir knowledge of the latest

So ny Corporation Hong KongLimited has agreed to sponsorthe 2007 ABU Broadcast

E n gineering Excellence Awa r d ,which is given to outs t a n d i n gindividuals to recognise theircontributions to the broadcastingi n d u s t ry in the As i a - Pa c i fic regi o n .

The broadcast equipment makerwill sponsor the winner of this year’sa ward on a week-long study tour ofS o ny ’s main research centre or anyother of its research and developmenti n s t i t u t i o n s .

The award currently comprises acommemorative trophy, a citation and

technological advancements in the As i a - Pacific region.”

ABU Secretary - G e n e r a l , David As t l e y,said: “With the part n e r s h i p , we hope toleverage on the brand power of both S o ny and the ABU to make this a highly prestigious award within the As i a - Pacific region.”

The recipient of this year’s ABUBroadcast Engineering Excellence Award will be presented with the a ward by a Sony representative duringthe gala dinner of the ABU GeneralAssembly which will be held in the Iranian capital of Tehran on 3N o v e m b e r.

Sony to sponsor ABU technical award

The ABU Prizes aw a rd sc e r e m o ny is traditionally acolourful and cultural affair


4

News can still deliver audiences,even young people, as long as it is covered in a way they

wa n t , a senior BBC journalist toldthe Ra d i o Asia2007 confe r e n c e .

To attract young audiences, n e w sneeded to be covered not only quicklyand accurately but in a way that wa spersonalised and offered dialogue, t h eHead of Business Development for As i aand the Pa c i f i c , Neil Curry, s a i d .

He said there was no model that fittede v e ry broadcaster but that news, o nwhatever platfo r m , should be based onthe values of credibility, t ru s t , r e l i ab i l i t y,o b j e c t i v i t y, honesty and respect.

Younger audiences expected diffe r e n tthings in news from a broadcaster thanolder ones, he said. They wanted a say in what was happening – to be able to influence the coverage and help set the agenda.

News should include not onlynational and international events but

i n formation that people needed to know:traffic news, the weather, share prices,new movies, new gadgets and so on.

Ra d i o Asia2007 was jointly organisedby the ABU, the Asian Media Info r m a t i o nand Communication Centre (AMIC) andSingapore Exhibition Serv i c e s . It was athree-day conference with two half-dayp r e - c o n ference workshops.

Gerardine Tan of MediaCorp Ra d i o ’snews and information station 938 livelooked at some of the ways a stationcould earn revenue. Her own station soldCDs of short , motivational programmes,held seminars that people paid to attend,and gained visibility by riding on eventswith other, larger part n e r s .

H o w e v e r, the clients it worked withdid not have a say in the station’sc o n t e n t . The station drew a clear linebetween “what we’re selling and whatw e ’re telling”, she said.

Radio Australia’s head of news andcurrent affa i r s , Deborah Steele, s a i d

stations could add value to their outputthrough their websites. These couldfeature extended interv i e w s , v i d e o s ,p h o t o g r a p h s , message boards, blogs and links to other useful sites. Ra d i oAustralia podcasts had also provedp o p u l a r, she said.

The information on a website neededto be presented in an organised, u s e r-friendly way that did not overw h e l mp e o p l e . Graphics that were too fancy could get in the way of a story.

Radio Television Malaysia’s As s i s t a n tController of News, Ramlah Johari, s a i dradio led the way in ensuring thate v e ryone had a common goal in nationald e v e l o p m e n t , and in uniting the people.

Michael Niederberger of Germany ’sD e u tsche Welle talked of the equipmentneeded for a fully integrated newsroom.It was important that journalists werep a rt of the team deciding on thee q u i p m e n t , he said.

N ews ‘can still deliver audiences’

The BBC’s Neil Curry talks about new s

H e l mut Osang shares a laugh with workshop part i c i p a n t s

R a d i o A s i a 2 0 0 7


5

Packaging radio news in an attractiveway was essential if broadcasters were tohold on to their audiences, the Ra d i o As i ac o n ference was also told.

Helmut Osang of Deutsche We l l eRadio Training Centre in Germany saidthat 20 years ago, packaging had notbeen considered import a n t . B r o a d c a s t e r shad felt that content spoke for its e l f. T h a twas no longer so.

News programmes now needed anidentity that was “special and unique”, h es a i d . “So take packaging seriously.”

Among his suggestions: use teasers in the opener to attract listeners, k e e preminding them of what is coming up tokeep them listening, use simple, i n fo r m a lEnglish and make good use of jingles.

Another key element was to find localangles to stories, even major national

or international stories. Seemingly small stories about people in smallcommunities were import a n t .

Dr Osang said it was up to radiobroadcasters to decide whether their news

anchors were serious and fo r m a l , o rpersonal and friendly.

What mattered was that they hadc r e d i b i l i t y, p r o fessionalism and wa r m t h ,he added.

A RadioAsia participant makes a point

Broadcasting regulators indeveloping Asian countries must

quickly gain an understanding ofd i gital technology and set a schedulefor migra t i o n .

The President Director of Ra d i oRepublik Indonesia, Parni Hadi, s a i dthe use of digital technology for As i a nbroadcasters was a must.

In his keynote address atRa d i o As i a 2 0 0 7 , he said regulatorsmust decide on what technology to useand whether to give the frequencies toold operators or new ones.

It was important to re-arrange theradio frequencies, he said. “In the case

of Indonesia, t o d a y ’s disorganisedmanagement on radio frequencies maybring about interfe r e n c e .”

Mr Hadi also urged governments orregulators to finance the tryout of digitalradio technology and help educatec o n s u m e r s .

What the public needed from digitalradio was a variety of programmes withhigh quality content.

“Being a journalist, I firmly believethat the quality of the message is morei m p o rtant than the medium.

The content is more important thanthe technology,” he said.

Radio regulators ‘must learn quicklyabout digital technology’

Parni Hadi gives his keynote add r e s s

R a d i o A s i a 2 0 0 7


6

Radio broadcasters shouldregard audience fra g m e n t a t i o nand new platforms as a bonus

and not as a threat.

Jochen Lukas of The Broadcast Pa rt n e rin Germany told the Ra d i o As i a 2 0 0 7c o n ference that broadcasters should notbe scared of platforms such as the Internetand mobile devices.

“These are all essentially distributionm e t h o d s , and distribution is not ourmain business.

Mr Lukas also urged broadcasters to use the Internet for market research.

He said studies had shown that peoplewere willing to give information ab o u tthemselves online that they would notgive on the phone.

Mark Richmond of Singapore’sMediaCorp Radio took a similar view on

Fragment yourselves, radiobroadcasters told

J o chen Lukas addresses the confe r e n c e

A RadioAsia panel in action

MediaCorp Radio’s Mark Rich m o n d

R a d i o A s i a 2 0 0 7

“Content and branding are our main business. We don’t compete withthese new technologies; we have to dealwith them.”

He said broadcasters should embracef r a g m e n t a t i o n . They should fragmentthemselves before being fragmented by others.

“Be pro-active in giving the audiencewhat it wa n ts , w h e n , where and how itwa n ts it.”

new platfo r m s , stating that broadcastersshould work with the new media.

“The only way to go is to work withthe new media, not fight with it,” he said.

Choong-Eon Lee of KBS-Korea saidInternet radio was one of the best wa y sto attract young people who had stoppedlistening to radio.


7

The launch of a major initiativeto help preserve the world’saudiovisual archives will be a

highlight of the 3rd World ElectronicMedia Forum (WEMF3) in KualaLumpur in December.

The fo rum will mark the launch in the As i a - Pacific region of a websiteto showcase key archives from all overthe world. The site has been created by Fr a n c e ’s Institut National del’Audiovisuel (INA).

UNESCO estimates that as much as 80 percent of the world’s audiovisualmaterial is at risk of irreversible decaywithin the next 10 years.

The WEMF3 agenda will also includekeynote presentations on the newchallenges in broadcasting and plenarysessions on topics that will includebridging the accessibility divide, t h elinks between politics and media, a n dthe safety of journalists .

The meeting, on 10-11 December, i sexpected to attract broadcast exe c u t i v e s ,policy makers, a c a d e m i c s , j o u r n a l i s ts anddecision makers from around the world.

Speakers confirmed to date includeGenichi Hashimoto, President of NHK-Japan; Richard Po rt e r, Head of News fo rBBC World; Jean Re v e i l l o n , D i r e c t o r-General of the EBU; and Cesar Gerbasi,President of the Organizacion de laTelevision Iberoamericana (OT I ) .

WEMF3 follows the first and secondWorld Electronic Media Fo ru m s , w h i c hwere held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005, in conjunction with theWorld Summit on the Info r m a t i o nSociety (WSIS).

Biannual event

Although the WSIS concluded in Tu n i s ,it was recommended that the WEMFcontinue to be held every two years, w i t hAsia as the venue in 2007, Latin Americain 2009 and Africa in 2011.

It is a World Broadcasting Unionsevent and WEMF3 is being organised inAsia by the ABU in collaboration withthe As i a - Pacific Institute for BroadcastingDevelopment (AIBD) and the As i a nMedia Information and CommunicationCentre (AMIC).

The event is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development andCooperation (SDC) and the GlobalKnowledge Pa rtnership (GKP) ascooperation part n e r s .

WEMF3 will be held at the new KualaLumpur Convention Centre. The GKP’sthird Global Knowledge Confe r e n c e(GK3) on “Emerging People, E m e r g i n gM a r k e ts , Emerging Te c h n o l o g i e s ” will be held at the same venue on 11-13D e c e m b e r.

There are no registration fe e s , b u tp a rt i c i p a n ts who require accommodation

in Kuala Lumpur should register by 31October to enjoy the discounted rates atthe three hotels selected for WEMF3d e l e g a t e s . Registration forms should besent to [email protected].

People who register for WEMF3 will beable to participate in the GK3 confe r e n c efree of charge.

For more information please visit theWEMF3 website at www. w e m f m e d i a . o r gor contact Alan Williams (Email: alan.w@ a s i a v i s i o n . o r g , Tel: (603) 2282-7033,Fax: (603) 2282-7562).

WEMF3 to include move ons aving audiovisual arch ive s

WEMF3 will be held next to thePe t ronas Twin Tow e rs


8

It was pitched as a “do or die”meeting in sleepy internationalG e n e v a . Time was running out

for the member states of the UnitedNations agency to agree on a dra f ttreaty for broadcasters.

When the Chair of the WIPOStanding Committee finally broughtdown the gavel, the outnumberedbroadcasters in the room realised that10 years of unrelenting effo rts toupgrade broadcasters’ r i g h ts may haverun aground.

“An idea whose time has come isu n s t o p p ab l e ,” one vocal governmentdelegate had counselled minutes befo r ee v e ryone vacated the 600-seatingcapacity conference room.

What was left was a numbing array of NGO acronyms on red name

plates that was placed, evenly spaced,across the conference tables – a starkreminder of the zealous lobbying fo ror against the treaty.

In minutes, news of the ‘ c o l l a p s e ’ o fthe treaty negotiations whipped thetreaty opponents ’ online blogs awa s hwith jubilation on the outcome of their lobbying.

For broadcasters worldwide, a no p p o rtunity had been squandered.

Ten years earlier, in Manila, the airwas ripe with anticipation when thefirst World Symposium on Broadcastingput a united effo rt to update the 1961 Rome Convention, an outdatedinternational law.

Radiating optimism, the ABU wa s t e dno time in lobbying governments to

d rum up support for an updated treaty.The years of persistent lobbying andmeetings with key government officialssaw the ABU actively intervening in allthe WIPO sessions.

The faint sound of the Chair’s gavelpounding on the table may have joltedAlexander the Great, whose whitemarble bust stood still on the left cornerof the conference room. After all, t h eancient Greek was a mute witness to years of hair-splitting debates,diplomatic discourse and, at times,u n r e flective rhetoric as well as self-aggrandising interventions that ranuntil the late evening hours.

“Brave men”

The inscription on Alexander’s bustread: “The brave man sees no end to his effo rt for good works.” Was it acoincidence that the two countries who doggedly opposed the treaty, then seated on the left side of the roomfacing ‘His Greatness’, were billed bytreaty opponents as the “brave men”?The “brave men” demanded the mostflexibility and yet may have been themost inflexible in the negotiations.

A h , the malady of the left. There issomething about repeatedly blocking aprocess that betrays an intention to seea negotiation deadlock linger.

“ We are what we repeatedly do,”A r i s t o t l e ’s words seemed to fo r e s h a d o wthe notion of obstru c t i o n i s m . H i smarble bust stood on the right cornerof the WIPO room. It was not clear towhom his eyes turned.

And the gavel falls…

Name plates bearing the acro nyms of lobbyists were left behind in thed e s e rted conference room fo l l owing the collapse of the treaty negotiations

Ten years of lobbying efforts by ABU members fail, as theBroadcasting Treaty negotiations collapse – by FernandAlberto, ABU Legal Counsel


9

But perhaps obstructionism willa l ways remain a problem looking for aplace to happen. During the week of theWIPO meeting, news of the breakdown ofthe G-4 Doha Round trade negotiationsin Po ts d a m , G e r m a ny hit the WIPOc o r r i d o r s . The traditional round of finger-pointing ensued and accusations ofo b s t ructionism flew from both sides ofthe fe n c e .

Back to the WIPO halls, a number ofcountries urged that the treaty talks bec o n t i n u e d . But rumours were alreadyr i fe that one economic and IPsuperpower seated at the centre of the room would “pull the plug” on thet r e a t y. It did, and that may have beenthe tipping point.

What does the collapse of the treatynegotiations mean to this IP superpower?Maybe nothing. It already succeeded in

the bilateral trade agreements throughwhich it was able to export its vision ofan IP regime to numerous countries.W hy the need for multilateralism whenbilateral agreements prove effective inratcheting up IP protection as a quid proquo from countries seeking greatermarket access? But that’s another story.

The ABU’s intervention was firm:“ We see no point in concluding ab r o a d c a s t e r s ’ treaty if the exc l u s i v eright of retransmission, the core of thet r e a t y, is further narrowed down orreduced to a lesser form of protection.”Seeing the original list of proposedb r o a d c a s t e r s ’ r i g h ts subtracted, d i l u t e d ,and watered down to a single right ofr e t r a n s m i s s i o n , broadcasters believedthat it was better to abandon theprocess if this core right was furt h e rw e a k e n e d . An ineffective treaty would beworse than having no treaty.

Te c h n i c a l l y, the treaty will continue tobe on the agenda of the WIPO StandingC o m m i t t e e . But a tough hurdle is ahead.

If the key players have every intentionto block the process, then even the mostirrelevant issue can be discussed adinfinitum without consensus.

“ We are in a marathon”, the Chairof the WIPO Standing Committee said,likening the treaty setback to a “ c r a m pin the leg”.

Astute observers would say that the cramp will not go away unlessA r i s t o t l e ’s wisdom prevails overA l e x a n d e r ’s “brave men”. After all,wa s n ’t the Greek philosopher thementor of Alexander the Great?

The lobbying continues without a cramp.

Ira n ’s first satellite English-language television channel,Press TV, was offi c i a l l y

launched in July in a bid by the Iranians to represent “ n e w sfrom a different view”.

At the opening ceremony, I r a n i a nPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejadcalled for Press TV officials to supportoppressed nations and defend them.

IRIB-Iran President EzzatollahZarghami referred to Press TV as a“free tribune for the silent worldm a j o r i t y ”.

He said the news channel wouldpave way for people’s acquaintancewith an alternative voice and view.

IRIB Deputy of InternationalS e rv i c e s , Mohammad Sarafraz,

expressed hope that the 24-hour newschannel would play a positive role inregional changes.

Centred on political issues, Press TVprogrammes include half-hour newsb u l l e t i n s , r e p o rts , live talk shows andd o c u m e n t a r i e s , r e p o rts Iran’s ISNAnews website.

M e a n w h i l e , IRIB has launched anew digital TV studio for its Al-Alam

N e t w o r k , which now produces imagesand news scripts without using videocassettes or paper.

The Al-Alam TV Network has more than 40 news bureaux aroundthe world, including in Baghdad,B e i ru t , D a m a s c u s , C a i r o , B ru s s e l s ,Wa s h i n g t o n , New York and Denmark.

I ts news coverage specially fo c u s e son the Middle East.

Iran launches 24-hour English-language news TV channel

The Press TV new s ro o m


11

Despite harsh weatherc o n d i t i o n s , p a rt i c i p a n ts of the ABU Vo yage to the Future

2007 managed to complete their 10-day study of the Mongoliang rasslands and learn more aboutthe lifestyle of the nomads.

The ABU initiative brought together30 schoolchildren from nine countriesand regions to recognise the import a n c eof the global environment and to thinkabout sustainable development.

The first three days of the project,which kicked off on 21 July, saw thes t u d e n ts living with the nomads andlearning how to domesticate wild horses,milk cows and make yogurt and cheese.

The students also witnessed thedeterioration of the grasslands due too v e r-grazing as well as the effe c ts ofclimate change. They observed how thedeteriorated grasslands were beingrestored by the day-to-day effo rts of thelocal nomads.

Mongolian environmental expertsaccompanied the students throughoutthe trip. The guidance and advice of the environmentalists enabled thes t u d e n ts to recognise the importance ofprotecting the environment and thinkabout its sustainable development.

The expedition was filmed by MNB-Mongolia and NHK-Japan in HDTV. T h efootage will be compiled into a made-

fo r- TV production and made available to TV stations in participating countriesfor a nominal fe e .

These include NHK-Ja p a n , C C TV-C h i n a , VTV- Vi e t n a m , A l j a z e e r a - Q a t a r,N BT- T h a i l a n d , M N B , E B S - K o r e a , TV B -Hong Kong and RT M - M a l a y s i a .

ABU Programme Director, Ta ts u yaN a k a m u r a , said: “The project was a greats u c c e s s , thanks to the hospitality ands u p p o rt of MNB, the host broadcaster.

“There were difficulties along the wa y,and some of the part i c i p a n ts came downwith fe v e r. According to the Mongolians,this was an extraordinarily hot summer.But the part i c i p a n ts managed to endurethe hot and dry conditions and enjoyedt h e m s e l v e s .”

The first VTTF series was filmed by RTM in the heart of the Borneor a i n forest in 2005. This was followed bythe 2007 series, which explored theg r a s s l a n d s . The third series, s c h e d u l e dto be produced in 2009, will focus onthe oceans.

VTTF2007: Promoting conservationof Mongolian grasslands

The studentsbeing filmedwhile making

yo g h u rt

Pa rticipants making their presentations through draw i n g s


1 2

The fi n a l i s ts of the ABU Prizes2007 have been selected from atotal of 199 entries for its ra d i o

and TV categories, after four days ofd e l i b e rations by jury members whoattended the screening in Pe t a l i n gJa ya , M a l a y s i a .

There were 141 entries for the TVc a t e g o r i e s , and 58 for radio. The pre-selection of the awards saw entries thatwere of high quality, creativity andi n n o v a t i o n .

Japanese and Korean organisationslead the nominations with eight each in the TV categories. K o r e a nbroadcasters also garnered the mostnominations in the radio categorieswith five.

Leading the shortlist for TV was N H K - Ja p a n , which was nominated in six categories. The Japanese publicbroadcaster also earned three radion o m i n a t i o n s . RT P RC/CNR-China securedthe most radio nominations with fo u r.

The TV categories are Drama,E n t e rt a i n m e n t , C h i l d r e n , Yo u t h , N e w s ,D o c u m e n t a ry, and Sports . There is also a Special Jury Prize which isa warded to programmes which showedcreativity despite the limited resourcesa v a i l ab l e .

The categories for radio are Drama,I n fo t a i n m e n t , Children & Yo u t h , N e w s ,D o c u m e n t a ry, E xternal Broadcasts , a n dthe Special Jury Prize.

Tough decision

The radio jury head, M e d i a C o r pRa d i o - S i n g a p o r e ’s Sakuntala Gupta, s a i dit was hard to choose the finalists fo rsome categories as many of the entriessubmitted were of very good quality.

“Some of the entries were verycreatively produced, while others hadv e ry unusual themes. The standards werepretty high, and it was evident that a lotof effo rt was put into making thesep r o g r a m m e s .

“It was definitely an eye-opening ande n j o yable experience judging theseentries from all over the region,” M sGupta said.

She added that the awards receivedprogrammes of many genres, a d d r e s s i n gdiverse subjects and trying to conveym a ny types of messages in their ownunique fa s h i o n .

Of potential winners, Ms Gupta said:“A ny production could win over thej u d g e s ’ a t t e n t i o n , if the idea is original,interesting and is supported by a well-crafted script.”

RT M - M a l a y s i a ’s Husner Ahmad, w h oheaded the TV jury, said that it wa si m p o rtant to give recognition to entrieswith high production standards, g o o dsocial values, good messages and a strongimpact on viewers.

“ H o w e v e r, the judges feel that weshould also include additional categoriesto create public awareness about thee n v i r o n m e n t , the preservation of wildlifeand climate change. There should also be an award specifically encouragingi n n o v a t i o n .”

Ms Husner also recommended thatall entries submitted for the televisioncategories contain Asian characteristicsto enhance friendship and understandingamong member countries ando r g a n i s a t i o n s .

“ We also felt that pan-Asian and i n t e r- c o u n t ry productions should beencouraged as this fosters closer ties among the ABU membership.”

The winner for each category will be announced at the ABU Prizes Nightwhich will be held in Te h r a n , I r a n ,on 3 November. For the full list of f i n a l i s ts , please go to www. ab u . o r g . my /ab u p r i z e s 2 0 0 7 .

ABU Prizes 2007 shortlist out

The judges and org a n i s e rs of the ABU Prizes 2007 Pre-selection


1 3

ABU members participating inthe 4th Children’s Drama Co-Production recently got

together in Tokyo to view and discussthe tangible developments madesince their first meeting in KualaLumpur earlier this year.

The part i c i p a n ts hailed from NHK-Ja p a n , S L RC-Sri Lanka, E B S - K o r e a ,RTHK-Hong Kong, I R I B - I r a n , C C TV-C h i n a , RT M - M a l a y s i a , RT B - B ru n e i , M B C -M a u r i t i u s , DDI-India and BBS-Bhutan.

At the Tokyo meeting, they madepresentations on their respective storyoutlines while accepting comments and feedback on how to improve theirideas as well as character and storyd e v e l o p m e n t .

The Executive Producer of the project,the ABU’s Chung Hyunsook, p r o v i d e dadditional recommendations for the

members and guided them on how toproceed with their own productions.

She also reiterated the need for onsite visits – visiting each part i c i p a t i n gmember to review their progress.

“Onsite visits are important so we can work together for mutual benefit.Through this initiative, we can continueto develop and improve on our ideast o g e t h e r, as well as clarify ideas andc o n c e p ts ,” said Ms Chung.

She also provided some import a n tguidelines on how to piece together an interesting programme for children.They are:

● Having an active and interestingmain character

● Introducing a problem or confl i c twhich is important to the mainc h a r a c t e r

● The problem must be hard to solve● Strong emotions must be turned into

actions which can be shown visually● The programme must have a

b e g i n n i n g , middle and an end● No synchronous dialogue during on-

screen close-ups of the characters● The meaning of any synchronous

dialogue should be equally visualisedt h r o u g h

“ You should aim to make yourproduction a visual experience. You willneed to think about a dilemma for themain characters.

“Dilemmas will reveal theirpersonalities and force them to takea c t i o n ,” she said.

Ms Chung added that it was also nota necessity to have a narrator, as thecharacters should be able to convey themessage in the story on their own.

Tangible developments ink i d s ’ drama co-production

The Children’s TV Programme Item Exch a n ge part i c i p a n t s


1 4

Ta t s u ya Nakamu r a

Ma ny countries in the As i a -Pa c i fic suffer from someform of water crisis,

prompting the ABU to support the1st As i a - Pa c i fic Water Summit tobe held in December by producinga TV documentary on water issuesacross the regi o n .

Together with selected membero r g a n i s a t i o n s , the ABU will co-produce the52-minute TV documentary in order toraise public awareness as well as attractinternational media and journalists toattend the inaugural event.

The ABU members participating inthe project are NTV- N e p a l , VTV- Vi e t n a m ,C C TV- C h i n a , E M TV- Papua New Guineaand RT M - M a l a y s i a . The Malaysian publicbroadcaster will also take on the role ofco-production centre for the project.

Under the project, each broadcastingorganisation will produce a “ c o u n t ryr e p o rt ” on water issues. The duration ofeach report will be 10-15 minutes.

The individual reports , together withtheir English translations, will be sent to RTM for completion.

The documentary will be telecast inthe participating organisations’ c o u n t r i e sand will be screened during the wa t e rsummit which is to be held on 3-4December 2007 in Ja p a n .

The documentary co-production issponsored by the Asian Development

Bank (ADB), which will share thecopyright to the documentary with the ABU.

The ADB provided each part i c i p a t i n gbroadcaster with US$3,000 to producetheir reports , with RTM receiving anadditional US$2,000 for being the co-production centre.

A producer’s meeting was heldrecently in Kuala Lumpur withrepresentatives from each part i c i p a t i n gb r o a d c a s t e r. The water summit organiser,the As i a - Pacific Water Fo rum To k y oS e c r e t a r i a t , was represented by its chiefo f f i c e r, Shinobu Fukumoto.

At the meeting, ABU ProgrammeD e p a rtment Director Ta ts u ya Nakamurab r i e fed the part i c i p a n ts on the theme ofthe documentary and the productions c h e d u l e . The part i c i p a n ts were also toldto submit their individual reports to RT Mby 15 September so that the final productcould be prepared in time for thescreening at the water summit.

The meeting proved to be a fru i tf u lo n e , with each broadcaster focussing on a specific water issue.

Ngo Ngoc Huy of VTV said his reportwill feature river production, adding thatthere was a lack of clean water in boththe urban and rural areas of Vi e t n a m .

E M TV ’s Scott Waide raised theproblem of rising sea levels, which he said caused islands in his country to be submerged.

The NTV representative, A run PrasadC h a p a g a i n , said he will focus on theimminent water issues affecting hisc o u n t ry, while RTM and CCTV intend to report on water crisis caused byclimate change.

Water crisis documentary co-production underway

Leading Indian newsbroadcasters have joinedhands to form the News

Broadcasters Association (NBA).

The NBA will take up ethical,t e c h n i c a l , o p e r a t i o n a l , r e g u l a t o ry andlegal issues affecting news and currenta f fairs channels, it said in a statement.

I ts members are: Times GlobalBroadcasting Company (Times Now),N D TV, TV Today Network, TV 1 8G r o u p , Global Broadcast News, M e d i aContent & Communication Serv i c e s ,

Independent News Service and Zee News.

N B A , which will have itsh e a d q u a rters in New Delhi, will help“create and nurt u r e ” an environmentin which news broadcasters can bests e rve audiences and contribute to the development of the country.

It will engage with policy makersto promote a broadcasting industrythat is able to keep pace with thec o u n t ry ’s rapidly changing socio-economic and cultural fab r i c .

Indian news channels fo rm associat i o n


1 5

The ABU successfully launchedi ts Media Awareness Exchange(MAE) in August.

The launch coincided with theannouncement that the ABU will part n e rwith the Global Media AIDS Initiative(GMAI) on a year-long collaboration thatwill seek to expand the reach of AIDScontent in As i a - Pa c i f i c .

“ We are pleased to be partnering withGMAI on this initiative to leverage onthe power of the broadcast media to raisea wareness and hopefully mobilise societyon the AIDS pandemic in As i a ,” s a i dDavid As t l e y, ABU Secretary - G e n e r a l .

“The ABU-Media Awareness Exc h a n g eholds great promise as an efficient way tomake import a n t , high-quality HIV/AIDS-related content available to broadcastersthroughout As i a ,” said Dali Mpofu, G M A IChairman and CEO of the South AfricanBroadcasting Corporation (SABC).

“Through effo rts like the MediaAwareness Exchange and others aroundthe world, media companies are makingi m p o rtant contributions in the fightagainst the AIDS pandemic.”

In addition to its traditional base of multilateral, NGO and fo u n d a t i o np a rt n e r s h i p s , the MAE seeks to developstronger collaborations with additionals e c t o r s , including media serv i c ec o m p a n i e s , public relations firms, a da g e n c i e s , the communications industryand corporations supporting strongcorporate social responsibility initiatives.

To find out more on the ABU-MediaAwareness Exc h a n g e , please visitw w w. ab u . o r g . my / m a e , or for additionali n formation on GMAI, please go tow w w. t h e g m a i . o r g .

A BU launches Media Awa reness Exch a n ge

A BU-Media Awareness Exch a n ge HIV/AIDS Content

“A T i ny Dream” ( 0 7 ’ 1 5 ” ) Produced by VTC Digital Vietnam for ABU UNESCAP “Promoting and Advocating theMillennium Development Goals:The Asian Pe r s p e c t i ve ” s e ries

MTV Staying Alive Global Progra m m i n g Produced by MTV Netwo rk sI n t e rn a t i o n a l

“Be Smart, Protect Yo u r s e l f” ( 3 5 ” ) Produced by UNAIDS

Dali Mpofu speaking on the GMAI at Asia Media Summit 2007 in Kuala Lumpur - picture courtesy of GMAI

An MTV AIDS initiative being shown to a private audience - picture courtesy of MTV Netwo rks Intern a t i o n a l

S u p p o rt e rs turn up infull fo rce

to cheer on their respective

t e a m s


1 6

Ch i n a ’s Xi’an JiaotongUniversity emerged winnersof the 6th ABU As i a - Pa c i fi c

Robot Contest (ABU Ro b o c o n )which was held in Hanoi, Vi e t n a m ,on 26 August.

This is the first time a team fromChina has won the annual competition,which began in 2002. The Chinese teamd e feated the Indonesian team fromElectronic Engineering Po l y t e c h n i cInstitute of Surab a ya in the final match.

Abdul Rahman Hamid, ABU Vi c e -President and Director-General of RT M -M a l a y s i a , presented the trophy to themembers of the winning team, p r a i s i n gtheir dedication to making the best-p e r forming robots in the contest.

Other awards were also presented toteams which impressed the jury memberswith their overall ab i l i t y, including idea,design and technique.

Vi e t n a m , a three-time winner of theABU Robocon contest in the past as wellas winner of last year’s contest, failed tod e fend the title this time despite having

China wins A BU Robocon 2007

The Chinese team members rush to congratulate each other after their quick victory in the final match against Indonesia

Representatives of Doord a rshan and MIT Pune, I n d i a ,receive the Robocon flag in the handover ceremony from V i e t n a m

A Malaysian team member concentrates on maneuvering his manual robot

during their quart e r-final against Indonesia


1 7

home soil advantage and sending intwo teams.

H o w e v e r, the Vietnamese teamsmanaged to bag three of the speciala wards presented – the Best Idea Awa r d ,the Special Award from Pa n a s o n i c , a n dthe Special Award from Misumi.

The Malaysian team from UniversityTechnology Malaysia and the team fromKorea University of Technology andEducation were the beaten semi-finalists .

Nineteen teams from 18 countriesand regions in As i a - Pacific part i c i p a t e din the event. A p p r oximately 2,700spectators gathered at the contest,including a delegation from Africa fo rthe first time.

A total of 13 university profe s s o r s ,s t u d e n ts and government officials fromK e nya were in Hanoi to observe the ABU Robocon so that they may be ab l eto develop and implement a similarcontest in Africa in the future.

This year’s rules were based on thelegend of Ha Long Bay of Vi e t n a m .Ro b o ts , symbolising dragons, were made

to carry cylindrical blocks – whichrepresent pearls – to build islands whichsymbolise Ha Long Bay.

The international robot contest hasbeen organised by the ABU since 2002with the aim of encouraging As i a nuniversity students to develop robotic

engineering skills, and promotingfriendship through competition.

The first contest was held in 2002 inTo k y o , with the second in Bangkok, t h ethird in Seoul, the fo u rth in Beijing andthe fifth in Kuala Lumpur, last year. N e xty e a r ’s venue will be Pune, I n d i a .

Some of the young entert a i n e rs providing colour and glitz to the 2007 Robocon finals

hosted by VTV in Hanoi


1 8

Plans for covering nexty e a r ’s Beijing Olympics willbe among the issues

discussed when broadcastersfrom around the world meet inD u b r o v n i k , C r o a t i a , in October.

The meeting of the Wo r l dBroadcasting Unions’ I n t e r n a t i o n a lSatellite Operations Group (WBU-ISOG)on 22-23 October will bring togetherb r o a d c a s t e r s , satellite operators andother broadcasting service providers.

Also on the agenda are the use of high definition television for news coverage, i n t e r ference to

b r o a d c a s t e r s ’ satellite signals in As i aand elsewhere, s a fety and security in news operations, and latestd e v e l o p m e n ts in IP-based news andprogramme networks.

The meeting will be hosted byCroatian Radio and Te l e v i s i o n , H RT.

WBU-ISOG is organised by thew o r l d ’s broadcasting unions includingthe ABU. The group meets once ortwice a year, and all ABU members are welcome to attend. For morei n fo r m a t i o n , contact Alan Williams,Asiavision Managing Editor, a ta l a n . w @ a s i a v i s i o n . o r g .

W BU-ISOG to meet in Cro at i a

Asenior journalist at Ja p a n ’spublic broadcaster, N H K , h a sbeen elected Vi c e - C h a i r m a n

of the World Broadcasting Unions’International Satellite Opera t i o n sGroup (WBU-ISOG).

Hiroyuki Nasu, Senior Producer,Circuit Planning and Management,NHK News Depart m e n t , was unanimouslychosen for the post by the world’sbroadcasting unions. He was the ABU’sofficial candidate.

A veteran NHK journalist, Mr Nasuspent four years reporting from Moscow

and the far eastern Russian port city ofV l a d i v o s t o k .

WBU-ISOG brings together membersof the various broadcasting unions,satellite operators and other serv i c eproviders to discuss issues of commoni n t e r e s t .

I ts Chairman is Dick Tauber of CNN.The other Vice-Chair is Kazimir Bacic ofCroatian Ra d i o - Te l e v i s i o n , H RT.

The group usually meets twice ay e a r. I ts next meeting is in Dubrovnik,C r o a t i a , on 22-23 October.

NHK newsman elected to intern ational post

H i royuki Nasu

The call by regional politicalleaders at the recent As i a -Pa c i fic Economic Council

(APEC) meeting for governments to“ e f fectively address” the issue ofsatellite and cable-TV signal theft hascome in for praise by members of thebroadcasting industry.

The Cable & Satellite BroadcastingAssociation of Asia (CASBAA), w h i c hr e p r e s e n ts 125 Asia-based corporations,said it was “great news” that the APECministers gave this problem a new priority.

“With estimated pay-TV piracy in As i atopping US$1.1 billion – and still rising

– governments must sit up and taken o t i c e ,” said Marcel Fe n e z , C A S B A AC h a i r m a n .

The APEC statement noted that TVsignal piracy does great harm tocopyright owners, legitimate pay-TVoperators and broadcasters.

The statement followed arecommendation by the APEC BusinessA d v i s o ry Council which called ong o v e r n m e n ts to revoke operating licencesfrom pay-TV operators who distributecontent without authorisation fromcopyright holders.

“APEC governments have everyreason to be concerned,” said Mr Fe n e z . “Piracy undermines the creativei n d u s t r i e s , delays digital development,and saps tax revenues that could be usedfor national goals.”

“With more and more Asian contententering the global media market, it is not only the legitimate distributors,but increasingly Asian content ownerswho bear the brunt of signal theft,” M rFenez added.

C A S B A A lauds APEC decision on signal theft


1 9

The ABU’s daily news exchange,As i a v i s i o n , has reached amilestone: for the first time,

i ts members have exchanged morethan 10,000 news stories in a 12-month period.

Between 1 July 2006 and 30 June2 0 0 7 , As i a v i s i o n ’s 18 members exc h a n g e d10,289 stories. Of these, more than halfwere same-day news coverage – storiescontributed on the day they were filmed.

Among the top stories covered: thewar in Lebanon, N o rth Korean nuclearand missile tests , bloody bomb blastson trains in India, ethnic bloodshed inSri Lanka, a mine explosion and steelplant accident in China, a presidentialelection in Timor Leste and a stronge a rthquake in Ja p a n .

Asiavision has seen a steady increasein the number of stories exchanged sincelaunching a second daily satellite feed inMay 2005. B e fore the launch, m e m b e r swere exchanging about 6,000 newsstories a year.

The number of same-day stories hasrisen from 2,350 in 2004 to more than5,000 in 2006.

The first fe e d , AV N - 1 , is transmittede v e ry day from 0830 to 0900 GMT andthe second fe e d , AV N - 2 , from 1215 to1235 GMT.

“The commitment of members hasreached new heights over the past year,”As i a v i s i o n ’s Managing Editor, A l a nW i l l i a m s , s a i d .

“The second fe e d , coming later in thed a y, e n ables us to carry a much wider

range of same-day coverage. M e m b e r shave risen to the challenge superbly.”

In another step fo rwa r d , M o n g o l i a ’sTV 5 , which joined in Ja n u a ry, has beguncontributing regularly to the newse xchange after overcoming technicald i f f i c u l t i e s .

A commercial station, TV5 launchedin Ja n u a ry 2003 and was the first digitalTV station in Mongolia.

Asiavision reaches 10,000 mark

M o n g o l i a ’s TV5… now a regular AVN contribu t o r

The ABU’s daily news exchange,As i a v i s i o n , has welcomed Ro b a n a

G o v i n d a raju as the new Secretary tothe Managing Editor.

Robana is well-known to many ABUm e m b e r s , having worked as ClericalAssistant in the Programme Depart m e n tsince 2003.

A Malaysian, she hails from Penang,where she worked as a secretary

for several years before moving toKuala Lumpur.

Immediately before joining theA B U , she was Personal Assistant at aninvestment company.

Her new duties include helping the Managing Editor, Alan Williams,organise meetings and workshops andassisting in the smooth running of the Asiavision centre.

AVN welcomes new Secretary

Robana Gov i n d a r a j u


2 0

Si n g a p o r e ’s Channel NewsAs i ahas won the 2007 As i a v i s i o nAnnual Award for the best

contributions to ASEAN Te l e v i s i o nNews (AT N ) .

ATN is a weekly news exc h a n g eamong broadcasters of the 10-nationAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations.It is transmitted by satellite eachWe d n e s d a y.

Asiavision has sponsored an annuala ward since 2004 for the bestcontributions to the weekly exc h a n g e .

Channel NewsAsia received this year’sa ward from Malaysia’s Info r m a t i o nMinister at an ASEAN meeting in Pa h a n g ,Malaysia in June.

The citation says Channel NewsAs i acontributed a wide range of interestingnews stories, from unusual weddings anda zoo for the visually impaired to autofashionistas who dress up their cars tostand out from the rest.

“ C N A’s items are models of good TVj o u r n a l i s m , with well-written scripts ,concise pieces to camera, clean audioand interesting soundbites.

“The stories are presented in a simple,c a t c hy wa y, p o rtraying the many sides of

S i n g a p o r e ’s lifestyle: fun, i n n o v a t i v e ,creative and resourceful.”

Previous winners of the As i a v i s i o nAnnual Award for ASEAN TV News include VTV- Vi e t n a m , TVK-Cambodia and TV R I - I n d o n e s i a .

Channel NewsAsia wins AVN ASEAN award

BTV-Bangladesh and NHK-Japan are the latest winners

of the monthly Asiavision Awa r d .

BTV won the June award for itscoverage of a deadly mudslide inChittagong and NHK the July awa r dfor coverage of an earthquake thathit central Ja p a n .

B a n g l a d e s h , in the midst of amonsoon season, saw torrential

downpours setting off mudslides in the early hours of 11 June in thesoutheastern port city of Chittagong.

The mudslides engulfed houseslocated at the foot of hills around the city.

Bangladesh authorities conductedsearch-and-rescue operations fo rseveral days and the final death tollwas put at 126.

In Ja p a n , a powerful eart h q u a k es t ruck the central Niigata andNagano Prefectures on the morningof 16 July.

The eart h q u a k e , with an estimatedmagnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale,was located about 17 kilometres underthe sea floor off Niigata.

The earthquake left nine peopledead and over 1,000 injured.

BTV and NHK win A s i avision awa rd s

M a l ay s i a ’s Information Minister (left) presents the aw a rd to a Channel NewsAsia representative


2 1

Av e t e ran Hong Kong ra d i ob r o a d c a s t e r, Nicholas (Nick)D e m u t h , has died in Manila

at the age of 81.

Mr Demuth was a former GeneralManager of Hong Kong CommercialBroadcasting Company Ltd (CommercialRadio) and played an active part in ABUactivities for almost 40 years.

He attended his first ABU GeneralAssembly in 1967 and was also at themost recent in Beijing last November. I n1984 he was chairman of the selectioncommittee that recommended theappointment of Hugh Leonard as ABUS e c r e t a ry - G e n e r a l .

Colourful background

Born in England in 1925, M rDemuth was an accomplished pianist,arranger and composer. He served withthe Ro yal Marines and fought in Wo r l dWar II before hearing the call of the Far East.

He landed in Hong Kong soon afterthe launch of Commercial Radio (CR)in 1959, and his vast knowledge ofm u s i c , both classical and jazz, l a n d e dhim a job with the station.

Mr Demuth later wrote that radiobroadcasting did not occupy a topposition in Hong Kong in those days as a source of employment. “It wa sconsidered a self-promoting hobby andnot to be taken seriously as a way ofearning a living.”

He was appointed Director of EnglishProgrammes soon after joining. He wonpromotion in 1977 when the ManagingD i r e c t o r, George Ho (now HonoraryC h a i r m a n ) , appointed him GeneralM a n a g e r.

He revamped all three CommercialRadio channels. He turned CR Englishinto a news, talk and music channel,CR1 into a news, talk and public affa i r schannel and CR2 into a youth channelwith local and western pop music. T h eformat he developed for CR1 is stillfollowed today.

In 1988 Mr Demuth retired fromactive broadcasting and handed overthe reins to his protégé, Winnie Yu ,whom he had earlier appointed CreativeDirector and CR2’s Programme Director(she is now Deputy Chairman).

He moved to the capital of thePhilippines to pursue his passion fo rm u s i c , p e r forming regularly in pianobars and working as an arranger and composer. In 2003, the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents ’ C l u bp u b l i c a t i o n , The Correspondent, c a l l e dhim a “jazz musician ext r a o r d i n a i r e ”.

H o w e v e r, he did not retire completelyfrom CR. He became Advisor to theC h a i r m a n , and continued to representCR at ABU General Assemblies until last year.

The ABU’s former Secretary - G e n e r a l ,Hugh Leonard, who retired in 2003,described Mr Demuth as a committedbroadcaster and a thorough gentleman,and said news of his passing would bea source of much sadness to those whoknew him well.

“I first met Nick in 1974; both of usbeing radio managers at the time, we hitit off and remained good friends until thetime of his death,” Mr Leonard said.

“Nick was an ABU stalwa rt andcontributed in many wa y s . He was veryactive in the Programme Committeeand always made sure that radio wa snot overlooked and the discussions werenot hijacked by the dominant televisionm e m b e r s .

“He also served with distinction onradio juries and the AdministrativeCouncil and assisted in other wa y swhenever he saw the need,” added Mr Leonard.

Mr Demuth died of a heart attackone month short of his 82nd birt h d a y.He leaves a wife and twin sons.

Ve t e ran broadcaster N i ck Demuth dies

N i ck Demuth… an ABU stalw a rt

A BU N e w sS p o r t s V i e w

2 2

Th e r e ’s a general theme ru n n i n gthrough the keynote speeches

this morn i n g .

I t ’s about the tremendousr eve nues that are now ava i l a bl ethrough major sports flowing fromthe general media, adve rtising ands p o n s o r s h i p.

And it’s about our responsibilitiesas broadcasters to the widerc o m mu n i t y.

I am tackling this subject becauseI feel ve ry strongly that unless wes t a rt to have a robust and unfe t t e r e ddebate now we will be overcome bythe tide of public opinion and theregulators who bend to their will.

A casual journ ey through a fewwebsites should convince us all thats p o rt is facing its greatest socialc h a l l e n g e : one that puts thecompeting interests of reve nue andour obligations to our fe l l ow citize n shead to head.

Sponsors and adve rtisers are ina tug-of-war with consumer gr o u p swho say children are being targetedthrough sport to eat and drink on ascale that will reduce their life s p a nc o n s i d e ra bl y.

The result: a pandemic ofdiabetes and obesity.

Let me quote some statistics:

● To d ay there 355 million type-2diabetics in the wo rl d .

● In the US alone there will be 55million victims within 30 ye a r s.

● One in three children will go on tod evelop the disease.

G ove rnments are now gettingexcited as British Prime MinisterTo ny Blair said at an Olympicsround table a few years ago that his sports policy was also ahealth policy.

Well in my ex p e ri e n c e, when thepolitical luminaries like To ny Blairm a ke the link between sport, healthand adve rtising and put it on thepolitical agenda, it is time to sit upand take careful notice.

We should take heed of the manyconsumer groups now being fo rm e dacross all continents whose fo c u sare the junk food manu fa c t u r e r s, theirproducts and their focus on sport asp a rt of the axis of dietary ev i l .

In the developed sporting wo rld countries throughout Europe,Au s t ralia and the United Stateswere given hundreds of millions of

M o n ey in sports fuels obesity in kids?

Sp o rt , sponsorship and junk fo o d . For some an unholy Tr i n i t y. With billions of dollars now being poured into majors p o rting events urging consumers to eat a big Mac or swallow a sugary frizzy drink, are we creating a genera t i o nof junk food addicts ?

In his recent address to the 40th Sports Group Conference in the Maldives, ABU Secretary - G e n e r a l , David As t l e y, raised the spectreof a global health crisis among the young who are more easily swayed by clever advertising and sponsorship campaigns.

He said the statistics were enough to show that obesity and diabetes – the direct result of a poor diet – was now an epidemic.Below are exc e r p ts of his speech:

D avid Astley addressing theS p o rts Group delegates


2 3

dollars from the fast fo o d ,c o n fe c t i o n a ry and soft dri n ki n d u s t ries to help stage eve n t s.

B a n s, toughening up ex i s t i n glegislation, gr o u n d swell campaignsin local communities add up tot r o u ble for sports whose life bl o o dcomes in direct cash support from the makers of fast foods andfizzy dri n k s.

You know it when the directorof Wo rldwide Marketing atM a c d o n a l d ’s, Jeff Wahl, wa sa s ked why his company wa staking a big sponsorship positionin the last European fo o t b a l lc h a m p i o n s h i p s.

He said: “ I t ’s important that webuild brand loyalty with kids…sponsorships like Euro 2004 is agreat way to accomplish this.”

There is also a gr ow i n gc o n c e rn that sponsorship is being used as a way to by p a s sa d ve rtising regulations, and someex p e rts have drawn parallels withthe way the tobacco industry useds p o rt as a cornerstone of itsm a rketing stra t e g y.

It is now widely accepted thatchildhood obesity continues to rise atan alarming ra t e.There are plenty ofstudies which show how early in lifea child is being affe c t e d .

The campaigners hit the streetsand the public airwaves and we r ea ble to get state and fe d e ra lg ove rnments to act. Their messagewas a powerful one.

Children, they said, don’t justl e a rn at school and they don’t justl e a rn from teachers.The attitudes ofparents and other significant peoplein a child’s life also sent powe r f u lm e s s a g e s.

Junk food is the seedy side ofc h i l d r e n ’s sport . If we aim to reallyt a ckle the childhood obesity probl e m ,we need to address the problem onall fronts.

M c D o n a l d ’s carries the fo l l ow i n gmessage on its websites around thewo rl d .T h ey are tackling the powe r f u lgroups head-on with messages l i ke this:

“ We provide a nu t rition analysis ofour menu items to help you balanceyour McDonald’s meal with otherfoods you eat. Our goal is to prov i d eyou with the info rmation you need tom a ke sensible decisions aboutb a l a n c e, va riety and moderation inyour diet.”

With over 50,000 outlets aroundthe wo rld and billions ava i l a ble ina d ve rtising, the Big Mac is bu i l d i n ga public relations exercise to counterw h a t ever is thrown at them.

This includes building smallgymnasiums to replace the colourfulp l ay grounds which have proved amagnet to yo u n g s t e r s.

And what will you get in R o n a l d ’s gym: video bike s, electronic

h o o p s, climbing equipment, videodance pads.

Such a sophisticated responseby one of the wo rl d ’s biggest fo o dm a nu facturers underscores the reali s s u e : t h ey are wo r ried by recentt r e n d s, they are concerned aboutn ew tough laws on tra n s - fatty acidswhich are being introduced in theUnited States, and they want us tokeep eating their product.

N ow that is a real corp o ra t ec h a l l e n g e.

It is faced equally, and for thesame reason by Coca Cola.

T h ey are major sponsors ofpremier wo rld events such as theOlympics and FIFA Wo rld Cup.

Each year they have a‘ s p o n s o r s h i p / a d ve rt i s i n g ’ war chestof US$4 billion.

On the face of it, it appears aD avid and Goliath battle… bigbusiness against poorly organisedbut passionate consumer gr o u p s,and with the politicians waving this way and that, unable to grasp the nettle.

Bandos Island provided theb a ck d rop for heated discussions

on sports issues


2 4

When pioneering 17th centuryscientist Galileo told theCatholic Church he could

prove beyond doubt the sun was at the centre of our solar system, he wa sred-carded for dissent, and gaoled.

It wa s n ’t until 1983 – about the timethe English First Division began its spiral– that the Church finally cleared Galileoand admitted the earth was not fl a t , a n di ts solar orbit was the reason for thechange in seasons.

Today only heretics would deny thePremier League sits firmly at the centreof the sports universe.

As we go through the PL’s 15thseason it is worth looking at why the‘beautiful game’ has gravitated toE n g l a n d , with a power of some giantN e wtonian apple!

First it is all about the money.Just ask Jerry Maguire. In the current season the 20 chairmen of the PL will share television and sponsorship spoilsapproaching US$2 billion, much of thatcoming from substantial increases inthe broadcast rights fees from As i a .

No other league can compete,c e rtainly not in financial terms. S o , t h ePL and the lesser leagues like The

Championship attract the best playersfrom around the world.

When Cristiano Ronaldo at 22 can pull a weekly salary of £120,000(US$241,000) you know why the pull ofthe premiership is impossible to resist.Add in Drogba, S h e v c h e n k o , To r r e s , N a n i ,Anderson et al, and you know that if youwant to see the most exciting fo o t b a l lcompetition then you need to be at Old Tr a f fo r d , S t a m ford Bridge or theEmirates Stadium.

Sure the game is technically better inE u r o p e . But the viewers have voted withtheir remotes, and it is the PL thatdominates the football revenue availab l eeach year across the five continents .

But in its success are we wa t c h i n gthe germination of seeds that willultimately suffocate the league?

Falling attendances due to high ticketp r i c e s , the marginalising of most teamso u tside of the top 4 – Manchester United,A r s e n a l , Chelsea and Liverpool – and themove away from free-to-air access to thepay-television industry.

In physics it’s known as entropy –the negative decay and degeneration ofm a t t e r. As a matter of fa c t , watching the£30 million (US$60 million) strikerShevchenko you would think that is avictim already.

But there is another, more simplethreat: a distinct lack of competitiono u tside of the top fo u r. And it seems tohave caught on in The Championship,

I t ’s all about the money How the imprisonment of Galileo 400 years ago will ensurethe survival of the Premier League – by John Barton

The Olympic Council of Asia has urged the Indian Olympic

Association to stand firm in its rowwith the country ’s governmentover interference in sport .

The government had announcedplans to set up a regulatory body tos u p e rvise the functioning of thec o u n t ry ’s sports fe d e r a t i o n s , a movewhich was met by strong oppositionfrom the IOA .

OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has now urged IOAPresident Suresh Kalmadi to “ t a k eappropriate measures to maintain thea u t o n o my of the Indian Olympic

As s o c i a t i o n ” or warned the body couldface suspension.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad said: “ Iwould like to refer to different reportscoming out in media with regard to amove by the government of India toi n t e r fere in the autonomy and thefunctioning of the IOA and thenational sports federations of India.

“I would like to reiterate the Aomorideclaration as well as the OlympicC h a rter and the OCA constitution: AllNational Olympic Committees mustp r e s e rve their autonomy as envisaged inthe OCA constitution and ru l e s , and inthe Olympic Chart e r.”

Indian Olympic body told to fight government interference


2 5

where only a handful of clubs can makeit back to the Premiership. S u n d e r l a n dand Birmingham are back after twoseasons in the lower division.

The main reason, of course, is money.Sheffield United went down last seasonwith a golden parachute of £38 million(US$76 million). T h a t ’s enough to keeptheir squad intact, maybe even buy afew players, and be real contenders toreturn to the league of untold richeswithin a season.

Foreign markets are now essential tothe economics of the English game withAsia stepping up to the plate with hugesums on offe r.

The current deal is £2.7 billion(US$5.4 billion) over three years to thePremier League, up from £1.024 billion(US$2.05 billion) in 2004.

The ending of Sky’s monopoly ande n t ry of Setanta as rights holders in thedomestic market is one reason for ther i s e . Another is the huge rise in whatforeign broadcasters pay to screen games.In 2004 the league signed a contract withforeign rights holders worth £320 million(US$643 million) over three years.A n a l y s ts , who predicted such a large dealcould not be repeated, were astonishedwhen the Premier League announced anew one worth £625 million (US$1.25billion) over three seasons starting in2 0 0 7 - 0 8 .

Overseas broadcast revenue is dividedequally between clubs and so is wort h£10.5 million (US$21 million) per seasonto every Premier League chairman. Fo rthe poorest clubs, that pays for thet r a n s fer budget. Even to major ones it is significant – for Liverpool it is thed i f ference between being able to affo r dR yan Babel or not.

The New TV deal and how the moneyis divvied up.

The biggest rise in foreign money, i npercentage terms, involved Africa and the

Middle East, but that pales beside whatAsia is willing to spend to watch thePremier League. It is no coincidence thatthe Barclays Asia Tr o p hy was held inHong Kong, which has a population ofjust seven million but spent the most onPremier League rights – US$200 millionover three years from 2007, a 150 percentincrease on the 2004 deal.

“In Hong Kong they pay aroundUS$10 for every person there to watch thePremier League. B a s i c a l l y, in terms ofamount per head of population, it is themost expensive sports rights contract ever– in any sport , in any territory,” s a i dJames Pickles, the editor of TV SportsM a r k e ts magazine, the industry bible.

“The market was fuelled by a biddingwar between an incumbent traditional(Hong Kong Cable) broadcaster and a new broadband service (Now TV ) . Asimilar thing happened in Singapore,where Premier League rights fe t c h e dUS$160 million.

“Premier League football is sopopular that owning the right to show it guarantees a channel’s surv i v a l . T h e

companies who won the bidding inHong Kong and Singapore paid somuch they can’t hope to make a profit,but knew missing out could lead totheir businesses fo l d i n g .”

So how is the cake divided? Who getswhat in the Premiership? Well the 20Chairman have agreed to an equal shareof 50 percent of the current deal, af u rther 25 percent is split up dependingwhere each team finishes in the leagueand the final quarter depends on howm a ny times you get up on the box . A l lr i g h ts revenue from overseas sales is alsosplit equally.

Ve ry cosy, and very lucrative.

When Derby County made it into thePremiership with a last gasp win in the playoffs they were rewarded withprospective revenues of £60 million(US$121 million).

S o , d o n ’t let anyone tell you ‘ D erevolionibus orbium celestium’ – it’sEnglish football that is at the centre of the solar system. The sun just makesit brighter.

The International OlympicCommittee has agreed to

keep a “ c o r e ” group of more than two dozen sports in futureOlympics and allow room for a few new sports to be included at each Games.

Under the new process, it willapprove a bloc of 25-26 entrencheds p o rts and can add two or three moreto stay within a maximum of 28.

Softball and baseball, which havebeen dropped for the 2012 LondonO l y m p i c s , are lobbying to return fo rthe 2016 games.

A simple majority will be needed fo radding or removing sports . P r e v i o u s l y,it took a two-thirds majority to bringin a new sport . The IOC assembly willvote on a list proposed by its 15-member executive board. The changeswere approved unanimously by a showof hands on the third day of the IOCassembly in Guatemala.

The new process will debut at the 2009 session in Copenhagen,D e n m a r k , with the same 26 sports onthe London programme put fo rwa r dfor the 2016 games. The exe c u t i v eboard also will propose inclusion ofone or two other sports .

IOC to perm a n e n t ly retain over 2 dozen sport s


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If a belief in the mystical powersof the number ‘ 8 ’ have any t h i n gto do with the outcome of next

y e a r ’s Beijing Summer Olympics,then it is going to be a stunnings u c c e s s .

We are now counting down to theeighth day of the eighth month of theyear 2008. S t u d e n ts of Feng Shui willknow that the Chinese will leave nothingto chance: everything will be positionedin such a way to maximise the flow ofc h i , the vital force inherent in all things.

But nothing symbolises the hopes anddreams of a nation than the numbere i g h t , which promises prosperity inab u n d a n c e !

Millions around the world havealready witnessed the sheer scale of whatthe Chinese authorities have planned inthe days that now remain to the openingc e r e m o ny.

Few would have failed to be impressedby the countdown ceremony inTian’anmen Square which was crammedwith thousands of spectators, O l y m p i co f f i c i a l s , chefs de mission, a m b a s s a d o r sand Chinese officials.

A n d , for the first time, the IOC held aspecial invitation event away from itsLausanne headquarters where gilt-edgedinvitations were dispatched to the 200National Olympic Committees fromaround the world.

Around the nation there scores ofother events – fo o t b a l l , public fitnessa c t i v i t i e s , musical perfo r m a n c e s , and thefirst rendition of the Olympic song “ Weare Re a d y ”.

The organising committee, B O C O G ,has promised to do everything in its

power to enable the foreign media toexperience the concepts of “ G r e e nO l y m p i c s ”, “ H i g h - Tech Olympics”, a n d“ P e o p l e ’s Olympics”.

Special treatment

Sun We i j i a , Director of BOCOG MediaOperations Depart m e n t , said world-classh a r d ware equipment would be providedat the Main Press Centre (MPC),International Broadcast Centre (IBC),the Media Villages and Venue MediaCentres (VMCs).

High-definition TV signals andbroadband will be used, and wirelesss e rvices and powerful INFO system wouldalso be on hand.

According to Sun, the organiserswould also provide “ i n t e l l i g e n t ” o p t i c a ln e t w o r k s , new-generation wirelessintranet and broadband accessibility.

He described it as the “ B r o a d b a n dO l y m p i c s ” – having a broadband

technology-based telecommunications e rvice system which would fa c i l i t a t ecomprehensive and personalisedmultimedia telecommunications, i naddition to information services coveringvolunteer recru i t m e n t , t i c k e t i n g ,competition schedule, t r a n s p o rt a t i o n ,t o u r i s m , accommodation and manyother areas. Wireless services cover work zones of MPC, V M C s , IBC and Media Vi l l a g e s .

As far as the “Green Olympics” a r ec o n c e r n e d , all media hotels and otherfacilities will have to meet officialenvironmental standards. BOCOG askedall its suppliers and facility constru c t o r sto abide by its strict environmental ru l e s .“ We are even thinking of making mediadesks of paper, thus conveying theconcept of Green Olympics,” said Sun.

The two major media working places,the MPC and IBC will be decorated withtraditional Chinese elements , i n c l u d i n gc o l o u r s , c h a r a c t e r s , paintings ands c u l p t u r e s , he added.

All the portents say it will bethe Greatest Olympics ever

WORK IN PRO G R E S S : The main stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympics


2 7

Fire is a sacred symbol dating back toprehistoric times. In ancient Greece itsymbolised the creation of the world,r e n e wal and light. It was also the sacredsymbol of Hephaestus, and a gift to thehuman race from Prometheus, who stoleit from Zeus.

Torch relay

At the centre of every city-state inancient Greece there was an altar with ane v e r-burning fire and in every home thesacred flame burned, dedicated to Hestia,goddess of the fa m i l y.

Torch relay races started in ancientGreece as religious rituals held at night.Soon they turned into a team athletice v e n t , initially among adolescents , a n d

f u rther developed to become one of the most popular ancient sports . T h eenchanting power of fire was a source ofi n s p i r a t i o n . Sacred flames lit by the raysof the sun always burned in Olympia, i nan altar dedicated to Hestia.

Fire was ignited with the help of aconcave mirror, which has the ability toconcentrate the rays of the sun on asingle spot. When the head priestesstouched that point with the torch, t h eflame was lit.

For the modern Olympic Games thesacred flame is lit in Olympia by thehead priestess, in the same way as ina n t i q u i t y, and the ritual includes thea t h l e t e s ’ o a t h . The flame is thentransmitted to the torch of the first

ru n n e r, and the journey of the torch relay begins – its magic still touchingpeople today.

For Beijing a total of 21,880 torchbearers will carry the sacred flame overthe longest route and through thegreatest number of countries.

Under the theme of “Journey ofH a r m o ny ” and slogan “Light the Pa s s i o n ,Share the Dream”, the torch bearerselection programme aims to involve thepublic participation in a most broad ande xtensive wa y.

It will recruit a group of torch bearerswho are most deserving and worth ofc a r rying the Olympic flame within their communities.

The selection programme is the coreof the Olympic torch relay preparations.During the fl a m e ’s journey from Olympiain Greece to the host city, the torchbearers play the role of conveyors of theOlympic ideals.

In passing the Olympic fl a m e , t h e ywill spread the Olympic spirit, t r a n s m i ta message of friendship and peace,and arouse the public’s passion for the Olympics.

Some common supers t i t i o n sabout the number 8 are:

● If you give 8 pennies awayyou will receive 108 times thata m o u n t .

● Repeating your own name 8times while staring into yo u rown eyes in a mirror isthought to bring prosperi t y.

● It is unlucky to give a persona bouquet with 8 flowe r s.

● A house with the address 88will bring you doubl eh a p p i n e s s.

● If you wash your hair on the8th day of the month you willl i ve to a ripe old age.

Construction sites of Olympic venues arescattered around the city of Beijing

The venue for the softball event

A BU N e w sF r o m T h e S e c r e t a r i a t

2 8

The ABU welcomed several newadditions to its membershipover the past few months,

among them two Full members andone Additional Full member.

Joining the ABU as Full members are the Republic Television and Ra d i oBroadcasting Company of AzerbaijanRepublic (TVRA) and Radio & TVGeneral Corporation of Yemen (RTV Y ) .

H e a d q u a rtered in Baku City, TVRA is represented by its Director- G e n e r a l ,Ismail Omarov. The ABU Liaison Officer( A LO) is Samir Pa n a h o v, Councillor ofInternational Relations Depart m e n t .

RTVY is represented by its GeneralM a n a g e r, Ahmed Taher Al-Shainy, with i ts ALO being Mohamed Al Samman,Chairman of the Engineering Sector.

Mongolian free-to-air broadcaster,MN25 Te l e v i s i o n , has joined as AdditionalFull member. Based in the capital ofU l a a n b a a t a r, MN25 was established on 18March 1996. Almost all of the content itb r o a d c a s ts is produced locally.

The organisation is led by its Director-G e n e r a l , Z Altai. The ALO is B Batts e ts e g ,the Foreign Affairs Manager.

Another notable inclusion into the ABU membership is the KoreanBroadcasting Institute. E s t ablished on 6April 1989, KBI has formulated mediumand long-term policies to promote theSouth Korean broadcasting industry.

The institute has also trained mediap r o fessionals in the use of innovativebroadcasting technology, and providedvarious support systems for the creationof quality programmes.

The President of KBI is Yu Gyun, w h i l ethe appointed ALO is Park Seung-Ryong.

Also joining the ABU as Affiliatemember is the Pakistan Electronic Media Re g u l a t o ry Authority (PEMRA).PEMRA is headed by its Chairman,Iftikar Ra s h i d .

It has appointed Deputy GeneralManager Muhammad Tahir as both itsA LO and TLO .

The organisation is responsible for regulating the establishment and operation of all broadcast anddistribution stations in Pa k i s t a n .

It is mandated by law to provide freeaccess of media to the Pakistani massesby encouraging investment by theprivate sector in electronic media.

M e a n w h i l e , religious broadcasterTrans World Radio – Pacific (KTWR) hasjoined as an Associate member.

The radio network was founded in1952 and has programmes in over 200languages and dialects which are aired from over 2,800 outlets around the world. It has a worldwide staff ofabout 2,000.

The organisation is represented by itsChief Executive Officer, Dr David Tu c k e r.

N ew members for A BU

Staff of Te chnomedia immersed in wo r k

A Trans World Radio station


2 9

I ts ALO is Station Manager and ChiefEngineer Mike Sabin and its Te c h n i c a lLiaison Officer (TLO) is Fr e q u e n c yCoordinator George Ro s s .

Australian-based broadcaster CVCNetwork Ltd has also joined as anAssociate member.

C VC Network has radio andtelevision broadcast centres across the world engaging audiences withn e w s , music and info r m a t i o n , t a r g e t e dto their interests .

The organisation is led by DirectorMike Edmiston. I ts ALO is Network NewsManager Stuart Cranney while the T LO is Matt Bodman, the CorporateTechnical Manager.

New aff i l i a t e s

M e a n w h i l e , Hong Kong-based Granada International, the USA’s Genesis Networks Inc and Te c h n o m e d i aSolutions from India have joined asAffiliate members.

Granada International is headed byi ts Managing Director, Nadine Nohr,while Regional Director James Ross is itsappointed ALO .

New York-based Genesis Networks isrepresented by its President and ChiefE xecutive Officer, Paul Dujardin. I ts ALOis Executive Assistant Britanny Neal.

Te c h n o m e d i a , which wa sincorporated in July 2002, o f fers total consultancy, turnkey solutions,p r o fessional services and customisedsolutions and products for theelectronic media industry in India and neighbouring countries.

Technomedia is headed by PSS u n d r a m , the Managing Director,who is also the ALO .

The appointed TLO is ShailendraN i g a m , who is Deputy General Managerof Business Development.

New Executive Assistant to SG appointed

The ABU has appointed M a ry Fernandez as the newE xecutive Assistant to the

S e c r e t a ry - G e n e ra l . She takes overfrom Doreen Liew who has leftthe ABU after 27 years of serv i c eto settle down in Austra l i a .

M a ry was previously employed asOffice Manager with InternationalEurobond Consultants – a position inwhich she has gained considerab l eexperience in dealing with people inm a ny countries of As i a , the MiddleEast and developing nations.

B e fore that, she was employed asE xecutive Officer to the GeneralS e c r e t a ry of the Asian Fo o t b a l lC o n federation for about 18 years.

Whilst with the AFC, M a ry also tookon the role of Personal Assistant to theCoordination Director of the FIFAWorld Cup 2002 Korea/Japan fromFe b ru a ry 2000 to September 2003.

“Her employment with the AFCentailed organising events much like

the ABU General Assembly andAdministrative Council meetings, a n dliaison with many governmental,international and local bodies.

“Thus she will be stepping into arole at the ABU that is very similar tothe one that she had at the AFC.

“ T h e r e fore I am confident thatM a ry will be able carry on the exc e l l e n twork that Doreen has been doing allthese years,” said ABU Secretary -G e n e r a l , David As t l e y.

On her appointment, M a ry said: “I know it will be difficult for me to fit into the shoes of my predecessor,who left after 27 years. But I am alsoone who enjoys an adrenaline ru s hespecially when planning a big event.

“I am very proud to be a staff ofABU as it is a very profe s s i o n a lo r g a n i s a t i o n , and I also am lucky tohave very supportive and friendlyc o l l e a g u e s . These are two successi n g r e d i e n ts and the future seems v e ry promising.”

M a ry Fernandez


3 0

The ABU has appointed Shara dSadhu as the new Director of its Technical Depart m e n t .

S h a rad officially took up the newposition on 10 September 2007.

Sharad has been working with theABU since 1993, currently in the positionof Head of Transmission Technology and Spectru m .

He was formerly Director ofEngineering Satellite Services with India’sD o o r d a r s h a n , and General Manager ofthe Broadcast Engineering Division ofTelecom Consultants India.

He replaces Wayne Heads whoreturned to New Zealand in July aftercompleting his fo u r-year contract withthe ABU.

ABU Secretary - G e n e r a l , David As t l e y,said that Sharad competed with anumber of external candidates for the position.

“ S h a r a d ’s intimate knowledge of bothABU activities and the broadcastingenvironment in the ABU region, as wellas his wide range of internationalc o n t a c ts , were key factors in deciding

that he was the most appropriate personto fill this role,” Mr Astley said.

Sharad said among his priorities inhis new position was examining how theTechnical Department could service theABU membership more effectively withthe resources that it had.

“ We would also like to examine andwork towards how the department canprovide more value for all members, i np a rticular those who may not havereceived services from us to the ext e n tthat they desired,” he said.

Sharad also urged members tofo rward suggestions on any new activitiesthat they felt the Technical Depart m e n tshould take up within the resources andframework currently availab l e .

“ We will also examine how we canwork more closely with the other ABUd e p a rt m e n ts in launching joint activitiesfor the benefit of the members.”

The ABU has another newaddition to the Info r m a t i o nSystems Depart m e n t . A l v i n

Kumar Patrick Gabriel has joinedas Senior Systems Support Offi c e r,replacing R. B a l a s u b ra m a n i a mwho resigned.

Alvin joined the ABU fromWe s t p o rts Malaysia where he had been working for some six years,culminating in the position of ITE xecutive cum Systems Administrator.

He has a Computer SystemsEngineering degree, plus a number ofdiplomas and a wide range of experiencein planning and operating IS systems for We s t p o rts .

He also has vast knowledge ofn e t w o r k i n g , operating systems andh a r d wa r e .

At the ABU, he will be in charge of theS e c r e t a r i a t ’s IT systems, including thewebsite operations.

New face in Info Systems

A BU appoints new Te chnical Dire c t o r

Sharad Sadhu

O C T O B E R

8 - 1 2 M I P C O M C a n n e s

1 0 - 1 2 Public Broadcasters International (PBI) confere n c e S e o u l

1 2 N a t i o n a l Radio Confere n c e M e l b o u rn e

1 5 - 1 9 ITU Radiocommunication Assembly 2007 G e n e v a

22 Oct - 16 Nov ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 G e n e v a

2 5 - 2 6 The News Xchange B e r l i n

2 8 ABU Technical Bureau meeting Te h r a n

2 9 - 3 0 ABU Sports Group & event sub-group meetings Te h r a n

3 0 - 3 1 ABU Programme Committee meeting Te h r a n

30 Oct-1 Nov ABU Technical Committee meeting Te h r a n

N O V E M B E R

1 ABU Administrative Council meeting Te h r a n

1 FES/ABU Seminar Te h r a n

3 - 4 ABU 44th General Assembly Te h r a n

1 9 35th International Emmy Aw a rd s New Yo r k

D E C E M B E R

5 - 7 IPTV World Forum Asia S i n g a p o re

7 - 9 DTV Roadmap for Chief Executives Kuala Lumpur

1 0 - 1 1 T h i rd World Electronic Media Forum (WEMF3) Kuala Lumpur

F E B R U A RY 2008

4 - 8 Fifth Global Shortwave Coordination Confere n c e B a n g k o k

M A R C H

4 - 6 C A B S AT 2 0 0 8 D u b a i

1 0 - 1 3 ABU Mobile Broadcasting Symposium Kuala Lumpur

A P R I L

1 1 - 1 7 NAB Show Las Ve g a s

M AY

1 2 - 1 3 ABU Administrative Council Meeting M a c a u

1 4 - 2 9 Meetings of ITU-R Study Group 6 and its Working Part i e s G e n e v a

J U N E

1 7 - 2 0 B roadcastAsia 2008 S i n g a p o re

J U LY

3 - 4 EBU General Assembly B u d a p e s t

6 WBU Annual Meeting B u d a p e s t

S E P T E M B E R

1 1 - 1 6 IBC 2008 A m s t e rd a m

A BU CALENDAR OF EVENTSE vents of interest to the ABU and its members in 2007 & 2008

Published four times a year by the

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union

P u b l i s h e r: David A s t l e y

E m a i l: [email protected]

Editor: Carol Murugiah


Editorial A s s i s t a n t: Izzatul A k m a r

Abdul Karim


C o n t r i b u t o r s:

Alan Wi l l i a m s

Fernand A l b e r t o

John Barton

Francyne Harrigan

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A BU News Ju ly / S ep t e m b e r2007 Vo l . 26 No. 4


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