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Repentant Owners Bring TV To War Zone
no TV today Conflict has an immediate and enduring effect on all civic institutions. Disruption knows no boundaries, despite international conventions on such engagements. As the principle means for informing - and warning - non-combatants media infrastructure is vulnerable, often targeted, as much as housing and water supplies. When intentional, it is a war crime. While waiting for the esteemed tribunals to issue their verdicts, often a decade or more, media institutions either adapt or fail.

Serious Spooks Seriously Offended By Questions Over News Anchor Killing
always watching Crime mysteries attract a considerable following. Melodrama aside, fiction is more popular than reality. The reason is simple: real bad guys have read all the books, seen all the movies. And they do not want to be in any of them.

 

 

Propaganda Show Host Rants About Punishing Children With Drowning, Burning
war crimes Media outlets have forever offered a wide range of opinions to readers, listeners and viewers. This is no simple phenomenon like glaciers or icebergs. It’s a feature. Publishers - followed by broadcasters - defended even the most egregious as beneficial to open dialogue, all the while collecting from subscribers and advertisers. The digital age has turned this into a wild feeding frenzy. The remaining hopeful hold out for some sort of moral constraint. Sorry, it isn’t coming.

Early Development Focused On Radio Broadcasting
tuning in After Taliban extremists were expelled from Afghanistan in late 2001, international aid agencies planned ambitious infrastructure projects. Effective communication with the population was given priority. Due to high illiteracy rates, particularly in rural areas, radio broadcasting was deemed the "dominant medium of mass information." Plans for radio development quickly took form, intended as short-term compliments to democratic "transition," a politically popular notion but contentious in practice.

Aid Disappears, Local Media Closes Down
viral message Unique in the media world are local outlets. These broadcasters and publishers connect people on a real level. National media are great, generally, for big subjects and comprehensive reporting as well as fit-for-purpose entertainment. On the other side, social media is good for fluff and distraction. Local media is at highest risk.

 

 

Evacuation Convoy Hit By Artillery, Reporter Inside Killed, Another War Crime
once again Journalist casualties always made headlines, whether specifically targeted with a bomb, gunshot or blade. In conflict zones, media workers are targeted by snipers honing in on those press flack jackets. Some also lose their lives with others, doing their jobs, taking notes and photos in crowded places, vehicles indiscriminately targeted by aggressors. These are war crimes.

 

 

Reaching Back In Messaging War
pigs Out of home advertising, abbreviated in the ad trades as OOH, is a very resilient segment of the business. This year OOH, no longer just billboards, has rebounded as marketers target consumers returning to the streets. Some like the giant digital visuals. Others are attracted to the interactive possibilities of facial recognition. So cool. So upscale. And Netflix, so far, doesn’t show ads.

 

 

 

Extremists Show True Color: Dark
watching Several well-known international agencies monitor the status of media workers. From Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and others these groups mind the realm, some quite activist. Considering relentless efforts by despots and dictators to control or even stamp out the free flow of information they provide valuable resources to the public and lawmakers. There are, however, limits to their effectiveness.

Media Development: Best Intentions Blinded By Forces Unrecognized
install color TVs Populations emerging from repression and conflict have benefited greatly from media development efforts. Updating broadcast and publishing output, sometimes just getting them started, measurably improves civic discourse. At the same time these programs can irritate if not antagonize certain authoritarian elements preferring their own communication, or even darkness.

 

 

With Doom And Crisis Resilience Appears
untangle Taking for granted significant civic institutions is a mark, say historians, of inevitable decline. Citations are extensive, from the Roman Empire to the Soviet Union. In post-modern times, dismay at failures of Orange Revolutions and the Arab Spring to stem civic decline is palpable. Causes differ and are complex. Science, physics in particular, grants metaphysical truth. Objects at rest tend to fall apart: the Law of Entropy.

 

In International Media Relations Headlines Matter
what's that sound In every major news shop there is a managing editor. That job is organizing and distributing the work to fit the news of the day. They know more about holiday schedules, visa rules and airlines than pandemics, elections or sporting events. Bloodshot budgets over the last couple of years means every decision is critical. Without their skill, the news just stops.

 

Judge Rules Conspiracy Theorist Actions Unconstitutional
3 alarm Long associated with crackly shortwave signals and wars, cold and not, government-funded international broadcasting languished when the memories of the Cold War dimmed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Interest in news and features from distant lands rose again as major international broadcasters adjusted their missions as they replaced shortwave for FM. BBC World Service, Radio France International, Deutsche Welle and Voice of America bolstered journalistic endeavors with statutory "firewalls" between the journalism and governments. Propaganda did not end, obviously, but international broadcasting took on a different context. Audiences returned.

 

Fragile News Media Offered Modest Support
colateral damage While the coronavirus pandemic and related economic catastrophe have raised, somewhat, levels of media support, other issues long detailed still remain. The biggest, of course, are conflicts, natural and man-made disasters. These continue to devastate independent media, necessary to preserve safe and secure information flow.

 

 

Where There Is No Plan, Watch For Spinning
save energy Commemorated this past weekend was the 70th anniversary of the launch of Radio Free Europe. The US-funded international broadcaster first broadcast to Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on July 4th, 1950 via a transmitter in southwestern Germany, near Frankfurt. The mission was to offer "surrogate" news and information for States under the rule of the Soviet Union, using largely expatriate staff. Radio Liberty came three years later, directed toward the Soviet Union, later merged with RFE. Thousands of scholarly volumes have been written about RFE/RL's history, emphasis typically on its role in the Cold War.

 

Online Investigators Uncover Massive Corruption, Then Get Punished
shifting money Whistleblowers don’t always make news, just sometimes. That a person comes forward from within an organization or community to reveal malfeasance, corruption or crime reveals an ethical depth often at odds with common wisdom: go along to get along. Reality, of course, can be dramatic. Confidential sources are protected by journalistic ethics, alive and well in most places. Like journalists who look into their claims, whistleblowers face retribution.

 

 

 

News Outlets Bust Digital Blackouts
broken wires Certain to amaze - even horrify - Millennials not everything is digital. Indeed, there are means of communication not dependent on ones and zeros, anything in between or bots. Analogue platforms, hardly extinct, have certain advantages.

 

 

Television Is Filled With Interesting People
bugs everywhere Television still has everyone’s attention. Around the world, people are totally engrossed in whatever TV has to offer. Some tell social scientists that watching television is the happiest time of their day. The advertising people know this. Others are learning.

 

 

Local Radio Interacts Quite Naturally
interaction Media development groups and international organizations have long known that the medium of choice in Africa is radio. Of course, there are newspapers, television and, most recently, digital platforms. The spoken word on a continent of local languages by the thousands is the preferred means of communication and connection. Diversity on the African continent - linguistic, cultural and religious - is astounding.

 

 

 

Birds Of A Feather Or A Fish Rots: A Phrase For All Seasons
feathered dinosaur The Western Balkan states have suffered from democratic deficiencies for decades. As a result, arguably, media serving the region has a spotty reputation. Little improvements are met with precipitous declines. Leadership is often the biggest challenge; that fish-head phrase coming to mind.

 

 

Not Even Rich People Feel Safe In The Media Business
better than tin foil For media outlets in fledgling democracies getting ahead of the curve, so to speak, is difficult. Agents of media development, largely from the outside, will do only so much, particularly as results depend on factors unseen and unexpected. Local owners and operators see only hard decisions. Those on the front-line are left to their own wit and wisdom.

 

 

 

Where Independent Media Falls, It Is Not The Market
odd shape Total media control is the dream of "illiberal" autocrats. Provoked by critics, irked by nosey reporters they prefer soft news sprinkled with a good dose of conspiracy theory. Secrets must always be kept, never spoken or written. Their prism is, however, so last century. Distortions inevitably find light.

 

 

 

 

News Network In Search Of Itself Retreats
rock the news Maturity comes to international news broadcasters when hot coverage fades. Parachuting crews in conflict zones create, often, as many headlines as they report. There is a place for that and audiences are drawn to the excitement. When the buzz fades - and critics leap out - it’s time to “examine the business model.”

 

 

Development Angels Seize Opportunity, Bring Skills
Myanmar DJ Capacity building is the major fixture of media development agencies. International organizations tout accessible and objective news and information as essential for functioning democracies and generously support efforts to upgrade skills. Authoritarian rulers understand this and put up stiff resistance. Training people to report, write and deliver news is mildly threatening. Teaching the trade of sustainable business for media outlets changes the game.

 

Old Waves Across Borders Fade – New Waves Rise
Christiane Amanpour International broadcasting reached a pinnacle during the post-Second World War years. The Cold War gave birth to a competitive sphere where government funded radio broadcasters kept news listeners fixed to their radios. By the mid 1980’s the dial was filled. A decade later, everything had changed.

 

 

Market Development Struggles Between Waiting And Wanting
on air 202 The health of a media market can be measured by one particular vital sign, the radio sector. Listeners are engaged by stories and songs, dialects and sounds making radio stations part of the local conversation. Reliable and accessible yet always changing radio is the perfect bridge to the new media environment. Advertisers benefit from this and, in turn, make radio broadcasting a good business. That is, in theory, the way it’s supposed to work.

 

 

 

More Internet, More Information; Some Good, Some Not
faster and faster The relationship between internet technology and critical information is largely beneficial. The public’s interest is quickly satisfied by words and pictures flowing instantly from the miracle of the digital age. News cycles, though, hate vacuums and the web tends to neutralize value.

In Reaching Out

The Inescapable Anomie Of Smallness - May 29 2014
anomie Big media markets have many advantages. More money, obviously, is one. More watchful eyes, arguably, is another. Smaller media markets, where everybody knows everybody, become consumed by the bitterness of scale. Criticism is very unwelcome.

 

 

 

Creating Credibility Not A Vanity Project - April 3 2014
Nobody doubts the soft power value of international media. Words and pictures can frame any message. Soft power effectiveness depends on credibility far more than technology. Desired outcomes, however, must be clear.

There’s No Interrupting The Weather - November 25 2013
Imagine the wind lifting the roof from your house, water rushing in the windows, the ground shaking or fire inching closer. In highly developed regions systems are in place to provide timely and accurate information. But natural disasters know no boundaries. And where people are most vulnerable the most reliable information sources are the best.

Media Leaders Told To Stop Being Critical And Make More Money - November 11 2013
Developing a strong media sector in transitional regions seizes the opportunities of good business, employment and hot technology. And everybody likes good news. Media people need to cooperate, say government officials, and keep everything pretty. Jail is the obvious option.

Media Sector Nearly Ready For Prime Time - September 9 2013
Since Croatia’s accession to European Union (EU) membership this summer, nations with aspirations to join the European club have a long wait. The EU hasn’t forgotten them; it’s the arduous process. For six countries, all more or less adjacent to Europe and all formerly in the Soviet orbit, the EU has organized a special outreach program to cement ties or at least to build rapport.

A Mission In Search Of Purpose - January 7 2013
Like the weather, everybody talks about change. Media organizations are particularly susceptible to the idea. It makes for great meetings. After that, reality is very stormy.

New Media Outshines Partisan Election Coverage - November 22 2012
More and more, elections are being monitored by international organizations for more than polling practices. Campaigns and media coverage is under scrutiny. As new media technology takes an increasingly important role in political campaigns election observers must look beyond traditional messages.

Arab Spring Governments Have A Big Problem With The Media - June 18, 2012
liberate poster Calls to replace old media structures resound, far and wide, with popular surges toward democracy. The Arab Spring has been but the latest. The idealism of newly empowered citizens quite naturally seeks voice, some of which was found in new media and quickly. Traditional media is more difficult to turn.

 

 

 

 

It’s Always About The Money - April 9, 2012
Local media is often held as essential to strong community dynamics, a multitude of voices preferable to a few outlets offered by either the State or big private owners. The dilemma, less figured, is pure economics. Local media is expensive and a lot of local media is unsustainable, forcing difficult, often ugly decisions on media workers and owners. A solution, like the money, is hard to find.

Media Rises To Meet Greatest Challenges - February 27, 2012
There are places where media carries the weight of life and survival, far more than celebrity gossip and playing the hits. Those who pursue this mission see, hear and feel the difference. It’s not something that can be valued simply in terms of money. That’s what makes it so difficult.

Experience Marks Media Development Success - January 24, 2012
Media development in conflict and post-conflict zones requires a certain expertise. A talent for adaptation is essential. Being there is important, too. And development agencies and NGOs are always looking for experience.

A Strong Media Indispensable To Good Economics - December 8, 2011
Mass communications is commonly viewed as indispensable, a critical institution. Media facilitates that critical communications by providing language, narrative and passion. But media development is uneven, more so in times of dismal economics and accompanying social instability.

Turnarounds Are More Than A Tip-toe Through The Tulips - October 3, 2011
Systemic change offers opportunities for new thinking about a nation’s media. Wholesale upheavals, from “flower” and "color" revolutions to “springtime” protests and, even, wars, would seem to create the right conditions. And, too, the digital revolution should open the media space. Reality, though, is a laggard.

A Family That Broadcasts Together Stays Together - September 22, 2011
There are many survival rules for media executives. One is never embarrass the boss or his wife. Another, more important, is never upstage the boss. There are no cultural exceptions.

Wrestling, Bikinis And Soft Power - July 7, 2011
International broadcasting remains an important element of soft power diplomacy. Nations want to tell their story to peoples around the world. Those goals remain the same even as the means of telling those stories has changed dramatically.

Prickly President Trashes Media, Worries Neighbors - June 20, 2011
National leaders can be rather prickly when it comes to relations with media organizations and journalists. Some just don’t take criticism very well. Others seem bent on upsetting everybody.

Media Outlook: No Pressure, No Progress - May 16, 2011
European Parliament Blights on the media landscape are oft noted, particularly at the fringes. The media is too powerful, except where it isn’t. It’s too rich, except where it isn’t. It has the best of values, except when it doesn’t. On this everybody seems to agree, except when they can’t.

 

 

 

 

 

Some Television Networks Just Have That Edge - April 1, 2011
Media development in post-conflict zones isn’t for the faint of heart. Each region has their own challenges and no single strategy guarantees success. Strong, persistent actors have an edge.

The Challenging Reality of Dictatorship - March 9, 2011
Civil strife is never easy on the eyes. Tension begets hatred, which begets violence, supporters of all sides participating. Media is, then, tangled in the conflict; hostile, rough and ugly.

Television, New Media Fight For Shifting News Role - January 31, 2011
Everything about the process and delivery of news changed with the rise of the Web and mobile media. Something, too, changed with the way news is used. Floating between these two fundamental changes is either anarchy or democracy.

Is It Still Important In Today’s World For The Likes Of The BBC To Still Be Broadcasting In Russian, Mandarin, Turkish, Serbian, Ukrainian … - January 27, 2011
When the UK government announced last September it would end its £272 million annual grant for BBC World Service radio we ran the headline, “What Becomes of BBC World Radio” and four months later we now have the answer – the closing of five language services and savage cuts at the remaining 26. But in today’s media world, does it matter?

Hate Radio – A Violent Echo Chamber - January 18, 2011
The radio medium has shown through its 100-year history an incredible power. That power has delighted, informed and entertained; a testament to its enduring strength. Radio’s power, too, has been a force for evil and madness.

Independent Media Investment Pays Off - December 21, 2010
Financial investors are genetically averse to high risk. Media in developing regions rarely gets the attention of fund managers. That, too, is changing.

Burma Chooses Chinese Media Model - November 15, 2010
The digital age has spawned media models galore. There are many to choose from. There’s the internet free-for-all model. There’s Mr. Murdoch’s pay-for-everything model. There’s also the Chinese model.

What Becomes Of BBC World Service Radio? - October 20, 2010
Calling All Nations As part of the UK government’s massive spending cuts announced Wednesday the BBC license fee of £145.50 (€160, $220) is going to remain frozen for the next six years, but the public broadcaster is losing its Foreign Office grant of some £272 million (€297 million, $412 million) that annually funds its World Service radio.

 

 

 

Government Double-takes On World Service - September 9, 2010
International broadcasting reaches into dark places. Metrics are obscure. Missions blur. And it’s hard to graft an answer to the head of a pin. The fight for funding requires tenacity.

Africa’s Media Seeks Broad Support - August 31, 2010
Media has long been a priority of international organizations in post-conflict development. After security information is considered a basic necessity. Most often these are long-term efforts and successes are delicate.

Where Facebook Rules Everything Changes - May 19, 2010
Social media platform Facebook gets considerable attention in media circles. It’s popular, very popular, as more traditional media platforms appear to suffer. That ‘digital dividend’ just keeps on giving.

Bosnia bill due and payable - February 19, 2010
After nearly two decades of international supervision, the countries spun-off from what was once known as Yugoslavia have made remarkable progress in sustainable media development. Pressures remain and the resulting tensions create more pressures. The investment has been considerable and now the bills are due.

Old Waves Across Borders Fade – New Waves Rise - November 18, 2009
Christiane Amanpour CNN International broadcasting reached a pinnacle during the post-Second World War years. The Cold War gave birth to a competitive sphere where government funded radio broadcasters kept news listeners fixed to their radios. By the mid 1980’s the dial was filled. A decade later, everything had changed.

 

In The Balkans Always Look Both Ways - October 28, 2009
Establishing democratic institutions and the rule of law where ethnic wars once raged in South East Europe has been the focus of international organizations and experts for two decades. Free press and independent public media have been seen as essential for bringing stability to this corner of Europe. The results of these efforts have been disappointing as local tribes, clans and factions quickly revert to old ways.

Walking the Minefield of EU Enlargement - October 15, 2009
The European Union is again in expansion mode, reluctantly. After the 2004-2006 leap that added 12 new Member States, Southeast Europe - the Balkans - are the next logical step. But, as the famous poet said, “there are miles to go.”

What does an Arabic language TV channel get you? - July 27, 2009
Every government with a story to tell wants to tell it on television. Internet services of state-run news agencies can put out all the press releases and official statements. Nothing, however, beats a television channel for a foreign audience.

Try Not To Insult The Dictator, OK? - July 20, 2009
That all governments seek to control all media is the first rule of media politics. More authoritarian governments use extreme measures, to the complaints of media watchers. Dictators pay no attention.

Media NGO goes where money isn’t in the budget - April 21, 2009
Desperate places share a common plight. They are always poor and always under threat. Basic information without constraint or bias is, for people trying to survive, essential. Media development NGOs are facing the task with fewer resources.

Foreign broadcasters not welcome - December 11, 2008
International broadcasters are either warmly welcomed or shunned entirely by host governments. When most listeners and viewers use radios and TVs of the terrestrial kind that’s the place broadcasters want to be. But politics, nationalism and greed are making those frequencies off limits to the people with a message from afar.

Congo militias free FAZ reporter, others hide - November 8, 2008
mountain gorilla Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) Africa correspondent Thomas Scheen was released by the pro-government Maï Maï militia, confirmed by FAZ publisher Berthold Kohler (November 8). Scheen, his interpreter and driver have been in the custody of the United Nations Peace keeping force MONUC since Friday morning (November 7).

 

 

EU expansion candidates warned on media issues - November 6, 2008
Three countries are on the official list for EU enlargement. Five more are considered potential candidates. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn reported this week on the progress… or lack thereof. Media issues loom large.

 

Croatian press freedom seen as improving…until last week - October 26, 2008
car bomb EU Expansion Commissioner Olli Rehn declared 2009 to be the year of the Balkans last week, a positive signal for Croatia. Two days later an important Croatian newspaper publisher had an unfortunate meeting with a car bomb. Croatia’s Prime Minister vows not to let his country “become another Beirut.”

 

 

In youthful Syria, media is cool, happy and proud - October 15 2008
And it’s a bit racy, quite different from the Western perception of Arabic media. Oh sure, there’s a line not to be crossed and the Syrian government listens in. But tuning in is quite cool.

The Millstone Around Russia - June 23 2008
bunch of rats

 

Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan – all on Russia’s edge – are pushing media repression to new lows. With all broadcasting and most print media firmly under State control, the Web is the current target. Dictators on Russia’s borders perplex even Russian media.

 

 

 

BBC news chief addresses international radio festival - May 2008
Iran’s state broadcasting institution hosted again its International Radio Festival. The Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union joined the event this year co-hosting the International Radio Forum. The BBC’s Director of Global News Richard Sambrook gave the keynote. Only one Iranian official walked out.

Media War 2.0 - May 14 2008
The Hezbollah faction fought its way across Lebanon’s capital Beirut with more death and destruction in its wake. One target was the pro-government media center Future TV, now in ruins. The militias now control through force of arms much of what moves. And its own media empire is spreading the news.

Tycoons and television: a dangerous combination - February 13 2008
A day earlier this would have been a story about a television station, controversial in itself, changing owners. A Russian billionaire or two thrown in and the story gets a bit more interesting. But when the stations’ principal owner ‘suspiciously’ drops dead, this story took yet a different turn. Oh, add Rupert Murdoch to the mix.

Newspaper sale highlights transparency, international tension - January 27 2008
Turning government owned enterprises into private companies is considered a positive step, even more so when governments divest interest in State owned media. A lack of transparency in privatization, brought to light by NGOs, has a way of diminishing any positive result. Nowhere is this more apparent than the Balkans.

Raise high the license fee, Burma, and see less - January 2, 2008
Burma’s military rulers engaged a new front in their war on media “liars attempting to destroy the nation.” Today’s target is the dreaded satellite dish. Without warning, and no official announcement, satellite dish owners are now expected to pay about three times the average annual wage for a license to watch news, sports and soap operas from the outside.

Georgian TV channel suspends broadcasts…owner in coup plot allegations - December 26, 2008
Imedi TV suspended broadcasting ‘temporarily’ (Wednesday, December 26) according to a spokesperson, reported by website Civil Georgia. The station has been a political football in the contest between the government of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and billionaire opposition leader Badri Patarkatsishvili. In early November the channel was forcibly closed by authorities and direct management assumed by News Corporation (News Corp), its minority shareholder.

Pimp your satellite dish - December 15, 2007
colorful dishes

 

Yes, the basic garden variety – or rooftop – satellite dish is one ugly sight. In a recent beautification movement Turkmenistan’s president ordered them removed. Media watchers question whether he finds the dishes so ugly or the programs they receive.

 

 

 

Human Rights Day launch for Belarus TV channel - December 12, 2007
The multi-national project to beam independent television into Belarus is planned to hit the airwaves on International Human Rights Day. Belsat will be for Belarusians by Belarusians, say the producers. And they’ll throw in Ally McBeal, too.

Mog mayor wants no bad news on the radio - November 28, 2007
Politicians moan continually about their press coverage. Bad news reflects badly. Mogadishu mayor Mohamed Dheere told broadcasters and publishers to stop the bad news or else.

Opposition leader cedes TV control to News Corp, takes to protest podium - November 5, 2007
Badri Patarkatsishvili Two days before Georgians by the tens of thousands took to the streets protesting their government, News Corp executive vice president Marty Pompadur told a press conference in the Georgia capital Tbilisi that the company has taken over management of Imedi TV and radio.
followup (1); comments(0)

 

Post-conflict media training expensive and ‘naïve’ - October 19, 2007
training Immediately after the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords ending military and para-military action in Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe and the US rushed in the media specialists. ‘Hate radio’ may not have been invented in Bosnia but through years of conflict it flourished and, against all best efforts, pieces remain today. The international community’s intention was to use media for the good of that devastated civil society. With that end in mind, but hardly in sight, money poured in for equipment, from transmitters to printing presses, and for training.

Russian broadcaster steps to the West - October 10, 2007
Media advertising in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Romania will experience triple digit growth over the next three years. That may not exactly be the reason a Russian broadcaster wants to acquire the aging Soviet-era transmission facility in Transdniestra.

Croatia’s media: arrested development - October 1, 2007
Feral Tribune A decade ago European institutions saw Croatia’s media sector as hopeless, with little or no possibility developing to recognized standards. The new century brought considerable donor involvement in media but only modest attention from major broadcasters and publishers. The European Union declared Croatia last November a functioning market economy, another step toward EU accession and signal that the ‘post-donor’ era had begun.

 

ESC Serbian winnerSerbian media changes little, faces long transition - September 24, 2007
The media situation in Serbia hasn’t changed much. “We are seven years in this (transition) period in Serbia and we can say that we are half way through,” said OSCE Head of Mission in Serbia Hans Ola Urstad in a recent interview. “A lot more has to be done and it will be done,”

 

mullahsIran tourism: very expensive and hard to leave - September 20, 2007
Radio Farda reporter Parnaz Azima left Iran after an extended and unplanned eight month stay. Iran’s official media said she was planning a ‘velvet revolution.’ Give me a break! She was visiting her mother.

 

Private broadcast licenses ‘formalized’ in Cameroon - September 11, 2007
Cameroon’s Communications Ministry recently issued the nation’s first broadcast licenses. The law allowing privately owned radio and television stations was enacted 27 years ago. There seems to be no hurry.

Talk show host murdered, station director killed, broadcasters warned - August 10, 2007
At sunrise Saturday morning Radio HornAfrik talk show host Mahad Ahed Elmi took four bullets to the head as he reached his office door. Hours later station director Ali Iman Sharmarke, returning from Elmi’s funeral, died when his automobile struck a landmine. Friday government troops raided Radio Shabelle, arresting staff members. Both stations – broadcasters known for independent reporting – have continued to operate despite warnings and threats from disparate bands of warring factions.

International broadcasters on high alert: Key channel, support group threatened - July 2, 2007
RL Armenia Foreign-originated broadcasts and foreign media support groups are losing their welcome. Is somebody afraid of being bitten? Writing new laws to hamper, discourage and foil foreign-originated broadcasts from entering their ether-space is necessary, they say, for technical reasons

 

Honor Killings Stalk Women in Journalism - June 11, 2007
Three times in two weeks women working in journalism in the Middle East were reported murdered. The killings are a gruesome reminder that for the many and significant steps forward for journalism in the region; it remains in the grip of cultural antiquities and fear.

WAN Criticizes Lack of Press Freedom in Africa, But South African President Thabo Mbeki Chides Publishers and Editors For Cutting Back On Their African Coverage - June 5, 2007
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) told South African President Thabo Mbeki, officials of the African Union, foreign ambassadors and nearly 400 African newspaper professionals from 43 countries that if Africa had more press freedom that in itself would help stamp out the rampant 'corruption, famine, poverty, violent conflict, disease and lack of education -- afflictions of which African people's have much more than their fair share.' Mbeki basically agreed but also chided the world’s media for their lack of commitment in covering Africa for the rest of the world.

Press Freedom in Africa? - June 4, 2007
Africa “Media freedom in Africa is held captive both by the state and by the market," according to Zambian media analyst Fackson Banda, speaking at a press freedom in Africa roundtable at the WAN convention in Cape Town Sunday.

 

 

Alan Johnston Not Free Yet - June 3, 2007
Generally welcomed Friday was the video of BBC reporter Alan Johnston in captivity. Most sources and experts agree that negotiations for his freedom remain difficult.

Senegal Private Radio Launch Halted by Gendarmes - June 1, 2007
It was supposed to be something of a celebration: the launch of Dakar radio station Premiere FM. Gendarmes appeared and authorities asked owner Madiambal Diagne to shut down signal tests already in progress.

Palestinian Security Chief Rules Out Force to Free BBC Reporter - May 2, 2007
Saying that negotiations to free kidnapped BBC Gaza reporter Alan Johnston have reached a “sensitive” stage, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh wants the world to know that he’s got the message.

RTL Loses Serb License Appeal - April 4, 2007
Serbia’s Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by RTL against the media regulator Republic Broadcasting Agency (RBA), according to B92.

Middle East Warlords Use Journalists as Poker Chips - April 9, 2007
Every moment is a high-stakes poker game in the Middle East. News reporting is no longer about observation. Reporters are now bargaining chips.

Terror Group Claims It Has Killed Alan Johnston – No Independent Verification - April 16, 2007

Broadcasters Rally to BBC Journalist Kidnapped in Gaza - April 11, 2007
"Journalists must never become victims of their own profession,"

Radio Rides In To Rescue Middle East Peace - February 22, 2007
Radio broadcasting’s long, distinguished tradition as a creative force in conflict zones turns a new chapter as an English language FM station based in Ramallah, Palestine takes to the air.

At This Holiday Time : Remember The Little Ones - December 21, 2006
Antena C logo A country’s “best” radio station is taken off the air. The West protests. The government shrugs. The story repeats.

 

No More Free Radio/TV In Azerbaijan - November 27, 2006
ANS logo After smoldering for weeks, the Azeri government finally acted on its displeasure with television and radio broadcaster ANS. News accounts show a revolting picture of police surrounding the stations’ as authorities moved in to shut them down.

 

Ogulsapar Muradova Died Violently Last Week. She Was a Journalist - September 18, 2006
Ogulspar Muradova Just less than 90 days after being arrested by Turkmen authorities, the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) free-lance reporter died in prison. She had been convicted at a trial lasting 10 minutes and sentenced to serve six years, effectively a life-time. She was 58 years old.

 

Satellite TV Channel “With You Lebanon” Launched by Dubai Media Group - August 17, 2006
Al Aqariya Group – a publisher and television operator for the Arab real estate market – took to the satellite airwaves with a new channel aimed at raising awareness – and funds – for Lebanon’s reconstruction.

 

 

Armenian Broadcaster Wins Record Number of License Denials - May 28, 2006
The “Never Give Up” award goes to Armenian broadcaster A1+. Four years after being tossed off the air, they keep trying. And the government keeps denying.

Media Development Loan Fund Bonds With Swiss Bank - May 12, 2006
When times are tough, the clever get creative. Times are certainly tough for independent media in transitional economies. Marking World Press Freedom Day, the Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF) and Swiss partners launched a clever investment instrument designed to support independent press in developing countries.

Wasting No Time, Serb Authorities Send a Message…With the Police. - April 28, 2006
Less than a week after the Serbian Broadcasting Authority announced the winners of national TV and radio licenses, BK TV – one of the losers – was shut down by police

Fox Television Joins Serb Channels in License Award - April 24, 2006
The Serbian Republic Broadcasting Agency (PPA) reshuffled national television and radio allocations, awarding most to existing broadcasters but adding everybody’s favorite media mogul to the scene. Five national TV licenses were granted to six broadcast companies. News Corporation, through its Netherlands subsidiary, will operate Fox Televizija with local Serb partners.

ftm follow-up - Billions For Propaganda, Little For Staff - April 12, 2006

Awards For Developing Media’s Best - February 17, 2006
The entry deadline for the prestigious One World Media Awards is upon us. Nominations are sought for the Special Award for Developing Media.

ftm follow-up - Journalist Murder Trial Opens Questions - January 11, 2006

Sustain – Not Stop – The Press! - December 28, 2005
In its first decade Media Development Loan Fund moved the balance for independent news media in emerging democracies from subsidy and charity to continuity and sustainability. The success stories are moving, too. But, hold on, its new investment offer will bond.

ftm follow-up - Uzbek Hammer Blunts News Coverage – December 13, 2005

Piramida TV’s Strange Weekend - December 12, 2005
Reports differ slightly, but it appears Kyrgyzstan is about to lose its only marginally independent television station. And it appears fueled by hostilities between those in and out of power.

ftm follow-up - Montenegro Set To Change Broadcast Rules - November 1, 2005

Macedonia Public Broadcaster in Turmoil - November 1, 2005
Macedonia Radio Television (MRT) General Director Gordana Stosic resigned (August 7) casting doubts on the broadcasters’ future.

BBC Albanian Service Launches Morning Radio Program - November 1, 2005 News and current affairs program BBC Sot, meaning BBC Today, airs 0700-0900 CET, Monday through Friday on the BBC’s Tirana station 103.9 FM and several affiliates across the country. The program format contains regional and international news bulletins each 15 minutes and features on business, sports and culture. Listeners can participate in live in-studio debates via SMS messaging, telephone and email

Afghan Journalists Review Afghan Media Scene - October 30, 2005
Outsiders looking at Afghanistan’s post-Taliban media scene report gains, strides, progress, improvement. Afghan journalists do not suffer the grammatical. It’s grim.

Guardian Reporter Kidnapped in Iraq - October 20, 2005
Several sources tie the kidnapping to yesterday’s other main event in Iraq, the start of Saddam Hussein’s trial. Armed men seized the 33 year old Irishman, along with his driver.

Hard Times in Conflict Zones - October 1, 2005
The typical is never the case in conflict zones where visiting a local warlord or facing a militia can be the first order of the days’ business.

Belarus: Hot New Broadcast Market - September 12, 2005
Nothing attracts broadcasters attention like a hot new market. Even though Belarus is home to Europe’s last major dictator, broadcasters are lined up to get their share of the audience.

Ukraine TV Owner Dies Mysteriously - June 30, 2005
Months after the Orange Revolution set in motion a change in guard in Ukraine the old guard is losing its grip on media. But tactics don’t seem to change.

Uzbekistan: What Color is Your Revolution? - May 14, 2005
Media lock-down preceeded the civil unrest in Uzbekistan. And it continues. This dictator wants nothing to do with those “colorful revolutions.”

Robert Mugabe’s Never Ending Battle With the Media - April 7, 2005
British journalists are arrested, Swedish correspondent deported and exiles short-wave radio station jammed as Mugabe’s reign over Zimbabwe continues

Radio Relief Arrives in Aceh. Really! - March 28, 2005
Media support agencies and international broadcasters are moving personnel and equipment to Indonesia’s Aceh province, re-building destroyed radio stations.

Togo’s New Rulers Clamp Down on Media - February 15, 2005
After the military installed a new president, son of the last one, Togolese media was put on notice: Don’t make waves!

Big and Small, Broadcasters Determined in DR Congo - December 1, 2004
Just four years ago Richard Pituwa built a transmitter from left behind electronics. This year One World Broadcasting Trust honored him and his station, Radio Canal Révélation.

Ukraine: Return Us Now to Tomorrow - November 29, 2004
High-powered media campaigns in the Ukraine – before and after the elections – shine a klieglight on – that’s right – high-powered media.

Gbagbo Supporters Mute Media in Ivory Coast - November 9, 2004
With French and United Nations troops attempting to prevent Ivory Coast from slipping back into civil war several media outlets critical of President Laurent Gbagbo were silenced.

Confidence Crumbles in Serb Broadcast Council - November 8, 2004
Created more than two years ago the agency meant to overhaul Serbia’s broadcast media remains mired in politics left over from the Milosevic era.

Radio SAWA report: Big Audience, Low Impact - October 16, 2004
A US State Department Inspector General‘s report is critical of the Arabic-language channel as failing to meet its mandate although it attracts a large audience in key Middle Eastern countries.

Public Broadcasters and Balkan Ghosts - October 1, 2004
If counting stations best measured a regions broadcasting health, radio in the western Balkans would be called strong and thriving. It is not.
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Teaching Radio Best Practices - March 1, 2004
Radio trainers roam the developing world, facing major challenges in difficult environments and, not infrequently, dangerous situations.

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