blinkx press release, 27 July 2010: "blinkx, the world's largest and most advanced video search engine, today announced a partnership with BBC World News, www.bbcworldnews.com, the BBC's international 24-hour news and information channel. BBC World News content will now be available and fully searchable on www.blinkx.com for all users outside of the United Kingdom. Leveraging its unique AdHoc platform, blinkx will place advertising against this premium content and share resulting revenue with BBC World News."

Variety, 24 July 2010, Steve Clarke: "As recently as 2006, [BBC Worldwide's channels business] was marginal to the strategy of the pubcaster's commercial arm. The biz was worth a piffling £1.2 million ($1.8 million) a year and employed nine people. Now, 41 channel launches later, BBC Worldwide Channels reported a profit of £39.2 million ($60 million) this month on sales of $399 million, not far behind home entertainment and content distribution. There is a staff of 500 based in London and overseas. Worldwide's suite of six webs [TV networks] -- Entertainment, Knowledge, Lifestyle, kids web CBeebies, World News and BBC HD -- are available in Australia, parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America. But in one sense, the hardest work may be beginning as Worldwide Channels attempts to beef up its position in mature Western European markets and in the toughest entertainment market of all, the U.S." -- "Web" is one of Variety's idiosyncratic words, meaning television network. Now that "web" means something else to most people, this could be confusing.

Economic Times, 30 July 2010: "BBC Worldwide Channels has identified India as a key growth market and is working on widening the reach of its channels and introducing new ones in the country, a senior official said. ... Currently, three BBC channels — BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and Cbeebies — are available in the country. ... 'We will also look at bringing other channels like BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle in India at the appropriate time.'"

afaqs!, 30 July 2010: "Darren Childs, managing director, BBC Worldwide Channels, believes that the Indian pay-TV market is lucrative. India's rapid economic growth trajectory and a consumer appetite for high-quality British television content, makes it a very important market for BBC Worldwide."

Indiantelevision.com, 27 July 2010: "BBC Worldwide Channels has roped in former Discovery India head to spearhead its channels in South Asia. Shourie has joined as director of BBC Worldwide Channels, South Asia. Based in New Delhi, he will take on responsibility for BBC Worldwide Channel operations across South Asia. Shourie was Discovery Communications India EVP and managing director."

The Spy Report, 26 July 2010: "BBC Worldwide Australia has announced the appointment of Deirdre Brennan to the director role of television for its channels business. Brennan will be responsible for decisions impacting acquisitions, on-air promotions, presentation, production and programming for the commercial subsidiary. The position will include the portfolio of channels within Australasia, including subscriptions channels UKTV, UKTV NZ, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies."

WorldScreen.com, 29 July 2010: "A number of New Zealand broadcasters have signed up for programming from BBC Worldwide Australia, with deals in genres such as drama, natural history and lifestyle."

University of Florida News, 23 July 2010: "Public radio stations WUFT-FM 89.1 and WJUF-FM 90.1 [in Florida] will add some new programs in the broadcast schedule beginning Monday. ... The programs include: 'BBC News World Have Your Say,' Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. This live program features a global conversation via blog and call-in and is presented by BBC Global News. The daily topics are set by those that participate." "World Have Your Say" was recently taken off the schedule of Oregon Public Broadcasting. Judging from responses, listeners either loved or hated the program. See previous post.

Today, Thursday, 29 July, at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC), Vice President Biden will swear in the new members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. This event will be closed.

RFE/RL News, 28 July 2010: "The Afghan cabinet has closed a private television station, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reports. The government's closing on July 27 of the Emroz (Today) television channel, owned by Afghan parliament member Najibulla Kabuli, is unprecedented. Kabuli told Radio Free Afghanistan ... Emroz has been trying to reveal to viewers 'Iran's interference in Afghanistan's affairs.' ... Hakim Asher, the head of the Afghan government's Center for Information and Media, told Radio Free Afghanistan that the decision to close Emroz was made 'because the television channel was fueling religious tensions and harming national unity.'"

Foreign Policy, The Cable, 22 July 2010, Josh Rogin: "The Broadcasting Board of Governors has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism lately. ... But in the most concise report your humble Cable guy has ever seen coming out of the Office of the Inspector General, the oversight board reported Thursday that as far as the BBG's operations in Pakistan are concerned, everything is cool. 'Discussions with BBG staff in Washington during the survey phase revealed no outstanding issues. Discussions with the staff at the office in Islamabad found a staff engaged and proud of their accomplishments,' the one-page report stated. 'The VOA bureau chief was satisfied with Washington support (he is extending for a second year): the contractors for the Urdu service were satisfied with their terms of employment, their working conditions, and the work itself.' Any room for improvement? 'The OIG team, then, found no issues that require recommendations.' An OIG report with zero recommendations is pretty unusual. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this was a severely limited investigation. The OIG team visited the BBG's Islamabad bureau for one day in February. 'Because of security concerns, this was a limited-scope inspection,' the report said."

Yahoo! News, 27 July 2010, John Cook: "Buried among the 92,000 classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks is some intriguing evidence that the U.S. military in Afghanistan has adopted a PR strategy that got it into trouble in Iraq: paying local media outlets to run friendly stories. ... In one of the WikiLeaks documents, a PRT member reports delivering '12 hours of PSYOP Radio Content Programming' to two radio stations in the province of Ghazni in 2008, and paying one of them '$3,900 for Radio Content Programming air time for the month of October.' ... Radio Ghaznawiyaan was established and funded by the Agency for International Development, but USAID has described it in the past as a success story for local independent journalism launched with American help. So its listeners may be surprised to learn that it is an outlet for paid U.S. 'PSYOP radio content.'"

The Guardian, 26 July 2010, Simon Tisdall: "Winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan can be uphill work, as US soldiers attached to Task Force Catamount discovered when they visited the remote village of Mamadi in Paktika province, near the Pakistan border. ... [Their mission] report, circulated by US military intelligence in April 2007, is one of numerous accounts of attempted bridge-building contained in the classified war logs and examined by the Guardian. The material offers an unprecedented insight into the gaping cultural and societal gulfs encountered by US troops trying to win grassroots support for the west's vision of a peaceful, developing, united Afghanistan."

Washington Post, 28 July 2010, Al Kamen: "The International Broadcasting Bureau apparently responded Monday to WikiLeaks' massive dump of classified documents with this e-mailed instruction to Voice of America employees. 'It has come to the attention of the IT Directorate and the IBB Office of Security, that some agency employees would like to download material related to the story that appeared on the front page of the Washington Post regarding leaked classified material about the US efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are a number of documents currently available on the Internet that are classified as secret or higher. While this material has been leaked, it has not been officially de-classified and, for our purposes, is still considered classified material. Our agency network, storage systems, and e-mail are not classified systems and cannot have classified material stored on them. Please do not download, browse, or email any of these files from agency computers.' So you can report on the reporting, but not use the actual material."

So is RFE/RL, a government-funded corporation rather than a government agency like VOA, subject to the same prohibition? Apparently not, judging from their extensive coverage of this story. See, for example, RFE/RL News, 26 July 2010. They also interviewed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, RFE/RL News, 27 July 2010.

This is why, in my recent New York Times op-ed, I proposed "a merger of the separate [US] broadcasting entities into one corporation," (emphasis added), rather than one agency.

Meanwhile, other international broadcasters have downloaded, examined, and reported on the documents. See, for example, Deutsche Welle, cited by Actmedia News Agency (Bucharest), 27 July 2010.

The Economist, Babbage blog, 22 July 2010, B.G.: "I am suspicious of the phrase '21st-century statecraft'. ... Is it a new kind of state-run broadcaster, a digital Radio Free Europe? Is it a new kind of public diplomacy? ... Take just one of these ideas: a digital Radio Free Europe. Accurate information is as important now as it was during the Cold War, so of course it's a good idea to distribute that information where the readers are, in social forums on the internet. But now, as then, it's hard to determine how to fund a state broadcaster so that it's both trusted and trustworthy. Radio Free Europe was paid for, originally, by the CIA. Was it therefore tainted? If it was perceived as such – and it was – then it doesn't much matter. ... Or take another idea: digital public diplomacy. ... The world just doesn’t seem to understand how great America is. This is the central problem of public diplomacy, which is expected to fill in the gaps between America’s policies and its self-image. I’m not sure how Twitter is going to help." -- However murkily it may have been perceived, RFE did have large audiences in its target countries. This is because it provided more accurate news than did the state controlled domestic media of those target countries.

AP, 26 July 2010: "A suicide bomber driving a minibus blew himself up in front of the Baghdad office of a popular Arabic-language satellite news channel early Monday, killing six people, police and hospital officials said. The bomber was apparently waved through the first checkpoint at the Al-Arabiya television station after security guards checked his identification."

New York Times, 26 July 2010, Tim Arango: "On Monday afternoon, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia took credit for the bombing at Al Arabiya on a Web site it often uses to communicate, suggesting the attack was in response to a broadcast about the influence of the extremist group. The program was called 'Creation of Death.' 'Wait for more,' the group’s statement said."

Bernama, 27 July 2010: "Top United Nations officials have strongly condemned the attacks targeting the offices of the regional satellite television channel Al-Arabiya in Baghdad, while urging Iraqi authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of media professionals, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported."

Gulf News (Dubai), 27 July 2010: "Having lost a total of 15 Al Arabiya staff killed and 'tens injured' in the past seven years, Hayek said the channel was being made to pay the 'price of freedom of expression'."

Saudi Gazette, 24 July 2010, Farhaa Xha: "With an increasing economic power, Asian broadcast channels are starting to bite the 'lucrative pie of Arab viewership' after the Western channels launched Arabic networks - BBC Arabic, France 24, DWTV and Euronews, The trend is easily noticeable. ... 'When I first saw Chinese news anchors speaking Arabic, it certainly seemed Martian! Of course I was impressed by their impeccable Arabic,' said [student Rana] Rayes. China Central TV, widely known by its acronym CCTV, inaugurated its first Arabic-language international channel in July 2009 to reach 300 million people in 22 Arabic-speaking countries. ... Besides China, its economic rival India has a channel that has dominated the Middle Eastern airwaves much ahead. Zee Aflam, a free-to-air channel from Zee Networks, is patronized by Arab fans of Bollywood. The channel features Hindi films with subtitles customized for Arab family viewing. ... Noora Amer, a 23 year-old anthropology student ... and her family enjoy Korean drama, fashion, music and language."

IEEE Spectrum, July 2010, Alexander Hellemans: "A new study ordered by a court in Rome has revived the decadelong battle between the inhabitants of Cesano, Italy, who live close to a huge complex of shortwave antennas, and the operator of this complex, Vatican Radio. ... Nineteen children living at a distance of 12 km or less from the antennas died from leukemia or lymphoma between 1980 and 2003, a figure higher than in control groups in other parts of the country. ... According to magistrates, the report justifies the current investigation of six officials of Vatican Radio for manslaughter. In response, the Vatican has enlisted the help of two counterexperts--the internationally renowned oncologist and former Italian health minister Umberto Veronese and Susanna Lagorio, an epidemiologist at the Italian National Institute of Health." See previous post about same subject.

CNN press release, 23 July 2010, via Tucson Citizen: "On Thursday, July 29, a new Arizona immigration law will go into effect. Starting Sunday, July 25 through Friday, July 30, CNN en Español will climb aboard the CNN Express to dedicate a week-long coverage to the immigration debate in the United States, and tour some of the locations from which historic events are taking place for the future of immigrants in this country. ... Elements of this coverage will be presented throughout the network’s daily programming. In addition, every night at 7:00 p.m. EST, Directo desde EE.UU. will be the daily appointment to follow Frías and López in this coverage joined by special guests, including special reports prepared by CNN en Español’s production team on the field. On Thursday, July 29 at 12:00 a.m. the law will be enacted, and throughout the day CNN en Español will report live from Phoenix in order to follow closely the early effects of this law from all the angles of this story. ... CNN en Español, CNN’s independently produced 24-hour network in Spanish, is currently available in 23 million cable and DTH households throughout Latin America, and more than 4 million households across the United States."

VOA News, 15 July 2010: "The head of a Venezuelan pro-opposition television channel says he cannot return to Venezuela, where he could face arrest, and that he could seek political asylum in the United States. Globovision president Guillermo Zuloaga spoke to VOA's Foro Interamericano, in an exclusive interview being broadcast on Friday. Zuloaga also said U.S. government officials and attorneys have recommended he request asylum. Last month, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government ordered Zuloaga's arrest on criminal charges he and his son illegally stored 24 new Toyota vehicles."

Variety, 25 July 2010, Anna Marie de la Fuente: "In yet another twist in the ongoing saga at beleaguered Venezuelan news web Globovision, President Hugo Chavez declared Tuesday that his government was claiming a stake in the opposition-leaning web [television network]. Chavez is appropriating the 25.8% held by banker Nelson Mezerhane, who fled the country in May after the government seized his Banco Federal. ... Globovision, which reaches 42% of the country, is the last remaining voice of dissent on Venezuela's free-to-air TV airwaves. RCTV, the oldest web in Venezuela, was relegated to cable and satellite in 2007 after the state refused to renew its terrestrial broadcasting license for its alleged support of Chavez's detractors."

Asia Media Journal, 27 July 2010: "Following the beginning of test transmissions on Bangladesh Betar’s FM network last month, Deutsche Welle [Bengali] will now start testing radio transmissions in three additional cities on May 1. DW-RADIO will be broadcasting daily on 102.0 MHz in Khulna, 105.0 MHz in Rajshahi and 105.4 MHz in Rangpur from 8:00 am [to] 8:30 am as well as 8:00 pm [to] 8:30 pm BST."

The News (Karachi), 23 July 2010: "A 12-day workshop started at the Bara Gali summer campus of the University of Peshawar Thursday to train the faculty members of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication for the educational television channel to be launched by the university in the near future. Jointly organized by the University of Peshawar and Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW) broadcast organization, the workshop was formally inaugurated by vice-chancellor of the university Prof Dr Azmat Hayat Khan. ... Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Dr Azmat Hayat said the German organisations had been very supportive of the UoP. They have helped the university to set up the campus radio stations, which is a success story, he added. The vice chancellor said the step initiated by DW to train the faculty of UoP about documentary making was very good."

Eurasianet.org, 23 July 2010, Molly Corso: "An outsourcing deal designed to enhance the reach of a government-run Russian-language television channel in Georgia instead threatens to bog down the station in controversy. The channel, known as Peryvi Kavkaski (Caucasus One), was created in October 2009 in an effort by President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration to counteract unfavorable television coverage of Georgia that is broadcast on channels controlled by the Russian government. Since its launch, however, Caucasus One has experienced problems. In late January, for example, the French satellite provider, Eutelsat, pulled the plug on Caucasus One broadcasts. Georgian media representatives blamed the move on Kremlin maneuvering. Top management and board members of Georgian Public Broadcasting (GPB), the entity responsible for overseeing Caucasus One operations, voted July 14 to outsource the Russian-language station’s operations. The very next day, it was announced that a firm known as K1, run by British journalist and Caucasus specialist Robert Parsons, had been selected to handle Caucasus One’s operations."

The Messenger (Tbilisi), 20 July 2010, Salome Modebadze: "International Affairs Editor at France 24 TV and BBC Moscow reporter from 1993-2002, Robert Parsons also directed RFE/RL’s Georgian service in 2003-2005. ... Parsons stressed that the channel must not under any circumstances be perceived as propagandistic but as an objective, fair channel in which the Georgian Government would be as subject to fair criticism as any other Government in this region."

Georgian Daily, 23 July 2010, David J. Smith: "The Paris Court of Commerce last week handed a victory to the Russian propaganda machine, allowing French satellite operator Eutelsat—one quarter French Government-owned—to bar Tbilisi-based First Caucasus Television from one of its broadcast satellites. For now, this prevents First Caucasus from reaching most of its intended Russian-speaking audience." See previous post about same subject.

nazret.com, 14 July 2010, ESAT press release: "For the past 24 days, Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) broadcasts and transmissions in Ethiopia have been disrupted by external interference to its satellite signals from sources that we are still continuing to investigate. ... In blocking satellite transmissions, there are two commonly used approaches. One method involves the broadcasting of a stronger signal, either from the ground or from another satellite, that drowns out what the originating satellite is sending to the ground, preventing people from receiving the signal. Another method involves blasting signals directly at the originating satellite itself so that it can not hear what the ground source (uplink) is trying to tell it. We plan to present a full program on the details of electronic signal jamming technology in the future. ... We at ESAT are pleased to be back on the air to serve our viewers with the fair and accurate reporting and programming we promised when we began service on May, 2010. ... We ask for the support and patience of our viewers as we continue to struggle to bring forth information, educational and entertainment programming." See Arabsat/Badr 6 parameters at ESAT website.

Update: nazret.com, 22 July 2010, Hindessa Abdul: "Over the last decade satellite dishes have been sprawling from the roof tops of many Addis Ababa neighborhoods. They are also constantly growing in the regional states. These days the cost of satellite dishes in Ethiopia has shown a drastic increase. In most cases up to 50 percent, hitting the 2000 Birr mark. Many people say ESAT has been one of the 'culprits' for the price hike. Others attribute that to the recently concluded World Cup tournaments in South Africa."

Addis Neger, 21 July 2010, Abiye Teklemariam: "Will our first independent Satellite channel be able to do what Al Jazeera has done to the Arab media sphere? ESAT’s battles are harder. While Al jazeera started with lavish funding from an ambitious young emir who just overthrew his father in a bloodless coup, ESAT’s sources of funding are ordinary Ethiopians living in North America."

EthioGuardian.com, 10 July 2010, reprinting e-mail from VOA, minus links: "For 28 years Voice of America has broadcast uncensored news to both countries, but that service has been recently interrupted by the Ethiopian government. And they have blocked access to our Horn of Africa web site for all who live in Ethiopia. We value your views and during a crucial time in Ethiopian domestic affairs, we wanted to offer you by e-mail a new way to receive our news and feature programs. Our broadcasters continue to work diligently to reach many parts of the world with news in Amharic, Afaan Oromoo and Tigrigna, but most listeners in Ethiopia cannot get that news now. So, we invite you to receive the Horn of Africa news Monday through Friday. You can subscribe at If you cannot access our site, click on . You will be able to hear a recent broadcast in any of our three languages. ... We invite you to forward this e-mail to anyone in Ethiopia or anywhere else in the world who would like to receive our Horn of Africa newsletter." See also VOA satellite information.

Business Day (Johannesburg), 20 July 2010, Chantelle Benjamin: "There would be no forensic audit conducted into [the South African province of] Gauteng's contract with CNBC Africa - which was cancelled in January - despite at least R40m of taxpayers' money being paid to the organisation, economic development MEC Firoz Cachalia said in reply to questions in the legislature yesterday. ... The matter came to public attention after the South African Screen Federation (Sasfed) asked why money set aside for the development of the local film industry was being used to fund a company that did not promote local content." See previous post about same subject.

RIA Novosti, 17 July 2010, Dmitry Babich: "Thirty years ago ... the first issue of the weekly paper The Moscow News was published in Russian. ... The Moscow News transformed the collective consciousness of the Soviet people, encouraging them to escape the hypocritical sanctity of their monastery. The amazing thing about The Moscow News between 1986 and 1988 is that it remained legal. The Soviet people had figured out that life was not all it could be. They had pieced it together from Western radio broadcasts, such as Voice of America, and rumors that the government could not suppress. But foreign radio fell short of its mission. We couldn't understand their words in a sense, and not just because the broadcasts were jammed by the government, making the voices difficult to hear over the interference. The Moscow News was an official Soviet newspaper. If the paper raised an issue, it meant that this issue was officially recognized by the government and open for discussion. The newspaper gradually introduced new words and concepts in Soviet newspeak. It was like climbing a mountain."

Foreign Policy, The Cable, 22 July 2010, Josh Rogin: "[T]he Russia government now has an English language web portal to help funnel business and advertise their foray into the information age. Modern Russia, a website devoted to Russia's public diplomacy mission in the U.S., opened for business today. Funded by the Russian government, the site is managed by Ketchum, the public-relations firm that represents the Russian government and the Russian energy giant Gazprom. ... The site also has a lot of wonky policy and law-related items that purport to show Russia as a burgeoning emerging market that is steadily moving toward economic and legal reform." URL is www.modernrussia.com.

France 24 press release, 26 July 2010: "France 24 has today signed a major distribution agreement with NTV+, the number one satellite platform in Russia and Ukraine, with more than 500 000 subscribers across the two countries. Already available on several ADSL and cable platforms in these two countries, this new agreement with NTV + will allow FRANCE 24 to expand its coverage throughout the region and increase its number of viewers." -- The press release does not specify if this is the French or English version of France 24, or both.

MediaBistro, 22 July 2010, Alex Weprin: "CNN, which released a slick paid iPhone application last year, is taking the product international... and making it free. The news organization is releasing an international version of the CNN App for users that live outside of the United States. Unlike the domestic version, which costs $1.99 and has advertising, the international app will be free and ad supported. ... Making the app free is a peculiar decision for CNN, considering it was so strongly defending the decision to charge for its U.S. app. So why do it? The costs of developing the international app were likely far below the domestic one, seeing as CNN could essentially take what it already built, only having tweak it slightly for international users. In addition, while CNN is a big name for news here, in many parts of the world it is not the go-to source for news and information. Going free can also serve to promote and sample content for viewers that may not otherwise be too familiar with CNN as a brand." With CNN press release.

Sydney Morning Herald, 23 July 2010, Julian Lee: "However, in offering the free app CNN has made a 'trade off'; the news will be regional and users will be unable to watch videos of breaking news. Since its launch in April 1 million editions of the BBC News app have been downloaded, and 34,000 have been downloaded in Australia since its launch here in June."

The Australian, 23 July 2010, Andrew Colley: The CNN international app "includes its citizen reporting tool iReport which has proved highly popular in the US. CNN mobile vice president Louis Gump said ... iReport was an enhancement to CNN's service and not replacement for its base editorial model. ... CNN is selectively absorbing iReport content into its commercial editorial platform through a process it calls vetting where content is checked by professional editors and journalists."

Smart Products Ecosystms Connections, 23 July 2010, press release via: "International news channel France 24 has launched a free iPhone app, compatible with the iPad, providing full access to its live and VoD programming of the last two months. Consumers can find content about their location in French, English or Arabic thanks to a mapping tool."

Rapid TV News, 19 July 2010, Pascale Paoli Lebailly: "Available for all smartphones thanks to video distribution platform MOBICLIP, mobile application France 24 Live has surpassed one million downloads. It was launched in March 2009. The app allows users to watch programming and news bulletins from the channel live or on-demand, plus access headlines and news briefs. Nearly 80% of downloads are from outside France with Europe accounting for 50%, Africa 20%, North America 15% and Asia almost 15%."

Media Research Asia, 21 July 2010, press release via: Australian IPTV service "FetchTV today announced that five new specialty international news channels will be added to the FetchTV Basic subscription package, available from partner ISP’s such as iiNet. The channels, all broadcast in English, aim to broaden FetchTV’s appeal among Australia’s culturally diverse population by providing an international perspective on global news and events. The new channels include: *CCTV News is a 24-hour news channel of China Central Television, China's largest national TV network. It is dedicated to reporting news and information to its global audience, with a special focus on China. *NDTV 24x7 is a 24-hour news and infotainment channel featuring news from India and internationally, along with Indian entertainment and sports. *euronews covers world news from a European perspective. *FRANCE 24 is a French news channel offering 24 hour coverage of global news from a French perspective. *Al Jazeera English provides a unique perspective on news from around the world. These channels, alongside the previously announced CNBC and BBC World News, provide FetchTV with a comprehensive range of leading international news channels."

NPR, 17 July 2010: "In the shadowy corners of the shortwave radio spectrum, you can often find mysterious mechanical voices counting off endless strings of numbers — in English, Czech, Russian and German … even Morse code. But who's listening? The voices are coming from what are known as 'numbers stations,' and they've long been thought to be part of international espionage operations. In fact, the Russian spies recently captured here in the U.S. may have been getting orders from Moscow via a shortwave numbers station." With audio.

Following up to the previous post about the Russian spies, historian Richard Cummings in Germany looked at the court documents. He writes: "Apparently the only short-wave communications between Moscow and its agents in the USA was through RADIOGRAMS, not by recorded voice as you wrote in your blog [quoting Brett Sokol in Slate]: '...the clandestine Russian agents were tuning in to foreign short-wave stations transmitting strings of numbers—some in Morse code, others spoken by a recorded voice—that they then decoded into words.' As the document explains, RADIOGRAMS sound similar to Morse Code, but they are not Morse Code."

AOL News, 16 July 2010: Kendall and Gwendolyn Myers, "arrested last summer and charged with spying for Cuba, were sentenced today in federal court in Washington, D.C. ... The Tactics: The Myerses exchanged information in grocery stores by swapping shopping carts with their Cuban handlers, with whom they also communicated via short wave radios and encrypted emails from cybercafes." -- They listened to coded messages on shortwave, but didn't transmit.

Daily Dispatch (East London, South Africa), 23 July 2010: "July 23, 1960: A request for a shortwave broadcasting station in the Eastern Cape was made by the Eastern Agricultural Union Congress yesterday. It was claimed that reception on longwave was very poor in areas distant from Grahamstown and in summer virtually impossible. The resolution asked for the broadcast of regional news from Grahamstown on shortwave. Speaking in support of the motion, put forward by the Elliot Farmers’ union, Mr S Marr said that the matter was an important one to farmers, especially in regard to the receiving of weather forecasts." -- "Longwave" here no doubt refers to medium wave, as South Africa did not employ longwave frequencies for broadcasting in 1960. South Africa did -- and still does -- use shortwave to reach remore areas of the country.

Greenwich Citizen, 23 July 2010: Greenwich, Connecticut, made "history when Greenwich radio pioneer Edwin Armstrong and his team made the first trans-Atlantic shortwave radio broadcast on Dec. 11, 1921 from his station 1BCG. The monument marking that event can be found on the traffic circle on North Street and Clapboard Ridge Road." -- Will trans-Atlantic shortwave broadcasting survive until the 100th anniversary of this first trans-Atlantic shortwave communication?

Southgate Amateur Radio Club, 16 July 2010: "Popular Communications magazine has launched a new and easier-to-navigate website. ... Popular Communications is the world's #1 magazine for scanning enthusiasts, shortwave listeners, broadcast DXers and other radio hobbyists. It has been in monthly publication for nearly 30 years. ... The new Popular Communications website may be accessed at http://www.popular-communications.com." -- PopComm and competing Monitoring Times provide useful information to US radio hobbyists.

Syracuse Online, 18 July 2010, Lee Badman: "Whether your interests take into shortwave and utility monitoring, scanning or amateur radio, it's no secret that gear can be pricey. ... One of my favorite websites for equipment reviews is eHam.net. Though there are a lot of sites that have equipment reviews, eHam.net reviews tend to cover everything from top-dollar rigs to simple wire antennas."

Nehanda Radio, 16 July 2010, Rejoice Ngwenya: "The paranoia in President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF regime that broadcast laws that deliberately prevent alternative opinion are entrenched in the legislative DNA. The positive spinoff of this scenario has been a proliferation of shortwave and Internet broadcast stations spanning the globe, the most popular being VOA Studio 7 based in Washington DC, Voice of the People in Botswana and Violet’s own SW Radio Africa in England. ... ... [A]s long as the broadcast regulations outlaw alternative opinion, we Zimbabweans at home will continue to tune in to VOA Studio 7, Voice of the People and SW Radio Africa for REAL news."

New Zimbabwe, 24 July 2010: "An hour-long television drama, Sakhile, written and produced by Zimbabwean journalist and writer, Chris Gande, has premiered at the New York International Independent Film Festival which opened Thursday. ... Gande, a reporter with the Voice of America’s Studio 7, is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Film Making at the Art Institute of Washington."

Miami Herald, 17 July 2010, Fabiola Santiago: "'I can't enjoy anything. I can't feel free as long as there is a political prisoner in Cuba. How can I be happy with all I left behind?' asks Mijail Barzaga Lugo, 43, who served time in four different prisons for filing news reports about life in Cuba to CubaNet and Radio Martí. Barzaga and the others are part of a group of 75 independent journalists and peaceful dissidents jailed in the massive crackdown of 2003 known as the Black Spring. These 11 freed prisoners are the first of 52 scheduled to be released and expatriated to Spain in the next four months under an agreement negotiated by the Spanish government and the island's highest-ranking Catholic, Cardinal Jaime Ortega."

AFP, 15 July 2010, Olivier Thibault: "'The hygiene and health situation was not bad, it was worse than bad,' Julio Cesar Galvez told reporters in Madrid, two days after arriving in Spain with six other dissidents. ... The 65-year-old, who was serving a 15-year sentence for secretly working for US media outlets such as the Voice of America, said not enough drinking water was provided for the prisoners and food often came mixed with dirt."

"TV channels from 45 African countries and Haiti will soon broadcast six magazines from Euronews following an agreement between the Lyon-based international news channel and Canal France International (CFI) network. CFI will broadcast Euronews magazines to 47 million households as of next September. These half-hour science-oriented and current affairs programmes will be available in the three international languages used on the continent - French, English and Portuguese. ... The listing of the countries and partner channels are available on website www.cfi.fr/partenaires.php3." CFI.fr: "Canal France International, subsidiary of France Télévisions, has acted for the past 20 years as the French operator in media development aid for 150 partners from southern countries, with support from the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs."

Broadband TV News, 15 July 2010, Julian Clover: "Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ has given details of its plans for DTT including high definition channels and a Freesat-style service to reach the 2% outside the reach of terrestrial coverage. ... The first multiplex, broadcasting in MPEG-4/DVB-T, would carry RTÉ 1, RTÉ 2, TV3 and sister channel 3e, TG4, and RTÉ News. A seventh channel would timeslice RTÉ Children, Euronews and RTÉ+1." See also The Independent (Dublin), 15 July 2010.

News.am, 16 July 2010: Armenia's "President Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting with Philippe Cayla, Head of the Euronews Board of Directors. ... President Sargsyan pointed out Euronews is one of the most popular European channels in Armenia, perceived by the audience as a mirror of Europe and European views. Mr. Philippe Cayla pointed out he was impressed by Armenia’s ancient history and culture. The sides expressed the confidence that the Euronews TV channel plays an important role in Armenia’s integration into Europe and in raising Armenian citizens’ awareness of Europe."

RFE/RL, 17 July 2010: "The owner of Armenia's leading independent television channel before it was controversially taken off the air eight years ago says the channel is very unlikely to win a new license and resume broadcasts in the near future, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. ... Mesrop Movsesian, the owner and executive director of A1+, reaffirmed the once-popular TV channel's intention to contest at least one of the tenders administered by the HRAH. But he was pessimistic about the fairness and objectivity of the bidding process."

Crikey blog, 23 July 2010, Margaret Simons: Sky News issued a media release yesterday that was all about the ABCs launch without actually mentioning it. The pay television channel claimed that its 24 hour coverage was 'unrivalled' and spruiked the fact that its political editor David Speers (and not the ABC’s people) had been chosen to moderate the leaders’ debate at the National Press Club on Sunday night. This, of course, is part of a wider battle. This week is also the deadline for submissions to the government on the future of the overseas broadcasting service Australia Network. Sky News hopes to steal the Department of Foreign Affairs funded gig from Auntie, while ABC Managing Director Mark Scott wants to position the ABC as an instrument of Australia’s 'soft diplomacy' at a time when governments in our region are spending up big on broadcasting. ... I kept watching until after midnight, when Auntie threw to the BBC World Service." -- Presumably BBC World News, the television news channel -- with commercials included? Or maybe it's BBC World Service radio with some sort of slide occupying the picture.

Crikey, 22 July 2010, Jason Whittaker: "Jim Middleton presents Newsline at 10:30pm, taken from the ABC’s Asia-Pacific Australia Network. The ability to draw on those extra resources (which Sky wants to pinch as part of the bidding process to run the Asia-Pacific government-funded service) will be another feature of the channel."

lifehacker, 20 July 2010, Angust Kidman: "If you subscribe to pay TV, you’ve already got a range of 24-hour news options: Sky News for local content, and CNN, BBC World News, Bloomberg, CNBC and (debatably) Fox News for international coverage. However, that assumes that you’re willing or able to pay for an additional service. ABC News 24, as you’d expect, is entirely free, and available to anyone with the right equipment." See previous post about ABC News 24.

The Independent, 22 July 2010, Ian Burrell: "The BBC will tomorrow launch a globally-accessible online archive that features indigenous music from some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, as well as its most inaccessible states. There are audio clips of singing waitresses performing sea shanties on the coast of North Korea, and harp-playing cowboys in rural Venezuela. The Sufi fakir is, in fact, Sain Zahoor, who plays his three-stringed tumba in the Pakistani shrine of Pakpattan. Saddam's favourite pop star is Qassim al-Sultan, whom the BBC's Andy Kershaw recorded in 2001, singing the praises of the Iraqi dictator. ... Since recovering from a nervous breakdown, Kershaw has been back on the road, making shows in Laos, Thailand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. He is about to head off to record further material in the Middle East and Southern Africa. 'I haven't finished yet,' he added. 'Cautiously, I feel I'm getting the hang of this radio caper.'" The URL is www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic.

BBC News, 23 July 2010: "As part of a BBC World Service series on being creative in China, two musicians discuss China's alternative music scene."

Tnooz, 16 July 2010, Kevin May: "Fans of the BBC around the world – but not the UK – will see an overhauled website in the coming months, complete with a new travel section courtesy of Lonely Planet. Although the UK’s publicly-funded web news service was relaunched this week, BBC Worldwide (the commercial wing of the corporation) is separately looking to revamp the entire BBC.com platform later this summer for users outside of the UK. BBC.com is supported by advertising and has a wider remit to work with thirds partners or, in this case, utilise some of the corporation’s myriad of commercial operations. The BBC’s relationship with Lonely Planet (it bought a 75% stake in the company in 2007) is still hugely controversial and plans for the coming months are likely to reinvigorate the debate. ... The idea is to include travel-related material penned by the BBC’s own reporters but also bring in content from LonelyPlanet.com to help populate the channel. A full-time editor was unveiled this week in the shape of ex-New York Times travel and style editor, David Allan." See previous post about the US version of bbc.com.

Sudan Tribune, 22 July 2010: "Sudanese authorities informed the BBC Arabic service radio that they will no longer be allowed to broadcast on local frequencies citing violations by the widely popular station in the country. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since several years is airing its Arabic service on FM frequency in Khartoum, Port Sudan, Medani and capital of Northern Kordofan Al-Obayid. Also Monte Carlo, the Arabic service of Radio France Internationale (RFI) is aired on the FM in the Sudanese capital. The decision to stop the broadcasting will be effective within three months. It does not include the semi-autonomous region of southern Sudan. Sudanese authorities refused to renew a permission to broadcast its Arabic programme saying that the British government sponsored corporation imported unauthorized devices through the diplomatic pouch two years ago, informed sources tell Sudan Tribune. It is not clear why the decision was taken only now. ... The British radio remains available on the short waves." -- Radio Sawa lists an FM outlet in Khartoum, on 97.5 MHz.

Worldscreen.com, 19 July 2010: "BBC Worldwide Channels has added to its channel bouquet in Turkey, launching its international BBC HD service on Turksat. In Turkey, BBC Worldwide Channels also operates BBC Entertainment on Turksat, TT Net and Digiturk. BBC HD, available to all HD subscribers of Turksat, delivers docs, entertainment and arts fare in high definition, such as The Jonathan Ross Show, Gavin and Stacey, Hotel Babylon, Hiroshima and Nuclear Secrets. The channel is also carried in Australia, Scandinavia and Poland."

Financial Times, 23 July 2010, Ben Fenton: BBC director general Mark Thompson "dismisses the idea that the BBC’s free internet news prevents the Murdoch newspapers from successfully charging for their content. 'Does that follow? Is it credible that every single provider of news in the world is going to go behind a paywall? I mean there are plenty of news sources with sovereign funds backing them – Al Jazeera is just one example – who do not need to go behind a paywall. Actually, if the BBC helps create a climate in this country where people are really interested in news, it’s probably going to be good for UK newspapers. American newspapers are not having any more luck with this than UK ones, rather less so actually and the BBC does not loom large in America.' ... 'We’re prepared to go to the stake for the BBC’s impartiality,' says Thompson, who in January 2009 refused to broadcast an appeal for refugees in Gaza for this reason. He adds that it is critically important that the organisation remains independent of government too, and is proud of the broadcaster’s reputation abroad. 'We’re still on the world’s front lines,' he says, 'In Afghanistan, on the radio, we are a really critical part of the supply of news.' He also points to countries such as Somalia, 'where the BBC Somalia service is basically it'." -- So VOA Somali, presumably, is not "it."

Financial Times, 16 July 2010, Andrew England and Robin Wigglesworth: "British Sky Broadcasting this week revealed it was negotiating with an investor from Abu Dhabi, the wealthy capital of the United Arab Emirates, to launch a 24-hour Arabic news channel. Last week, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a Saudi billionaire, announced he was setting up a similar venture. Both talk about launching within the next two years, but they will be entering a competitive market where costs are high and advertising revenues meagre. As well as Al-Jazeera, the entrants will be taking on Al-Arabiya, a private Saudi-backed channel, the BBC’s Arabic service, and a host of smaller rivals. Al-Arabiya, owned by the MBC Group, admits it has lost money since going on air seven years ago, despite claiming it attracts about eight times the advertising revenue of Al-Jazeera." See previous post about same subject.

Ammon, 22 July 2010, Nehad Ismail: "Two-third of Arab society is young people below the age of 35. This group is more media savvy than the older generation and demands high standard of entertainment and programs that deal with issues relevant to their lives. They are not interested in heavy adversarial political shouting matches. Soft content intelligently presented is gaining ground at the expense of heavy stuff. People want programs that promote co-existence and understanding between religions and people from different ethnicities. Exposing bad behaviour by the authorities and the promotion of democratic values and respect for human rights are vitally important but must be introduced in small dozes within the framework of a socially oriented program. To succeed and stand out in the Middle East Satellite TV Bazaar, a Satellite TV Channel must have something special, it must have a unique blend of programs that distinguish it from the crowd."

Committee to Protect Journalists blog, 21 July 2010, Kamel Labidi: "Moroccan Minister of Communication Khalid Naciri ... claimed that the draconian restrictions recently imposed on Arab and foreign TV reporting in the Kingdom of Morocco 'are also implemented in all democratic countries.' ... [T]his new restriction on press freedom has been adopted to mainly target Al-Jazeera satellite TV, whose coverage of social unrest in Morocco and critical guest speakers often anger the authorities and prompt reprisal. ... Naciri took precaution to mention that the Saudi satellite Al-Arabiya TV and the U.S.-government-backed Al-Hurra TV are also required to abide by what he euphemistically called this 'ordinary measure.' But neither of these networks has given the Moroccan authorities as much of a headache as Al-Jazeera."

The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA), 15 July 2010, letter from Lisa Kennedy: "I was surprised and distressed to tune into WHTJ 41.3 on July 1 at 7 p.m. and realize that it is broadcasting as a regular feature an Al-Jazeera news feature. As I am sure that readers are aware, not only is Al-Jazeera’s viewpoint is absolutely one-sided concerning the future of Israel and Palestine, but it also regularly assists al-Qaida by airing al-Qaida propaganda. I think it is extremely poor judgment to further Al-Jazeera’s evangelistic reach by serving as its affiliate, during prime time no less, while our service members are fighting and dying to combat al-Qaida’s deadly designs. I strongly suggest that WHTJ drop Al Jazeera’s program immediately." -- WHTJ 41.3 is a digital subchannel of the public television station in Charlottesville, Virginia. The content is from MHz Worldview.

The Financial Express (New Delhi), 16 July 2010, Sreeram Chaulia: "On July 1, the Chinese government’s official news agency Xinhua announced the launch of CNC World, a 24-hour global English TV channel, to purvey ‘a China perspective’ on all prominent international issues. In tune with the mind-boggling variety of the digital age, CNC World will be broadcast in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and Africa via satellite, cable, mobile phone and streaming feeds on the Internet. ... Though some observers have compared CNC World to Qatar’s Al Jazeera network, the Chinese model of advancing soft power through the electronic medium is more akin to that adopted by Russia since 2005. The RT (formerly Russia Today) group of TV channels, propped up by the Russian federal government budget, have brought the ‘Russian view’ on domestic and international affairs into drawing rooms of audiences around the world. The lens peddled by RT is typically the antithesis of western portrayals. For instance, most studio discussions about international relations on RT channels emphasise the decline of American power as permanent and speak of Bric countries as the only relevant players with promising futures left on the planet. CNC World, which is likely to be flush with a larger budget and better qualified correspondents than RT, will definitely be more sophisticated in editorial content. China’s foreign policy art of subtly but steadily undermining western capacity to mould minds is going to sustain CNC World as an authoritative source, which viewers can tune in to for a distinct take on every breaking international news story." See previous post about same subject.

VOA News, 13 July 2010, Laurel Bowman: "CNC (China Xinhua News Network Corporation) is half-owned by private investors. Wu Jincai is the CNC chairman. 'A system financially backed by the government, in any country, is always a waste with problems of inefficiency. But in a market system its scale is adjusted,' Wu Jincai says. 'It creates a very good pattern.'" With video.

The Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo), 20 July 2010, Kenji Minemura and Ko Tanaka: "Another recent attempt to move into Western media occurred in June when the Washington Post announced it was putting its venerable but money-losing Newsweek magazine up for sale. Along with three U.S. media companies, an investment company made up in part by the Southern Media Group of China placed bids to acquire the weekly. A key person in the Chinese bid was Xiang Xi, the former managing editor of Southern Weekly, a magazine popular for its investigative reporting and calls for political reform. Southern Weekly is the flagship publication of the Southern Media Group. While the Washington Post did not comment directly, a source with the Southern Media Group said its bid was rejected because it was made by a Chinese company. ... A Chinese government official said: 'Now is our chance to move into overseas markets because Western media organizations are suffering from recession. There is a need to grasp the upper hand in creating international opinion in order to wipe away any negative image of a "China threat."' ... Yu Guoming, deputy dean of the school of journalism and communication at Renmin University of China, said: 'Creation in media and culture is totally different from material production. I do not believe a "state-produced media" will be readily accepted by advanced nations and there is the possibility of frictions arising.'"

Xinhua, 16 July 2010: "Television services from the Xinhua News Agency are accessible on Apple's iPhone and iTouch devices, Xinhua announced Friday. IPhone and iTouch users can watch Xinhua news, cartoons, financial information and entertainment programs around the clock after downloading applications from Apple's online store or iTunes Store. ... The latest move is mainly aimed at audiences abroad. Wu Jincai, chairman of China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC), the TV arm of Xinhua News Agency, said Xinhua would make more efforts to share quality news resources with global audiences through new media."

Epoch Times, 18 July 2010, Xin Fei: "StarP2P Inc, formally launched its online television network iPPOTV in July. The technology used has unique advantages in breaking through mainland China's information blockade, said StarP2P’s technical manager, Li Yi, in an interview with The Epoch Times. IPPOTV’s software platform enables sharing of video files and broadcasting of TV channels over P2P [peer-to-peer] networks. Users with broadband access can, upon installation of the software, watch TV programs from across the world. As the viewer watches programs, the software simultaneously streams the video information to other users, thereby creating a non centralized, real-time internet TV network. The software encrypts transmitted data, ensuring the user’s identity and personal information remain secure and protected. ... Li Yi said that the company plans to include radio broadcasts familiar to mainland Chinese listeners such as Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and Sound of Hope Radio, in the near future."

New Tang Dynasty Television, 13 July 2010: "State-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences—or CASS—published their 'Report on the Development of China's New Media 2010.' It acknowledges the growing popularity of social-networking sites, and says, 'Some Web sites including Facebook, which are utilized by intelligence agencies in the Western countries, caused people to fear their specific political functions.' But a press-freedom advocate Oiwan Lam from Hong Kong In Media, tells Radio Free Asia that Western social-networking sites are being singled out for another reason. '[The regime] is targeting Facebook because it’s targeting new-media from overseas. Because in terms of their basic functions and technicalities, I don’t think Facebook is different from Chinese social-networking sites. The only difference is whether these sites will cooperate with authorities to follow censorship requirements.'"

Radio Free Asia, 14 July 2010, Hai Nan and Xin Yu: "Chinese authorities have ordered companies that provide microblogging services such as Twitter to step up online monitoring of content, as the major Internet service providers close their popular update services for 'maintenance' or testing."

Radio Free Asia, 22 July 2010, Ding Xiao: "Amid a restructuring of China’s blogosphere, some bloggers have reported receiving calls from hosting sites pleading with them to refrain from posting items deemed 'sensitive.' A Beijing-based member of the media, who asked not to be named, said he received a phone call Wednesday from Chinese portal Sina.com asking him to abstain from blogging items that would draw attention from authorities."

CNNGo, 23 July 2010, Jennifer Lai: "Internet usage in China has proliferated in the past couple of years as computer ownership in homes becomes more common in urban areas of China, according to a recent Gallup poll. ... [T]eens are getting their dose of Internet consumption outside of home too, in Internet cafes. This could be partially due to busy migrant workers considering these cafes as a safe and inexpensive playground. But this could change as Radio Free Asia reports that from July 2010 onwards the Public Security Bureau announced Internet cafes must install ID swipe card machines, ensuring only those residents with second generation ID cards will be able to access the Internet." Refers to Gallup, 21 July 2010, Tao Wu and Steve Crabtree.

ABC press release, 20 July 2010: "The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Shanghai Media Group (SMG) today signed a Co-operation Agreement which will provide the basis for a long term partnership between their international channels; Australia Network and International Channel Shanghai (ICS). The Chairman of the ABC, Mr. Maurice Newman today formally inked the agreement with the President of SMG, Mr. Li Ruigang, at an official signing ceremony in Shanghai attended by the Australian Consul General, Mr. Tom Connor. ... The agreement now positions the broadcasters with a wide range of international co- operation options from exchange of television programs, to providing mutual news gathering support and content supply, through to exploring international television program co- productions. Selected Australia Network programs will soon be seen on International Channel Shanghai, and Shanghai Media Group will have access to studio and production support in Australia immediately." See also ICS website. It's an IPTV channel.

The Hollywood Reporter, 20 July 2010, Pip Bulbeck: "Pay TV channel Sky News Australia meanwhile recently signed a landmark programming agreement with CCTV. Under that deal CCTV’s international English service, CCTV News, begins broadcasting in Australia on the Austar pay TV platform this Thursday. But both the ABC and Sky are locking horns over their burgeoning international ambitions, particularly over the operation of the Australia Network." -- And each is trying to demonstrate its ability to get Australian content into China as proof of their worthiness to hold the Australia Network contract. Any deal short of real news, in Mandarin, on a mainstream platform, into China, is underwhelming. See previous post.

The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2010, Jonathan Landreth: "A Los Angeles-based production company started by E! co-founder Larry Namer and former News Corp. exec Martin Pompadour is gaining traction in China with a year-old syndication model up and running in 48 cities and on several video portals with nationwide reach. Bypassing top markets Beijing and Shanghai and targeting second-tier cities such as Guangzhou (population 10 million), Shenzhen (9 million) and Tianjin (12 million), Metan Development Group and its Chinese production partner have landed sponsors Ford, Colgate and Philips for its flagship entertainment news program 'Hello! Hollywood!' ... It's hosted in Beijing by China Radio International personality Andy Dong and, in Los Angeles, by newcomer Yang Yang. Their peppy Mandarin commentary over jump-cut footage of everything from Malibu celebrity fund-raisers to Hollywood premieres reaches 250 million Chinese TV households. ... Metan ... avoids trouble from news censors in Beijing by sticking to celebrity and lifestyle stories, rather than addressing Hollywood's complaints about market access and piracy." -- In media industry press release parlance, "reaches" means available to, not necessarily viewed by.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific press release, 20 July 2010, via Asia Media Journal. "Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) today announced that it will be launching TLC in the region from 1 September 2010. TLC, one of the fastest growing lifestyle channels in the US, will replace Discovery Travel & Living in DNAP’s portfolio of seven networks that includes Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, Discovery HD World, Discovery Turbo and Discovery Home & Health. At launch, TLC will reach 133 million households in 20 countries across Asia-Pacific. ... TLC joins Discovery Communications’ portfolio of global brands that also includes Discovery Channel, available in more than 180 markets; Animal Planet, available in more than 170 markets and Discovery Science, available in more than 100 markets." See also Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific web page, with coverage map.

In the Wall Street Journal, 14 July, Columbia University president Lee Bollinger proposed to bolster US journalism, especially international coverage, through a government-funded "American World Service" combining PBS, NPR, VOA, and "Radio Free Europe." (See previous post.) This would be along the lines of the BBC and government- or license-fee-funded broadcasting entities in many other countries. The op-ed provoked many comments, almost all negative.

21st Century Journalism, 14 July 2010, George Brock: "Media not supported by government and in the private-sector economy are, by definition, at risk. As the business model for daily printed newspapers runs into deeper and deeper trouble, the damage done to the expertise housed in long-standing publications is undeniably great. ... The BBC’s peculiar combination of editorial independence and tax funding is a historical miracle. It might be hard to reproduce in Britain now, let alone anywhere else. Combinations of unusual factors – the culture and habits of the 1920s when it was founded, determined individuals, luck – have made it one element in British news media which are a 'mixed economy' of public service and privately-owned media." -- Actually, there are several other public broadcasting bodies similar to the BBC model. They include the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Norsk Rikskringkasting AS, SRG SSR idée suisse, and others in democratic states.

The Guardian, 15 July 2010, Roy Greenslade: "I wish to preserve the skills of our current journalistic community, which looks to be in danger of collapsing. In this stage of transition from one platform to another, I think there is a case to be made for the state to help and the BBC model - in terms of both funding and arm's-length political independence - should not be dismissed lightly."

Lee Bollinger did not mention CNN International. CNNI is one of the 'big three' global English-language news channels, along with BBC World News and Al Jazeera English. All three aspire to pay for themselves through advertising, but CNNI is the only one, so far, to earn a profit.

In the United States, CNNI is available on Verizon FiOS, but through few other outlets. If the channel could find its way onto more cable systems, Americans would get more international news than they see on CNN domestic or any other U.S. news channel. CNNI may not be everyone's ideal of a news channel, but the price is right: it costs the taxpayers nothing.

In many Western democracies, there are public broadcasting entities that receive government subsidies or income from mandatory license fees, yet maintain the independence of their news operations. Independence is, however, usually easier if there is no government funding at all.

The Layalina Review, 2-15 July 2010: "The Senate recently confirmed the new and bipartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors after seven month of political bickering, reports Kim Andrew Elliott for The New York Times. Former CNN Chairman Walter Isaacson will now head the Board and administer American media projects such as the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Al-Hurra TV and TV Marti ... Elliott remarks that the budgetary cut may be a salutary move for the BBG, which has an annual budget of $757 million, but fails to channel the funds efficiently and blames the duplication of efforts in broadcast. He notes, 'Instead of having one entity that produces all broadcasts, American international broadcasting is a collection of often redundant agencies working under the banner of the Board of Governors.' Elliott believes that the new board will have an opportunity to remedy to the situation by proposing 'to Congress and the Obama administration a merger of the separate broadcasting entities into one corporation under the board’s supervision, similar to the BBC World Service.'" See previous post. The first meeting of the new Board members will be July 29-30.

Heritage Foundation, The Foundry, 14 July 2010, Helle Dale and Morgan Roach: "The new Broadcasting Board of Governors, announced on Friday by the Obama White House, have their work cut out for them. For a variety of not very satisfactory reasons, the U.S. broadcasting entities (Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, et al.) on whom the federal government spends $745 million a year of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money, have been without strong leadership and management for an unconscionably long period. ... The board’s newest members are now entering a world where tensions run high and opinions are anything but lacking. At a recent Heritage Foundation forum, 'Perspectives on U.S. International Broadcasting,' some of the biggest voices in public diplomacy aired sharply diverging views on the effectiveness of the BBG as an institution."

George Washington University press release, 14 July 2010: "Dana Perino, White House press secretary to George W. Bush from 2007-2009, has been named to GW's Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) adjunct faculty for Strategic Public Relations (SPR) in the fall 2010 semester. Ms. Perino will teach a master class in political communications on advocacy, politics and public affairs. ... President Obama has nominated her to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the governing board of all U.S. broadcast services, including Voice of America." -- I hope Ms. Perino gets the "advocacy" out of her system at GWU, because if the elements of the BBG engage in advocacy, their audiences will tune elsewhere.

Orange Country Register, 16 July 2010, Dena Bunis: "Rep. Ed Royce got some recognition on a couple of measures this year that were his ideas but don't carry his name. Royce, R-Fullerton, has long been pushing for a permanent Radio Free Asia. He got a bill passed last year to extend the operation for one year. This year the permanent authorization was passed. But it had Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar's name on it, not Royce's. 'They weren't marking up any legislation in the Foreign Affairs committee,' Royce said, so he had to go over to the Senate to get things moving. Royce introduced six resolutions, seven bills and one amendment during this Congress. He got one resolution passed, and the Radio Free Asia extension." See also Rep. Royce website, 30 June 2010.

Rep. Ed Royce website: "Congress holds the purse strings of the federal government and therefore has a duty to be good stewards of the taxpayer's hard-earned money. It is important to the national economy that our government spends its money wisely. Congress, through the different Committees, has been able to identify and root out areas of waste, fraud and abuse within our government agencies and programs. Concerns about our federal deficit and excessive government spending have been long-time top priorities for me."

See previous post, describing how RFA and VOA both broadcast to the same Asian countries in the same languages, and how this is made permanent through the legislation championed by Rep. Royce, who also champions the struggle against "excessive government spending." See also my op-ed.

Foreign Policy, 15 July 2010, Manzoor Ali: "With the wash of conspiracy theories floating around in the Pakistani media, it is little surprise that 59 percent of Pakistanis view the U.S. as the greatest threat for Pakistan, followed up by 18 percent for India and a mere 11 percent for the Taliban. .... To help counter this flood of conspiracy, the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty launched a Pashtu-language radio station called Radio Mashaal in January of this year, to supplement the reach of Voice of America's Dewaa Radio in 24/7 coverage of the region." -- It's VOA Deewa Radio, and it broadcasts nine hours a day. Radio Mashaal transmits six hours a day in the same language to the same region. Both stations cover many of the same news stories.

Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 July 2010: "Watch brilliance unfold at the Crazy Cardboard Boat Regatta, 1 p.m. [today], Voice of America Park, Cox Road at VOA Park Drive, West Chester Township. Participants design and build human-powered boat made of corrugated cardboard which are capable of completing at least three trips around a 200-yard course." The site of the former VOA Bethany, Ohio, shortwave transmitting station.

Update: Hamilton Journal-News, 19 July 2010, Rick McCrabb: "Peter Hall took four hours to build his boat for the Crazy Cardboard Regatta on Saturday, July 17. ... As the boat, a 4-foot-by-4-foot box, neared the start line and prepared to race against two other vessels, it tipped over, dumping [Kathleen] Stoughton and her children in the water, which, on this humid day, probably brought relief. They were rescued and brought ashore."

WLWT-TV, 17 July 2010: "An estimated 5,000 onlookers came out to Voice of America Park... ."

Middletown Journal, 18 July 2010, Kelsey Cano:"Jim Breitenbach, who served as Voice of America park manager from August 2006 to June 2008, said he witnessed misspending during his tenure, which ultimately persuaded him to leave. ... Breitenbach said among other things, MetroParks purchased paddle boats and canoes from a sporting goods store before doing adequate research. The boats weren’t approved for commercial use, and safety issues followed, including the boats flipping over with people inside."

Seattle Times, 17 July 2010, Carol Pucci: "Isolated from the rest of Europe and most of the world for nearly 50 years by its dictator, Enver Hoxha, Albania ... was a country where 20 years ago, 'even the idea of owning a private hotel or restaurant was not allowed.' The borders were sealed. Private cars and phones were banned. What little learned Albanians knew about the outside, they gleaned from patching into Italian TV or Voice of America." -- During the Hoxha years, VOA was the only US station with an Albanian service, except for Radio Free Albania in the early 1950s. RFE/RL added Albanian in 1999. BBC Albanian was broadcast 1940-1967 and relaunched in 1993.

The St. Augustine Record, 12 July 2010, Marcia Lane: Jose Marti "is remembered in St. Augustine ... for his work promoting education. His bust is in the Grove of Educators at the Oldest Schoolhouse on St. George Street. Florida Sen. Walter Bryan Fraser chose Marti and other Central and Latin American educators to go in the grove of the schoolhouse, one of the tourist attractions he owned. ... For Marti's dedication in 1951, the guest list included Sidney Berry of Voice of America, the assistant Librarian of Congress, the Cuban Consul as well as the president of the Cuban Academy of History, University of Florida president D.J. Hillis Miller, the U.S. assistant secretary of state and the UF band."

San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2010: Death of Holbrook 'Hobey' Bradley, 93. "In 1962, he was a Foreign Service officer for the State Department assigned to the Voice of America Far East news desk." -- With the existence of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, State Department officers (perhaps he was actually USIA) are no longer assigned to the VOA newsroom.

The New Vision (Kampala), 8 July 2010: "Radio West, a station owned by the Vision Group and based in western region [Mbarara, Uganda], on Wednesday hosted the American ambassador, Jerry Lanier. ... Matojo told the ambassador that Radio West covers northern Tanzania, northern Rwanda, western and other parts of Uganda. He said the station promotes democratic governance through participatory approaches and runs some programmes from Voice of America."

Committee to Protect Journalists, 15 July 2010: "Three journalists were formally charged today after refusing to reveal to Ivory Coast's state prosecutor their sources for a corruption story based on a document leaked from the prosecutor's office. The journalists could face up to 10 years in prison. [They include] Editor-in-Chief Saint-Claver Oula of the daily Le Nouveau Courrier ... The health of Oula, who had been suffering from a stomach ailment at the time of the arrest, has deteriorated, according to Gueu. Police took Oula, who is also a local correspondent for the U.S. government-funded broadcaster Voice of America, to a local clinic on Thursday, but denied a doctor's request to hospitalize the journalist. In protest, Oula began a hunger strike and has refused medication."

Reuters, 15 July 2010, Paul Taylor: "Houshang Asadi is an equal opportunity torture victim. He was tortured under the Shah and tortured again after Iran's Islamic Revolution. He still feels the pain, every night. Now the 59-year-old former communist journalist, who lives in exile in Paris, is finally getting even with his former torturer -- a man he came to know and fear as Brother Hamid -- via the Internet. ... Now it is Brother Hamid who has been made to sweat since Asadi outed him in a Voice of America interview as Iran's ambassador to a central Asian state. The envoy was quickly recalled to Tehran and sent into retirement."

City Journal, 11 July 2010, Guy Sorman: "Wei Jingsheng lives in exile in the United States after spending ten years in prison for having publicly aspired to what’s known in China as 'the fifth modernization' —democracy. ... If Wei Jingsheng 'means nothing,' as an official told me in Beijing, then why does the party jam his radio addresses, which the Voice of America broadcasts?"

The Sky Report, 19 July 2010: "Austar is broadening its international news horizons this week by launching China’s new English news channel to its lineup. The regional subscription television provider also brings Al-Jazeera’s news channel into the 740,000 homes of subscribers. The CCTV News Channel will start broadcasting to regional Australia on Thursday, the same day ABC News 24 launches on digital free-to-view, Foxtel HD and Austar HD. The English-language service was launched three weeks ago. China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC) says that the channel aims to give 'a Chinese perspective to global audiences'." -- When a country has two international services, from the same city, in the same languages, to the same target countries, e.g. VOA and Radio Free Asia, confusion ensues. China has decided the emulate the US system, and so its international broadcasting is also subject to confusion. Is CNC describing rival CCTV, or itself? Will CCTV or CNC be on Austar?

The Australian, 19 July 2010, James Chessell: "Regional pay-TV group Austar yesterday announced it would begin broadcasting the CCTV News channel to its 740,000 subscribers from Thursday. The timing of the announcement is clearly designed to send a message to Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith who will receive crucial submissions from Sky and ABC on the future of the Australia Network today. The service also starts broadcasting on the same day the ABC launches its 24-hour news channel. ... ABC managing director Mark Scott has argued the public broadcaster is better placed to serve Australia's 'soft diplomacy' interests around the world. Sky has established public affairs channel A-PAC and believes it has the edge over the ABC as demonstrated by its ability to strike reciprocal deals with Chinese broadcasters. The Chinese are reluctant to broadcast foreign content unless the foreign broadcaster has signed up to a reciprocal deal." -- What reciprocal deals? China has plenty of broadcasting outlets in the United States and other countries, but those countries don't have similar exposure in China.

Sydney Morning Herald, 16 July 2010, Julian Lee: "News Corporation ... is also a three-way shareholder in Australian News Channel, the company that produces Sky News, which will bid for the $20 million-a-year Department of Foreign Affairs contract to run the Asia Pacific news service, Australia Network. The deadline for the 'invitation of views' on whether the contract should go to tender is coming up this Monday. However, both ABC and Sky sources say a decision has been postponed until after the election."

Sydney Morning Herald, 17 July 2010, Hamish McDonald: Rupert "Murdoch and his men are ... exercised about [the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's] overseas TV broadcasting operation, called the Australia Network, which, by satellite dish and cable, claims to shower 32 million homes in 44 countries, mostly in Asia and the Pacific... . This operation began in 1993, under Paul Keating's government. The Howard government chopped it back, along with its vandalism of the shortwave service Radio Australia, and it had a brief and unsatisfactory period under the Seven Network before coming back to the ABC in 2001. ... It would be anomalous if the Australia Network was retained under the five-year tender system, and not folded into the ABC permanently as Radio Australia has been since 1939. It would be even more anomalous if Australia's international broadcaster was put into the hands of an outfit that is majority foreign-owned. Sky is a venture between Murdoch's British BSkyB; Nine, which is controlled by the Luxembourg private equity firm CVC; and Seven, controlled by Australia's Kerry Stokes. Even if it wasn't, who would you trust - Murdoch or the ABC - to fulfil the Australia Network's aims ... 'To present a reliable Australian voice in the Asia-Pacific region and to promote Australia as a sophisticated, diverse, innovative and tolerant society'?"

Crikey, 19 July 2010, letter from Malcolm Colless: "Australia Network should have more independence in its news gathering potential[,] something which it does not have while tied the the ABC’s apron strings. I believe that this is a fundamental issue which the Minister for Foreign Affairs in his current review of Australia Network should put to the ABC, Sky News and anyone else who believes they should manage this service." See previous post about same subject.

The Australian, 19 July 2010, Michael Bodey: "As the ABC launches its ABC News 24 channel this week, another 24-hour news network staffed by many Australians continues to grow, bucking the trend of shrinkage in news organisations. On the frontline of CNN International's growth are a number of Australian anchors all over the globe. Many, like former Today Tonight hosts Anna Coren and Stan Grant, based in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi respectively, are familiar to Australian audiences. Some, like former Seven reporter John Vause, Nine reporter Michael Holmes and ABC's Rosemary Church are less so, while others, including Justin Armsden, Michael Ware, Andrew Stevens and Phil Black, have made their name at the global network. ... Many expat Australian crew members and office staff support them. ... CNNI executive vice-president and managing director Tony Maddox says the Australian accent is useful on his network because his research suggests it is clear for those using English as their second language. For a network available in more than 257 million households and hotel rooms in more than 200 countries, with a particular influence in Asia, that is a potent asset."

Broadcast, 14 July 2010: "A peer has called for the cost of the BBC World Service to be shared between the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development (DfID) in order to protect it from cuts."

House of Lords Hansard, 13 July 2010: "Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Does the Minister agree that in these very unstable times there is a clear need for unbiased and independent news and information, which is uniquely provided by the BBC World Service? Does he also agree that a 25 per cent cut will inevitably lead to challenges that the World Service will find difficult to meet? That is what is being proposed and it is an unacceptable threat to the world's most respected broadcaster. Lord Howell of Guildford: I certainly agree with the first point that the noble Baroness makes. Indeed, one wants to see a well funded and effective BBC World Service, but she has to recall that under her Government a substantial cut was imposed as a result of the fall in the value of sterling, which must have hurt a lot. Under the cuts announced on 22 June by my right honourable friend the Chancellor, the BBC World Service has to make a modest further contribution and-I have to say, given the appalling financial situation that we have had to unscramble and are still unscrambling-there will be further spending-round cuts."

See also video.

The Scotsman, 14 July 2010: "At question time in the House of Lords the Bishop of Chester, the Right Rev Peter Forster, said there was a general recognition that world peace required 'more religious understanding'. He asked Lord Howell: 'Would you share my disappointment that over the last 10 years the religious programming output of the World Service has dropped?' The minister replied: 'Yes. Although this is an editorial decision of the BBC World Service.'"

Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2010, Jane Arraf: "The US closed one of the most controversial chapters of the Iraq war today when it transferred control of its last remaining prison to the Iraqi government. ... Despite the handover, the Iraqi government has asked the US military to keep about 200 prisoners, many of them suspected or convicted of terrorism, as well as eight former regime officials – five of whom have been sentenced to death. ... The former officials wear civilian clothing rather than the neon yellow outfits of regular prisoners. They’re allowed books, newspapers, television news channels such as BBC Arabic, and the US-funded Iraqi Al-Hurra, as well as sports and movie channels."

Fox News, 13 July 2010: "At [Guantanamo Bay] Camp 6, a minimum security facility within sight of bright Caribbean waters, detainees can now watch flatscreen TVs suspended from above (and encased in protective plastic) or attend classes on personal finance -- all while their feet are chained to the floor. At first, detainees were offered four channels via satellite television, but now detainees can choose from among 18 channels, including Al Jazeera English, a sports channel, and broadcasts focusing on Tunisia, Libya or Kuwait, according to McManus, who said 'nature shows are very popular.' 'Introduction of television is the number one thing we've changed... '."

BBC World Service press release, 16 July 2010: "The BBC's award-winning Persian-language television channel, BBC Persian, is now available on Eurobird 2 which is positioned in the same location as Arabsat. This is the latest in a series of recent moves to ensure that BBC Persian television is available to audiences in Iran despite attempts to jam the channel's signal. In May 2010, as part of the BBC's commitment to ensure that its Iranian audiences have access to accurate and impartial television news and current affairs, BBC Persian television started broadcasting on the Hotbird 8 satellite. The channel continues to be available on Eutelsat W3A and Telstar 12. The EB2 satellite (co-located with Arabsat) is the third Eutelsat owned platform to carry the Persian service. BBC Persian television started suffering deliberate attempts to interfere with its signal during its extended coverage of Iran's disputed presidential election in June 2009. The source of the interference has been identified as being situated in Iran."

The Guardian, 15 July 2010: "A senior BBC World Service executive, Gwyneth Williams, has been appointed as the new controller of BBC Radio 4. Williams, who began her BBC career in 1976 and was most recently responsible for the World Service's international radio programmes in English, will succeed Mark Damazer in the autumn." See also BBC News, 15 July 2010. -- BBC Radio 4 has a format similar to BBC World Service English. Or as it was before hour-long news programs started taking over the BBC WS English schedule. Listeners abroad who can listen to internet radio might prefer BBC R4 for its variety.

paidContent.org, 15 July 2010, Robert Andrews: "The BBC is continuing its efforts to find overseas advertising money by targeting its main homepage at U.S. audiences for the first time. The move is a simple case of using geo-IP targeting to show more locally relevant content through BBC.com, the international-facing version of BBC.co.uk. It’s hardly a paradigm shift. But BBC Worldwide, the corporation’s commercial arm, hopes it will attract more users in order to boost U.S. sales that underperformed in the downturn last year, the second full year in which the BBC has been showing ads to overseas visitors. The switch means showing a different order of news and features on BBC.com. The site’s TV section refers to its roster of 12 international channels, rather than domestic ones. And BBCWW is still contemplating launching iPlayer internationally, possibly on a paid basis. ... One confusing thing is that BBC Worldwide seems to use the name “BBC.com” interchangeably, to refer to both the BBC News site and the BBC homepage (it actually refers to the homepage, which is a parent of the news site, but BBCWW is selling localised ads on both)." -- I hope this doesn't mean we in the USA will have to pay to hear BBC domestic radio networks on the iPlayer.

Reuters, 15 July 2010: "Miranda Cresswell, senior vice president of BBC.com, said in a statement: 'You're going to see more analysis, more insight and more perspective that connects the dots on events and issues that affect us all in the U.S.' Such an approach will undoubtedly see the BBC compete more directly with US newspapers and broadcasters for local and regional stories. Until now, most of BBC's U.S. coverage has focused on major national stories, usually with an international impact."

The Observer, 18 July 2010, Peter Preston: "Here comes a redesigned BBC website – and a new BBC.com (with 10 or so Washington-based journalists) producing a distinctive American site, which of course can take advertising because it's over there, not over here. With 17-plus million clicking in across the US, you can see more ad money rolling in. But can 10 people, however good, supply all the news, all the features, all the coverage? Of course not. The essential news infrastructure is good old British stuff, paid for by you and me. Which means BBC Worldwide, taking precious ad money from UK newspaper sites seeking a US foothold, is operating a grotesquely unlevel playing field – at least in those newspapers' view. Now wonder why they don't sing constant paeans of praise to Auntie ... ."

BBC World News America, 13 July 2010, Matt Frei, presenter: "So as we re-launch our BBC News website I will throw myself into the gushing maelstrom of a daily blog, updated at meal-times. Its mission will be not dissimilar to the mission of BBC World News America. We will try to create a connection, an understanding, a rapport between the world's most powerful country and everyone else. ... It means recalibrating my mind to think, frequently, in short nugatory bursts. This should be no problem for someone suffering, as I do, from PDD, patience deficit disorder."

BBC Worldwide press release, 5 July 2010: "BBC Worldwide Ltd, the commercial and wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), today published its Annual Review for 2009/10. The company saw sales rise by 7% to £1074m in the 12 months to 31 March 2010, exceeding the £1bn mark for a second year. ... Sales generated overseas rose from 51.3% to 54.6% of the total (target- two thirds by 2012, from 46% in 2006). ... A strong overseas format business has helped sales from Content & Production grow by 10.7% and profits by 4.8%. ... The top five programme brands around the world were Top Gear, Life, Planet Earth, Being Erica and Doctor Who; The launch episode of the most recent series of Doctor Who attracted 1.2m viewers for BBC America post year end - its biggest-ever audience."

Sydney Morning Herald, 9 July 2010: "The BBC has sold 16 per cent more content to Australia in the past year, largely on the back of cuddly characters with nonsensical names and car mad men. Top Gear is a huge success for the BBC Worldwide, its recent move to the Nine Network delivering an increase in viewers, more traffic to the website and an audience for the magazine, sold here through the BBC's partnership with ACP. The BBC has also widened the reach of its specialist channels BBC Knowledge and CBeebies, the latter including the hugely popular pre-school hit In the Night Garden. Both BBC channels are now available on Austar and Foxtel."

BBC press release, 13 July 2010: "The BBC today published its Corporate Responsibility Report for 2009/2010 detailing its approach to managing the BBC's business functions in a responsible way. ... In line with the BBC's public purpose to communicate with audiences abroad, the BBC World Service Trust and BBC Learning English has launched a series of initiatives. In Bangladesh, two projects – BBC Janala and BBC Buzz – were launched to help the population improve or learn the English language. ... BBC World Class, in partnership with the British Council, has helped to twin schools in different countries. The aim is to inspire the schools to twin, facilitated by the British Council, and create global classrooms to help children to understand different cultures. For example, the Polesworth School in Warwickshire is twinned with Shen Zhen Shi Bi Bo Zhong Xue, in Shenzen, China."

BBC World Service press release, 12 July 2010: "Will Smith Look-alike," written by Deborah Asiimwe of Uganda, is the winner of the annual BBC World Service African Performance playwriting competition. ... Will Smith Look-Alike tells the story of 17-year-old Tereka as he travels to New York with his school music group after they won a national competition. Once in New York, Tereka believes that his resemblance to the American actor Will Smith will help him to pursue a better life in the USA."

Pakistan Christian Post, 14 July 2010, David A. Andelman: "The plan to ban coverage of terrorism in Pakistani media was put forward by politicians who think the broadcast coverage of the consequences of terrorism– especially in the volatile North West Frontier Province (NWFP) – is exaggerated and irresponsible. ... [A] potent media is quite often the best and most effective check on unbridled government power that abuses or curbs personal liberties. There are several realities the government of Pakistan has failed to consider as it strives desperately to put a lid on the activities of extremists that threaten to overwhelm the nation and its security services. ... In this globally connected world, a host of other sources of information will quickly step into the breach. Would the government of Pakistan prefer that Qatar’s Al Jazeera replace the news outlets Dawn, Indus or Geo – each Pakistani owned and operated? Or for that matter should the BBC, Voice of America or CNN, Deutsche Welle, France 24, Russia Today or Xinhua TV become the main go-to source for news for Pakistanis? A host of private radios and Internet operations outside Islamabad’s control would inevitably begin beaming their own version of events into the most volatile regions, especially the NWFP. Such vehicles may themselves be controlled by the very insurgents and extremists that the government is so anxious to prevent its people from embracing."

Azeri Report, 8 July 2010, Vugar Gojayev: "At the beginning of 2009, the Azeri services of the BBC, Radio Liberty and Voice of America were banned from broadcasting on national frequencies in Azerbaijan. ... Foreign broadcasters were the only media outlets offering a plurality of political views, dissenting voices and alternative information to the Azerbaijani public. The Azerbaijani media never airs any politically sensitive issues, or contradicts the government’s view for fear of official retribution, including the revocation of broadcast licenses and fabricated tax evasion charges. ... As a radio listener, I have always depended on these three radio stations for regular and objective news. It was dismaying for me to see how easily the incumbent regime put a lid on these last remnants of pluralistic media. ... As a radio listener, I have always depended on these three radio stations for regular and objective news. It was dismaying for me to see how easily the incumbent regime put a lid on these last remnants of pluralistic media. ... Although banned, foreign broadcasts can be accessed via satellite, cable and internet platforms. But according to Miklos Haraszti, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s former representative on media freedom, these means are unable to provide an adequate reception, as ‘the internet usage is low, the expansion of satellite radio is unrealistic and shortwave radio is scratchy’." -- Scratchy? Shortwave reception is presently unjammed in the former Soviet Union, and can provide good reception if broadcasters dedicate sufficient resources and listeners commit enough patience to the process. The proliferation of modern appliances, such as flat-screen televisions, can cause interference to shortwave. This phenomenon should be assessed.

Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center press release, 13 July 2010: "On the fourth anniversary of start of the Lebanese-Israeli War, 91 American, Israeli and Canadian victims of Hezbollah rocket attacks have filed an unprecedented lawsuit against the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television network. The suit, Kaplan et al. v. Al-Jazeera (10 cv 5298), filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, seeks $1.2 billion in compensatory damages plus punitive damages. The plaintiffs, whose family members were killed or who were themselves injured by rockets fired at Israel by Hezbollah between July 12 and August 14, 2006, allege that Al-Jazeera intentionally provided real-time coverage of the locations of missile strikes inside Israel in violation of Israeli security regulations, thereby enabling Hezbollah to aim its missiles more accurately. Al-Jazeera camera crews in Israel during the war were repeatedly detained by the Israeli police for broadcasting real-time information regarding the location of missile strikes, which Hezbollah utilized to more accurately aim their missiles at civilian population centers. Al-Jazeera is widely acknowledged to have an extreme anti-American and anti-Israel political agenda."

Jerusalem Post, 13 July 2010, Rebecca Anna Stoil: "Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu shared his dream to establish a state-sponsored international news network with members of the Knesset’s State Control Committee Monday, when he arrived to testify before the committee regarding the controversial reform of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. ... The prime minister’s vision for the IBA includes separate round-the-clock news channels broadcasting in Hebrew, English and Arabic. ... He went on to speak at length regarding the virtues of France 24, a channel that broadcasts news from a French perspective directed at international audiences and does, according to Netanyahu, 'a great service to France.' 'A channel such as this could give a great push toward improving Israeli advocacy,' said Netanyahu. He did not, however, mention one of Israel’s potential rivals on the international television scene, Iranian government-run Press TV." -- France 24 maintains a fairly independent stance, and does not really do "France advocacy." Press TV does not have much of an audiences, because it does "Iran advocacy." If the new IBA does "Israel advocacy," it won't have much of an audience, either, outside of Israel.

The Jewish Chronicle, 15 July 2010, Gary Rosenblatt: "Meet Adil Awadh, 42, an Iraqi-born Muslim whose new position as senior adviser for The Israel Project’s Arabic Media Project has him seeking out meetings with Arab journalists to encourage them to report Israel’s side of the Mideast conflict. 'It will be very difficult,' Awadh said in a distinct understatement earlier this month in New York at a private reception sponsored by The Israel Project. ... He said that in his one-on-one meetings with various Arab journalists at the United Nations, he was put on the defensive about Israeli policy but explained that his objective was not to make Jerusalem’s case. ... 'I said I assume I am talking to professional journalists who have the ability to separate their opinions and biases, and try to present the complete story. ... That means, for example, choosing not to interview Israeli officials like Avishai Braverman, the minister of minorities, who has been outspoken about his efforts to improve conditions for Israeli Arabs. Awadh noted that Al Jazeera and other Arab TV media tend to show footage of graphic, bloody scenes of wounded Palestinians during interviews with Israelis.'"

"The BET Networks continue to provide quality entertainment for black people all over the globe and African audiences can join the fun on BET via DStv [DTH satellite service to Africa] as the channel marks off the half way point in the year with spectacular programs that will have viewers glued to their screens. Starting this July, viewers can look out for International Music Week’s ‘WELCOME TO AMERICA’. The WELCOME TO AMERICA festival brings the best in international artists to BET viewers."

BET web page for BET International: "With a beyond our current carriage of 85 million homes in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, BET International is licensing BET content to television broadcasters on multiple platforms, developing distribution opportunities for 24-hour BET branded networks, BET branded TV blocks, and BET branded broadband and mobile offerings - adding locally derived content to the US mix - all to serve consumers of black culture globally." -- But no separate website for BET (originally Black Entertainment Television) International.

The Asahi Shimbun (Osaka), 15 July 2010, Yumiko Harashima, interviewing Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International: "Q: What is the 'Content Ownership Strategy' you began in 2007? A: We want CNN to be an original news service, not aggregating third-party material, which people can get from elsewhere, so we've invested millions of dollars in hiring staff in new locations around the world, so that people can see a richer supply of original journalism on CNN. ... Q: How can you manage to put so much money into the digital equipment and human resources? A: We're doing double-digit margins on our growth for the past six years, which gives us money to invest. And, we also chose not to invest in some other things. We chose not to invest in third-party content, and use that for the unoriginal content. So, some of it is 'reusing the same money.' ... We are number one around the world. But that will only stay that way if we continue to invest in good journalism and good programming. ... Q: Your content is distributed in fourteen services in 7 languages and can be seen in more than 260 million households in about 200 countries and regions. Which are the fastest growing markets for CNN in the last few years? A: We spend a lot of time, and rightly, talking about new media and the digital age and what our new proposition should be. But our established business, what CNN started doing, the cable news network, was as a paid television services and being paid for cable distribution and for household distribution. That remains a very strong business model, a very resilient business for us. So you'll see us continuing to pop-up around the world as more and more households get pay television." -- Recommended reading. This is a comprehensive conversation about CNN International and its operations and strategies.

Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) press release, 15 July 2010: "Following MTV Networks' recent commitment to the Asian Television Advertising Coalition (ATAC), CASBAA today announced that Disney Channels Southeast Asia has also joined the alliance dedicated to the growth of the Asian subscription-TV advertising pie. The alliance now comprises Discovery Networks Asia, Bloomberg Television, CNBC/ Universal Networks International, Disney Channels Southeast Asia, Fox One Stop Media, MTV Networks, Sony Pictures Television and Turner International."

Sify News (Chennai), 12 July 2010: "The Indian government has refused to renew the visa of Shogo Takahashi, the New Delhi bureau chief of Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), with the broadcaster expressing surprise at the decision. After making repeated attempts to get his visa renewed, the 46-year-old Takahashi, who had been the bureau chief since 2008, returned home Sunday. A NHK spokesperson said that the broadcaster was surprised at the Indian government's abrupt decision. The broadcaster has not, however, given up and written to the Indian embassy in Tokyo requesting a meeting to discuss the matter. The reply is being awaited, sources said. According to sources, the external affairs ministry was upset over some [allegedly] biased content in some of the NHK's documentary programmes. The NHK's coverage of the Lok Sabha elections last year, with its focus on role of caste system in Indian politics, did not go down well with Indian officials, sources said." See also The Telegraph (Kalkata), 16 July 2010.

The Telegraph, 10 July 2010, Emma Larkin, excerpt of her book Everything Is Broken: The Untold Story of Disaster Under Burma’s Military Regime: "Bootleg DVDs featuring the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis were available at streetside stalls and at road junctions, where boys walked between the vehicles stopped at red lights and held up the covers for viewing. Most of the DVDs had simple titles, sometimes written in English (Cyclone Nargis, Nargis, Nargis Storm), though I came across one DVD poetically entitled Gone with the Wind. ... There are few other ways for people to get information that hasn’t first passed the censors. Many people listen to Burmese-language news broadcasts from radio channels such as the BBC and Voice of America and, in urban areas where there is access to the internet, people can go to internet cafes and use special software to get past the regime’s firewalls and blocks on news channels. Still, at a time when few reliable reports were emerging from the delta, nothing quite matched the visceral content of the DVDs, and the films served an important function by documenting the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. ... But it turned out that the DVDs were available for only a limited period. One day in mid-May state media announced that foreign news agencies and local 'destructive elements’ were trying to manipulate public opinion by broadcasting false information. It was an oblique warning, but it was enough; the very next day the DVDs were gone." -- At least some of the video may have come from satellite television. Al Jazeera English was particularly active in Burma after the cyclone. See also review of the book by Radio Free Asia executive editor Daniel Southerland, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2010.

Fort Wayne News Sentinel, 6 July 2010, Ellie Bogue: "Members of the Burmese community and Fort Wayne [Indiana] Public Access TV channels are coming together to start a weekly program. The Golden Moon TV Network will air a news/variety show 7-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays on Comcast, City TV Channel 58. For Verizon users, it's City TV Channel 28. The show will feature news, a short beauty segment, interviews, entertainment and cultural events in the community, and a talk- show segment. About a year ago, Thiha Ba Kyi was talking with friends Myo Myint and Thin Ko Ko, a Burmese videographer who has worked for the BBC and Voice of America. With an influx of Burmese refugees coming to Fort Wayne, many of whom can't read or write, the Burmese community needed a way to help new arrivals adjust to living in Fort Wayne. Video seemed like the easiest solution, and so the idea of a television program was born. ... Starting in April, the three, plus Thiha Ba Kyi's fiancée and Thin Ko Ko's wife, began taping segments for the show. ... The first episode of the show is tentatively scheduled to air July 14. Because many Burmese do not have cable access, the DVDs will be distributed to local temples and other Burmese social services so they can reach their target audience."

AP, 15 July 2010: "A former aide to Myanmar's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from prison Thursday after 14 years behind bars in the military-led country. ... Win Htein, 68, had been serving a 14-year sentence on charges of providing false information to the foreign press, according to the U.S. Campaign for Burma, which lobbies against aid to the military regime. Win Htein was released briefly in 2008 during an amnesty, but was re-arrested 17 hours later without explanation. In that brief period of freedom, he gave an interview to the Democratic Voice of Burma, a Norway-based shortwave radio station and website that is run by exiled Myanmar dissidents."

Xinhua, 16 July 2010: "South Korea's Defense Ministry said Friday it will resume anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcast along the heavily fortified border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported. The ministry said it has installed 11 propaganda loudspeakers and has completed preparations for sending more than 1 million propaganda leaflets into the DPRK, according to Yonhap News Agency. ... Pyongyang, for its part, recently threatened to open fire at the loudspeakers if they start blaring propaganda into the country."

JoongAng Daily, 17 July 2010, Ser Myo-ja: South Korea's Ministry of National Defense "said [apparently Friday] it will resume parts of its psychological warfare against the North if it makes anymore attacks. 'We have completed installing loudspeakers at 11 locations along the border,” [Ryu Je-seung, a senior policy planning official] said. 'They will be used to punish the North in case of any additional provocation.' He said six operational bases are ready to send 1.23 million propaganda leaflets to the North. 'We will decide when to begin the psychological warfare operation taking into account the Group of 20 summit in November and the North’s reaction, as well as developments in inter-Korean relations,' he said."

The Chosun Ilbo, 12 July 2010: "[T]he South Korean government and military are looking into various scenarios for resuming propaganda broadcasts against North Korea and sending anti-communist leaflets to the North, which they had planned to do in response to the sinking. 'Since the UN Security Council has adopted a presidential statement, we plan to start talks soon with the UN Command about the resumption of propaganda broadcasts. There is a good chance a decision will be made this week,' a Defense Ministry official said."

The Dong-a Ilbo, 13 July 2010: "A military source said, however, 'Military authorities have no special plan to resume a psychological war. Since the (presidential) statement of the U.N. Security Council stressed peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, if we start a psychological war now, it may look like we started a provocation first.'"

Yonhap, 14 July 2010, Sam Kim: "A South Korean government branch plans to step up its monitoring of North Korea next year by increasing funding for the activity five-fold, an official said Wednesday. The Unification Ministry is seeking 33.9 billion won (US$28.1 million) next year to scrutinize North Korea and assess its political, economic and social situation, the official said, asking for anonymity."

The Chosun Ilbo, 15 July 2010: "North Korea has been distributing a propaganda poster apparently boasting about its sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in March, Radio Free Asia reported Tuesday. The U.S.-funded radio station based the claim on a poster it obtained from a Chinese businessman just back from a trip to the North. The poster shows a North Korean soldier's fist smashing the ship into two pieces, accompanied by a slogan saying, 'We'll take it down with a single blow if it attacks!' ... Quoting a military exert in South Korea, RFA said, 'The poster features a corvette like the Cheonan, not a destroyer or a convoy ship, given the two guns each on the foredeck and the afterdeck. It seems that the North made the propaganda poster to boost soldiers' morale.'"

JoongAng Daily, 15 July 2010: "The RFA also cited a North Korean defector who said a rumor circulated within the North Korean military after the Cheonan sinking that 'the heroic navy landed a blow.'"

The Chosun Ilbo, 8 July 2010: "The North Korean regime has been thwarted in apparent plans to use the World Cup as a means to boost the image of leader Kim Jong-il's heir apparent Kim Jong-un. Radio Free Asia on Tuesday claimed the plans were scuppered when what seem to have been muddle-headed instructions from Kim senior himself to the national team lead to a devastating rout in South Africa. Quoting a source, RFA reported that after watching the match against powerhouse Brazil, in which North Korea recorded a respectable 1-2 loss with a tight defense strategy, Kim Jong-il said that although the team played the first half well, it lost because it only focused on defense in the second half. He then gave orders for the team's defenders to be positioned forward and even specified where each defender should be standing in the field. According to the source, Kim 'gave orders twice' to a responsible official dispatched to South Africa during the game against Portugal on June 21. The orders were delivered to North Korea manager Kim Jong-hun and implemented in the game. Despite the widening gap in the score, the North Koreans team stuck to their hopeless strategy and lost 0-7." Also picked up by National Post (Toronto), 9 July 2010.

The Chosun Ilbo, 7 July 2010: "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has ordered the demolition and rebuilding of a theater that was in perfect condition, adding to suspicions that his judgment is becoming severely impaired as a result of a stroke in 2008. Citing North Korean sources, Radio Free Asia reported on Monday that a national theater in Pyongyang was demolished in May and is being reconstructed. People there 'seem to wonder why a building that was just renovated in 2003 is being rebuilt.'"

GlobalPost, 14 July 2010, Justin McCurry: "What little is known about the machinations of the world's most secretive state comes from South Korean government officials, the animated pronouncements of the North's official news agency, defectors and small-time surveillance operations that double up as purveyors of anti-North Korean propaganda. Taken together, their nuggets of information add up to a country on the brink of political and economic crisis."

The Korea Herald, 15 July 2010, Robert Lee: "Big Brother controls the news, radio, Internet and every other form of communication. This is not George Orwell’s '1984.' This is North Korea and a U.S. government-funded organization aims to change that. Media oppression is omnipresent in the North, but information for and from Radio Free Asia’s shortwave radio broadcast flows through the communist state’s iron curtain. By informing the public of oppressive nations, RFA hopes to reduce censorship, while improving the economy and living standards. ... 'Before listening to RFA, I knew only about North Korea, but now I know there is a different world out there where people live without their rights being infringed upon,' one North Korean defector said." -- Isn't RFA the station that is supposed to tell North Koreans about North Korea? And the VOA Korean Service -- nowhere mentioned in this half a news story -- about "the different world out there"? Such is the muddle of US international broadcasting in its present structure, one that needs to be fixed.

Naviny.by Belarus News, 14 July 2010: "The United States is seriously concerned about 'continued acts of suppression and intimidation aimed at independent media and political opposition figures in Belarus,' Ian Kelly, US ambassador to the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation, said when speaking at a meeting held by the OSCE Permanent Committee on Tuesday, as quoted by BelaPAN. ... The US ambassador mentioned a recent attack on Artur Finkevich, leader of an opposition youth group called Maladaya (Young) Belarus, and his associate Alyaksandr Lykshyn who were assaulted by unknown assailants on July 8 shortly after leaving the US embassy in Minsk, and the Belarusian authorities’ warning to at least two Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists that they are 'working illegally' in Belarus. 'They allegedly exceed the Government`s quota on RFE/RL, a quota that violates Belarus`s OSCE commitments to allow for a pluralistic and free media in Belarus,' Mr. Kelly said."

Ha'aretz, 9 July 2010, James Kirchick, "writer-at-large for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty": "It might seem like yet another excessive giveaway from a Scandinavian social welfare state. Last week, Finland became the first country in the world to make broadband Internet access a legal right, placing the ability to get online alongside other entitlements like unemployment benefits and health care. ... Compare Finland's decision with the actions of authoritarian nations, which devote massive amounts of money and resources to preventing their citizens from enjoying unrestricted Internet access. ... When it comes to dealing with rogue regimes, preaching the unparalleled virtues of the Internet and social networking sites becomes an excuse for avoiding more effective actions - whether they be sanctions, covert operations or military force." -- "Writer-at-Large." I like the sound of that. I think I will propose that I become my agency's Bureaucrat-at-Large.

RFE/RL press release, 2 July 2010: "On July 4, 1950, Radio Free Europe (RFE) went on the air for the first time with a broadcast to communist Czechoslovakia from a studio in New York City's Empire State Building. The station signed on with the pledge of delivering news 'in the American tradition of free speech.' On this Fourth of July, exactly 60 years later, RFE/RL reaches nearly 20 million people in 28 languages and 21 countries (map) including Russia, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It remains a lifeline for people living in war zones and under authoritarian rule who seek accurate and reliable news and information." With additional history and links.

RFE/RL Off Mic blog, 14 July 2010, Charles Dameron: "Sixty years ago, Radio Free Europe (RFE) took to dropping balloons into Communist-occupied Eastern Europe as one of its many creative ways of dodging the censors. These days, RFE/RL's methods of penetrating closed societies feature more high-tech tools - proxy servers and client software, for example - as authoritarian regimes do their best to prevent citizens from receiving news and information from the outside world."

RFE/RL press release, 29 June 2010: "According to a new Freedom House report unveiled at RFE/RL's Washington, D.C. office today, independent media have declined significantly across the former Soviet Union during the past decade." See alsao RFE/RL's Journalists in Trouble, 9 July 2010.

Media Bistro, 13 July 2010, Alex Weprin: "Fox News Channel's Islamabad, Pakistan-based Middle East correspondent Scott Heidler has left the network for Al Jazeera English. ... According to his LinkedIn profile, Heidler is now a correspondent based [out] of Al Jazeera's Washington DC bureau."

AP, 14 July 2010: "ABC's Christiane Amanpour officially joins the Sunday morning talk world on Aug. 1. ABC [the US network] said Tuesday that the former CNN international reporter begins as host of 'This Week' in less than three weeks. Amanpour was a surprise hire to replace George Stephanopoulos on the Sunday political show, which competes with NBC's 'Meet the Press' and CBS' 'Face the Nation.' With an August start, ABC wants Amanpour to get in the Sunday morning rhythm and get a few shows done before the political season starts in earnest."

Reuters, 14 July 2010: "British pay-TV company BSkyB (BSY.L) is in talks with a private Abu Dhabi investor to launch a round-the-clock Arabic language news channel under the Sky News brand. The new channel, which could launch within 24 months, would be run as a 50-50 joint venture, providing coverage of news across the Middle East and North Africa and competing with the likes of Al Jazeera, BBC Arabic and Al Arabiya. English language Sky News is available to viewers around the world but this would be the first wholly international venture for BSkyB. ... BSkyB is 39 percent owned by News Corp (NWSA.O), and the two sides are in talks after Rupert Murdoch's company proposed buying the rest of the company it does not already own."

Sky News, 14 July 2010: "The service would offer a new style of independent and neutral multi-media news coverage for countries in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA)."

AP, 14 July 2010: "The channel would compete against established regional networks such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said last week he also plans to launch an Arabic television news channel."

Gulf News (Dubai), 15 July 2010, Derek Baldwin: "At least seven per cent of Sky News owner News Corp is owned by Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, who recently hinted that he would help set up a new 24/7 news channel in a region virtually saturated with Arabic broadcast competitors. ... Steve Vaile, CEO and Founder of Dubai's H2O, a firm that specialises in new media development [said any] ongoing discussions to set up the service within two years would likely hinge on a complete, leading-edge multi-media platform ... rather than a straight-up TV news channel. ... 'I think it would take time and it would need a lot of positioning to win viewers' trust with that channel,' Vaile said, especially with a bevy of Arabic news services underfoot such as Doha-based Al Jazeera, Dubai's Al Arabiya and BBC Arabic."

The National (Abu Dhabi), Mixed Media, 14 July 2010, Ben Flanagan: "This follows the news last week that the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed has recruited Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to head his new 24-hour Arabic-language news channel, which will launch in the 'near future'. In a statement issued by Prince Alwaleed's company Kingdom Holding, it was claimed that the channel will be launched in partnership with the Fox Network, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp empire. This is intriguing. Fox News is a subsidiary of News Corp, and British Sky Broadcasting is 39.1 per cent owned by Murdoch's company. Prince Alwaleed has a 7 per cent stake in News Corp, while Murdoch has a 9.09 per cent stake in Rotana, Prince Alwaleed's media company. So given the strong links between Alwaleed and Murdoch, it is surprising that there are two Arabic news stations in the pipeline, given that the stations would presumably be competitors. (Some say, however, that Fox's involvement in Alwaleed's project may have been exaggerated.)"

The National, 15 July 2010, Ben Flanagan: "Assuming that the two proposed stations go ahead, they will, presumably, be in competition with each other. And given that Prince Alwaleed has a stake in both, how does that fit his 'long-term' investment strategy?"

The National, 14 July 2010, Ben Flanagan: "'The cost [of setting up a news station] is extremely high – you have to operate in five continents – and revenue is limited,' said Mazen Hayek, the group director of marketing, PR and commercial for MBC Group, which is behind the Al Arabiya news channel. 'What could a new news channel bring to the audience? What is the unique selling proposition of that channel? How could a business plan make sense, if it’s not linked to a media conglomerate with other channels?'"

With Murdoch connections to both, are the BSkyB channel and Prince Alwaleed's channel the same channel in making? Or will they be? Or are they vying to be? See previous post about Prince Alwaleed's planned channel.

Arab News, 10 July 2010: "'That’s Why' is the name of a worldwide media campaign that the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has launched to raise public awareness about its economic and social development efforts around the world. Nine short videos are being aired via CNN, France 24 and Al-Jazeera networks, coinciding with the 35th annual meeting of the IDB in the Azeri capital of Baku last month. Each video focuses on an important social challenge and what it means to ordinary people, before describing — that’s why — the action that the IDB is taking by itself and jointly with other development financing institutions around the world." -- The "short videos" are really commercials.

The Daily Beast, 6 July 2010, Randall Lane: "As part of a public diplomacy program similar to Radio Free Europe or Voice of America, the State Department had allocated more than $4 million a year to launch a magazine about American culture, which would be translated into Arabic and sold across the Arab world. (A TV station, Al Hurra, and Radio Sawa were launched around the same time.) Other than a corny name, Hi!, the one English word everyone on the planet knows, it was an empty vessel. ... Congressmen began complaining that rather than show young Arabs how Western society works, Hi! should tell them why American policies are right. The initiative’s leadership got incrementally political: The undersecretary for public diplomacy, a former advertising CEO named Charlotte Beers, was replaced ... eventually, by President Bush’s top image-maker, Karen Hughes. A State Department panel of ham-fisted political appointees now began actively reviewing our content before we printed it, as the new war in Iraq turned increasingly unpopular. ... [D]uring one review meeting, held before a star chamber of 10 high-level State Department officials, the co-leader specifically took offense to a photograph from a classic Western scene: campers and pack mules heading out on a rugged weekend expedition. ... She held up the offending photo, as wholesome as a Norman Rockwell painting, and pointed to a pack mule that, by other names, might be known as a donkey. This has to go, she said. Too pro-Democrat. And out it went." -- A second source for this story would be helpful.

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, 5 July 2010: "Channel NewsAsia, the Singapore-based regional news channel, undergoes a makeover this month with a fresh on-air look, new documentaries and some changes to its staple programmes. The channel says the revamp is part of its continuing drive to present Asian perspectives which are timely and relevant to viewers. Kicking off the revamp is a new on-screen look of Channel NewsAsia, with a newly designed information bar. The aim is to give viewers more information in a streamlined manner." See also www.channelnewsasia.com.

The Spy Report, 13 July 2010, Cyril Washbrook: "After weeks of speculation, the [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] has announced that ABC News 24 will launch on-air on Thursday 22 July. The first programme to air on the high-definition news channel will be an ABC News special at 7:30pm AEST. The broadcaster indicates that the launch programme would aim to showcase the full range of the ABC’s news-gathering capabilities, featuring reporting from journalists in Australia and around the world. ... The Australia Network‘s Business Today, presented by Whitney Fitzsimmons, will also be broadcast on News 24."

AFP, 14 July 2010: "A court-ordered study has found that electromagnetic waves beamed by Vatican Radio leave residents living near the station's antennas at a higher risk of cancer, Italian media said Wednesday. ... The Vatican spokesman said the Holy See would soon publish its own experts' conclusion in the case."

BBC News, 14 July 2010, David Willey: "There is a 'coherent and significant connection' between radiation from Vatican Radio aerials and childhood cancer, researchers have said. The Italian experts looked at high numbers of tumours and leukaemia in children who live close to Vatican Radio transmitters. The 60 antennas stand in villages and towns near Rome. The Vatican said it was astonished and would present contrary views to a court in Rome. ... Some 60 huge steel aerials were erected on farmland owned by the Vatican during the last century. They transmit Vatican Radio programmes around the world on medium and short wave. However, the technology is now largely obsolete, as Catholic radio stations in many countries rebroadcast Vatican Radio shows after picking them up on the Internet."

-- And in many countries, local stations do not rebroadcast Vatican Radio programs.

Radio Business Report, 14 July 2010: "The radio's director, Federico Lombardi [said], 'Vatican Radio has always observed international directives on electromagnetic emissions and since 2001 has observed more restrictive norms set by Italy to allay the concerns of the neighboring populations.' Speaking on Vatican Radio, he said: 'According to international scientific literature on the matter, the existence of a causal link like the one apparently hypothesized by the report had never been established.'"

National Catholic Register, 14 July 2010, Victor Gaetan: "Oswaldo Payá Sardinas is the founder of the Varela Project, the most powerful democracy effort in Cuba’s recent history. ... 'My father had a trans-Atlantic radio, short wave, which had been sold for military purposes. My mother used to listen to the “Voice of America” every day. I still remember the names of the broadcasters. There was a lot of information. I heard the launching of the Apollo, very good, quality reporting. ... That radio station used to fill us with so many emotions — it was better than today. I want to say that they were always very impartial. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the message of a nation: with historical material, sports, culture and a very good capacity to transmit information with excellent description." -- "Better than today" might mean better the old VOA Spanish service was better than today's Radio Martí.

Euronews, 15 July 2010: "Pablo Pacheco has been talking to euronews: 'The proof of my guilt according to the Cuban Government was me owning a 1950s typewriter, a tape recorder, pens, denunciations, a fax, white sheets of paper, books – the majority of them about journalism – a short-wave radio.'"

The Economist, Babbage, 8 July 2010, N.V.: "In the days when you could buy germanium diodes, variable capacitors and earphones from war-surplus stores for pennies, your correspondent—like many of his schoolboy contemporaries—built a solid-state version of his grandparents’ crystal-set to pull in short-wave radio broadcasts from around the world. Though such sets were used only for receiving, and therefore didn’t need a carefully designed resonating antenna like a transmitter, the biggest problem with them always was constructing an effective enough dipole aerial."

The Newton Kansan, 6 July 2010, James A. Marples: "When I was a kid, I listened to shortwave radio and wrote to Radio Nederland and Radio Moscow asking for QSL cards (postcards which verified listening to a particular program, which they would spell 'programme'). The postal letters I received from the then-U.S.S.R. during the Cold War were all opened and unsealed. Obviously, the letters were censored and the authorities were making sure I wasn’t a spy." -- In my teen-aged days of sending for shortwave QSL cards, I rarely received responses that looked to have been opened.

Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), 3 July 2010, Kenneth Zadwick: "My interest in ham radio goes back to 1939 when I was walking home from a movie and saw through a basement window a huge amount of equipment. After telling my father I thought I had uncovered a spy, he explained to me about ham radio, and turned on the short wave selection on a set. I was hooked... ."

Radioandmusic.com, 9 July 2010: "All India Radio (AIR) has placed a global tender notice for the procurement of several DRM [Digital Radio Mondiale] digital transmitters. It has invited bids for the supply of 34 new MW transmitters, for the upgrade of 36 MW transmitters and purchase of 5 SW transmitters and other associated equipment. The Research Department of AIR is also going ahead with the purchase of a 500 watt DRM shortwave transmitter for conducting trials on 26 MHz SW DRM transmissions for local coverage." -- Propagation rarely allows the 26 MHz shortwave band to be be useful for international broadcasting, so DRM is being tested in the band for an FM-like local service. With the 11-year sunspot cycle back in ascendancy, the 26 MHz signals meant for local listeners will occasionally be heard over long distances. The other 5 shortwave DRM transmitters will be used for more conventional domestic and/or international broadcasting.

RadioActivity blog, 11 July 2010, Alokesh Gupta: "DW 12095 DRM Txn [transmission] via Trincomalee. Tried listening to some DRM txn's today after long time, here's a screenshot for DW12095, SNR around 21 dB, stable audio"

Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2010, Kavita Daswani: "Colors, the highest-ranked general entertainment channel in India, launched in the U.S. this year. Reaching 40 million households in India, the 2-year-old channel, a joint venture between Viacom and Indian media conglomerate Network 18, is hoping to replicate some measure of that success stateside. ... In January, Colors linked with Dish; it is now part of a Hindi language paid-subscription package on the satellite service. ... Colors is among the latest to join the growing roster of programming directed toward Indians, a demographic that ranks among the most highly educated immigrant populations in the country. ... [J]ust about every cable and satellite provider offers Hindi-language channels and a growing diet of varied programming. Industry executives decline to reveal numbers, but estimate that at least one third of South Asian households in the U.S. subscribe to some type of entertainment package."

Washington Post, 5 July 2010, Tara Bahrampour: "After 23 years of broadcasting to viewers in the Washington area, their one-hour talk show, 'Darshan,' has spawned "Darshan America," a half-hour version appearing in about 30 markets nationwide. ... It is a triumph for 'Darshan,' which means 'morning blessing' in Hindi. The show is one of 15 locally produced programs aired by the Falls Church-based MHz Networks, but it is the first to be broadcast outside its home market, on the company's channel geared to diaspora communities and viewers interested in foreign programs. 'Quite frankly, it's the only one that has the quality of content and production standards that meet the level that it's able to go national,' said Chris Arth, editor and director of 'Darshan' and a producer at MHz, which also airs international programming such as 'Al Jazeera English,' 'France 24' and 'Russia Today.' ... Unlike shows on Indian satellite subscription channels that are heavy on soap operas and Bollywood musicals produced in India, 'Darshan' targets the interests of immigrants and native Americans of South Asian descent."

Press TV, 13 July 2010: "Shahram Amiri, the Iranian academic who was abducted by US and Saudi forces last year, has held an exclusive interview with Press TV, after his 'escape' from US forces. In the interview, he dismissed US claims that he has been in the US on his own desire. ... On Tuesday, US declared that arrangements are underway for the return of Iranian academic Shahram Amiri to Iran, claiming that he has been in the US on his own desire." For an "exclusive interview," this story is brief, cautious (e.g. the quotation marks around "escape"), and balanced by the mention of the US explanation of the matter. Press TV has many other stories about the same subject (search Amiri at www.presstv.com), most of which are less constrained by journalistic principles.

Jerusalem Post, 11 July 2010, Benjamin Joffe-Walt: "Iran has apparently submitted to intense international pressure, promising to review a judicial sentence calling for the death by stoning of a woman convicted of adultery. The sentence so far has not been commuted. ... Dozens of international rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, took up Ashtiani’s case after it was first leaked to Radio Farda by women’s rights activist Soheila Vahdati last week." See also RFE/RL, 8 July 2010.

AP, 11 July 2010: "In its report Friday, the [Iranian] state news agency added that Western media, specifically BBC and Radio Free Europe’s Farsi services, had launched a propaganda campaign over the case."

Investor's Business Daily, 6 July 2010, editorial. "Voice of America's mission is to promote U.S. interests abroad, which includes freedom in Iran. But VOA's Persian newscast has been hijacked by pro-Tehran broadcasters. The Obama administration's sole strategy for defanging the Ahmadinejad regime is talk and more talk. Only, the propaganda that VOA is piping into Iran is helping the regime — thanks to deep-seated bias in favor of Tehran by Persian editors and producers whose salaries are paid by American taxpayers. They've banned stories that cast the regime in a negative light, such as last year's violent postelection crackdown on protesters in Tehran. They even refused for several days to air video footage of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian woman whose murder became an international cause celebre." -- Latest in a series of such allegations against VOA Persian. See, for example, this previous post.

Ibid, Voice of America response: "VOA is congressionally mandated to provide accurate and objective news often not available to our audience. Iran’s jamming of VOA programs is a testament to our success. VOA was one of the first to air video of the death of Neda Agha-Soltan. Re: the lawsuit, a Federal District Court found complainant is unlikely to succeed. VOA also rejects your allegations about retaliation. Due to space limits, other inaccuracies are addressed in our full response @ http://bit.ly/bbPtGS."

American Thinker, 7 July 2010, Ed Lasky: "[T]he Obama administration seems to like the Voice of America's new direction -- even more towards the dark side."

National Post (Toronto), 10 July 2010, Terrine Friday: "Within minutes of Neda Agha-Soltan being shot on a street in Iran during the government's crackdown of the Green Revolution last year, a video of her bloody death was being broadcast around the world. ... Soon a photograph of the beautiful, young woman in a flowered headscarf was being broadcast by the international media and the image of the 'Angel of Iran' became an icon. Except the picture was of the wrong woman. The photograph was of Neda Soltani who was -- and is -- still alive. ... In an interview with German media in February, Ms. Soltani said she first heard her name broadcast as the former Ms. Agha-Soltan on Voice of America. When she contacted them to say she was still alive, she sent along a photo of herself to prove it. According to Ms. Soltani, that same photo was then published and attributed as Ms. Agha-Soltan, with no correction issued." -- Gulf Daily News (Manama), 28 June 2010, James J. Zogby: "The story is true, Agha-Soltan was murdered, but the picture is not of her."

Leagle, 12 July 2010, re Sataki v. Falahati: "Plaintiff Elham Sataki filed [a] suit against Defendant Mehdi Falahati, her co-worker at the Broadcasting Board of Governors ('BBG'), asserting tort claims for Assault and Battery, False Light, Defamation, Tortious Interference with Business Relations, and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. ... Plaintiff, who is represented by counsel in this action, failed to file any response to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss by July 2, 2010, or indeed, at anytime thereafter. ... This case shall therefore be DISMISSED without prejudice." See previous post about same subject.

Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 1 July 2010: "TV Marti premieres the first of a series on Cuban-American musical performers, as well as a tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces in its launch of prime time broadcasts over Independence Day weekend. Beginning Saturday, July 3, TV Marti will broadcast from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. via DirecTV to Cuba to showcase a fresh line-up of news and features on economics, sports, health, and technology. ... To fulfill its mission in providing Cubans with objective and reliable news, TV Marti will further expand its broadcast hours to Cuba on Direct TV, Channel 8, on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 p.m. to 11 pm, in addition to the existing weekday schedule. To help spread the word, an advertising campaign is being launched today to invite Cuban Americans to tell their relatives in Cuba about the expanded programming. In addition, on June 21, Radio Marti introduced a new program clock, with faster tempo news and a more dynamic sound. Programming includes a half hour newscast at the top of each hour, followed by expanded news related programming on various topics. A redesigned website for Radio and TV Marti, www.martinoticias.com, also will launch in the coming weeks."

"Direct TV [actually DirecTV], Channel 8," is GenTV, or WGEN, which shows TV Martí on its Saturday-night schedule. WGEN is on terrestrial digital channel 8 in the Miami area. Its channel designation on DirecTV varies by the model of receiver. According to Wikipedia, WGEN is 25% owned by Colombia's Caracol TV. Presumably the idea is that WGEN via the DirecTV local service for Miami can also be received in Cuba. (Are black market dishes in Cuba pointed instead to the satellite carrying DirecTV Latin America? Perhaps not, if South Floridian are supplying DirecTV cards to their relatives in Cuba.)

A "tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces" is an interesting choice of programming to Cuba.

The www.martinoticias.com website does not yet seem to be redesigned. It does provide a link to audio ("Radio en Vivo") allowing one to hear the new sound of Radio Martí.

Wall Street Journal, 14 July 2010, Lee C. Bollinger: "Both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission are undertaking studies of ways to ensure the steep economic decline faced by newspapers and broadcast news does not deprive Americans of the essential information they need as citizens. One idea under consideration is enhanced public funding for journalism. ... [W]e already depend to some extent on publicly funded foreign news media for much of our international news—especially through broadcasts of the BBC and BBC World Service on PBS and NPR. Such news comes to us courtesy of British citizens who pay a TV license fee to support the BBC and taxes to support the World Service. The reliable public funding structure, as well as a set of professional norms that protect editorial freedom, has yielded a highly respected and globally powerful journalistic institution. ... The U.S. government's international broadcasters, like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, were developed during the Cold War as tools of our anticommunist foreign policy. In a sign of how anachronistic our system is in a digital age, these broadcasters are legally forbidden from airing within the U.S. This system needs to be revised and its resources consolidated and augmented with those of NPR and PBS to create an American World Service that can compete with the BBC and other global broadcasters. The goal would be an American broadcasting system with full journalistic independence that can provide the news we need." See also many negative comments.

Actually, the BBC we get in the United States is not paid for by the license fee. BBC World Service is funded by the UK Foreign office and by US public radio stations that purchase BBCWS content. BBC World News is purchased by public television stations. The BBC America channel earns its keep through advertising.

NPR and PBS would probably be branded as too liberal by enough members of Congress to prevent any consolidation with VOA and RFE/RL. Some exchange of content between USIB and other private US domestic broadcasting companies could be beneficial to all, and need not compromise the journalistic independence of any of these organizations. The domestic dissemination prohibition of the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act would have to be revised. See my USIB consolidation proposal published the previous day in the New York Times.

The White House, 13 July 2010, Office of the Press Secretary: "Earlier today, the President signed S. 3104, legislation that provides permanent authorization for Radio Free Asia (RFA). The mission of Radio Free Asia directly reflects the value Americans place on freedom of and access to information, which are vital to the democratic process and consistent with the principles of freedom of opinion and expression in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Over the last 14 years, RFA has brought accurate and timely news to the people of seven Asian countries without a free press. Starting with just two language services, it now broadcasts in nine Asian languages and numerous dialects. It has been honored with a wide variety of prestigious journalism awards over the years for providing factual and impartial news as well as analysis, commentary, and cultural programming. We will continue to work closely with Congress to support the critical work of RFA, and thank Senator Lugar and Representative Royce for their leadership in advancing this legislation. We look forward to increasing RFA’s audience reach in the years to come."

Chosun Ilbo, 5 July 2010: "Republican Rep. Ed Royce of California, who introduced the bill, stressed the need to support RFA, saying that according to a survey of defectors, more than half of refugees who fled the North since 2006 regularly listened to foreign broadcasts. The annual upkeep for RFA is equivalent to the cost for the fuel cap of a single B-52 bomber, he added, but its effect is much more powerful." -- A fuel B-52 cap costs $37 million dollars? Actually, this is from Rep. Royce's floor debate on 30 June 2010, in which he seems to be taking some poetic license. The debate makes no mention of VOA's broadcasts to the same region in the same languages. See also Daily NK, 5 July 2010. See previous post about same subject.

RFA is a very good station, reporting aggressively about its target countries, and getting many scoops. VOA also provides a very good news service to Asia, reporting on many of the same stories as does RFA. The result is frequent duplication of effort, unsustainable given present concerns about the growing federal deficit.

A simple solution might be to order VOA to limit itself to world and U.S. news, leaving the target-country news to RFA. This, however, would impose on the audience the unacceptable inconvenience of tuning to two US stations to get all the news.

In the present structure of US international broadcasting, there is no satisfactory scenario. Real reform (see previous post) is needed.

Slate, 6 July 2010, Brett Sokol: "The FBI documents that accompanied last week's arrest of 10 alleged Russian spies are alternately creepy—who knew the Tribeca Barnes & Noble was a hotbed of espionage?—and comical—turns out even foreign spies wanted to cash in on suburban New Jersey's real estate boom. With a nod to Boris and Natasha, the accused are also said to have used short-wave radio, a 1920s-era technology that, because of its particular place in the spectrum, can bounce off the atmosphere and travel across continents. ... Just as in the case of Cuban spies Walter and Gwendolyn Myers, arrested last summer in Washington, D.C., the clandestine Russian agents were tuning in to foreign short-wave stations transmitting strings of numbers—some in Morse code, others spoken by a recorded voice—that they then decoded into words. The so-called 'numbers stations' carried regular broadcasts that could be heard by virtually anyone across the United States spinning their own short-wave dial past the BBC World Service or Radio France International, two of many neighbors in the shortwave spectrum."

New Scientist, 6 July 2010, Paul Marks: "Shortwave was not a bad idea, though. 'Using shortwave Morse is fairly good cover,' says [Tom] Sale, who monitored Russian spies in the UK communicating with Moscow in the 1960s. 'There probably aren't all that many intercept stations listening for Morse traffic any more.'"

Radio Survivor, 12 July 2010, Paul Riismandel: "[T]his just provides another reason why the particular qualities of radio makes it so suited for one-way communication, often over long distances."

AP, 2 July 2010, Kevin Maurer: "The Army has dropped the Vietnam-era name 'psychological operations' for its branch in charge of trying to change minds behind enemy lines, acknowledging the term can sound ominous. The Defense Department picked a more neutral moniker: 'Military Information Support Operations,' or MISO. U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Ken McGraw said Thursday the new name, adopted last month, more accurately reflects the unit's job of producing leaflets, radio broadcasts and loudspeaker messages to influence enemy soldiers and civilians. 'One of the catalysts for the transition is foreign and domestic sensitivities to the term "psychological operations" that often lead to a misunderstanding of the mission,' McGraw said. Fort Bragg is home to the 4th Psychological Operations Group, the Army's only active duty psychological operations unit. Psychological operations soldiers are trained at the post."

Strategy Page, 5 July 2010: "In early 1951, the Psychological Warfare operation got more power, money and autonomy when it became the Office of the Chief of Psychological Warfare (OCPW). This was a first for the Pentagon, as OCPW was an autonomous Special Staff Division working directly for the chief of staff. Keep in mind that the uniformed Special Forces advocates in the Pentagon were practicing what they preached (guerilla warfare) in getting the OCPW established. The OCPW contained many World War II veterans who had worked on commando, guerilla and Psychological Warfare operations against the Germans and Japanese. Here they were using those skills against communists, and the Pentagon bureaucracy."

InterMedia press release, 12 July 2010: "The Board of Directors of InterMedia, the global media and communications research company, today unanimously appointed Robert T. Coonrod as InterMedia's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). ... Coonrod joins InterMedia from Meridian International Center in Washington DC, where he has served as Chief Operating Officer. Coonrod also serves as President of the Board of the Public Diplomacy Council, and is a former member of the Defense Science Board Taskforce on Strategic Communication. ... Coonrod spent seven years as President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the parent to NPR and PBS that helps support more than 1,000 public radio and TV stations throughout the United States. ... As a career Foreign Service Officer, he held several senior positions at the United States Information Agency in Washington and was posted in both in Italy and Yugoslavia. Coonrod is a graduate of Fordham University. He studied Italian, Slovene and Arabic and holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute."

InterMedia evolved from the old Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty audience research office on Munich. If all of USIB audience research were under the International Broadcasting Bureau, RFE/RL and Radio Free Asia, not part of IBB, would likely complain. If research were under RFE/RL or RFA, VOA would probably complain. Hence the need for a third-party research entity.

The problem this poses is that if a survey is planned in, say, Laos, IBB (on behalf of VOA), RFA, and InterMedia managers and analysts are all involved in the process. This adds to the expense, time, and complexity of audience research.

If the consolidation of US international broadcasting, proposed in my New York Times op-ed of 13 July, were to take place, there would no longer be a need for a third-party research entity. InterMedia's analysts could be brought into the new corporation, just as BBC World Service research analysts work in-house. (The actual data collection would be performed by separate survey research firms, just as it is now.)

New York Times, 13 July 2010, Kim Andrew Elliott: "The new Broadcasting Board of Governors has a chance to change this. It should propose to Congress and the Obama administration a merger of the separate broadcasting entities into one corporation under the board’s supervision, similar to the BBC World Service. This would eliminate the duplication and reduce overhead, compensating for [an administration-proposed] 5 percent budget cut and then some. It would also free up money to invest in television, an expensive medium that is necessary to attract audiences in many target countries. The present mixture of broadcasting bureaucracies, created over the decades by this and that legislation, must be replaced by a consolidated structure that can increase audience reach without reaching for taxpayers’ wallets."

Coastweek (Mombasa), 9 July 2010: "In a context of audience growth on the African continent to the tune of 200,000 additional listeners in 2009 and the success scored by Radio France International in Hausa, RFI is stepping up its coverage and reaching further afield with the development of new programmes in another African language: Swahili. RFI has launched its programme broadcasting in Swahili in 10 African countries on 5 July 2010, with two hours of programmes daily. The broadcasts will be aired from the RFI stations in Mombasa (105.5 FM) and Nairobi (89.9FM) in Kenya, Dar Es Salaam (94.6 FM) in Tanzania, Kampala in Uganda (93.7FM), Manga (103.7FM) in Burundi and, eventually, southern Rwanda (92.1FM). Some of the programmes in Swahili will also be broadcast in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, southern Sudan, Madagascar and the Comoros." See also Radio France International, 5 July 2010.

Hollywood Reporter, 11 July 2010, Elizabeth Guider: "International news channel France 24 will link up with Dish Network and its 15 million U.S. subscribers, appropriately enough on July 14, which is Bastille Day. The deal with the Dish platform aims to offer French-speaking audiences and Francophiles a Gallic-inflected alternative to other foreign-sourced news stations. The channel will be available 24/7 to subscribers of the French bouquet on Channel 660. ... Since its launch, France 24 has been available in English to select TV markets in the United States. It has strengthened its position across the country thanks to the Galaxy 23 satellite, which allows access to most cable TV providers."

Broadband TV News, 8 July 2010: "France 24 has signed a distribution agreement with the Digiturk satellite platform in Turkey. The French news channel is part of the basic package. Out-of-home broadcasting of France 24 hopes to benefit from this agreement as Digiturk is not only available to individual households, but also in a majority of luxury and upscale hotels in the country."

Rapid TV News, 11 July 2010: "France 24 has signed a distribution agreement with Genesis Networks to expand its distribution throughout Latin America using the Intelsat 9 satellite. Since July 6, several thousand cable network headends in the region have been able to capture the French international news channel." The French-language France 24 will be on Dish Network. Unsure of the language(s) on Digiturk and Genesis Networks.

Gulf News (Dubai), 8 July 2010, Derek Baldwin: "The BBC has confirmed that it is no longer broadcasting BBC World Services content from Dubai amid reports yesterday that its world shortwave listenership has plunged dramatically in the last year. 'BBC World Service in English and BBC Arabic are no longer available on 87.9 FM in Dubai due to a cessation of our licence,' a BBC spokesperson told Gulf News Wednesday. The spokesperson didn't say why the station is no longer in pla. For now, 87.9 FM is playing classical music selections until the BBC's future on the local dial is determined. 'However, audiences in the region can access BBC World Service and BBC Arabic on 90.3 FM in Abu Dhabi and also BBC World News and BBC Arabic television on Nilesat, Arabsat and Hotbird, as well as on eVision,' the spokesperson said."

The Telegraph, 8 July 2010, Richard Spencer: "This is what the fuller statement said: 'Due to pressures on budgets for distribution of our radio services at BBC World Service, we were unfortunately unable to reach a financial agreement with the licensor that provided adequate value for money for the BBC. These financial constraints limit our ability to invest in FM distribution at a time of increasing costs of licences generally around the world, especially in that part of the Middle East.' In other words, they reckon Dubai was taking the mickey, and now of all times we weren’t playing."

Kipp Report, 11 July 2010: "Abu Dhabi Classic FM is poised to expand into Dubai, according to a press release. The station has grabbed the frequency recently vacated by the BBC’s World Service, dashing listener hopes that the BBC would eventually negotiate to reacquire its license. From Sunday, the UAE’s only classical music station will broadcast to Dubai and the northern emirates on 87.9 FM. ... A BBC spokesperson told Kipp that the broadcasting corporation was 'actively pursuing other ways of making our programming available across the region, including Dubai.'" Radio Sawa is still listed in Dubai on 90.5 MHz FM.

The Guardian, 9 July 2010, James Robinson: "BBC Monitoring, the Home Office-funded body that translates media coverage from around the world, faces budget cuts and significant job losses as part of the coalition government's austerity measures. Chris Westcott, director of BBC Monitoring, told employees in a briefing on Monday that the 'situation is grim' and the organisation is at a 'tipping point'. It could even be closed down, he warned. BBC Monitoring employs about 450 people in the UK and overseas, with a main base at Caversham Park in Reading. It tracks and translates press, TV and radio reports from 150 countries in more than 100 languages. ... BBC Monitoring is part of the corporation's Global News division. It is financed by a £25m-a-year Cabinet Office grant, rather than the licence fee, although income is boosted by money paid by other governments and commercial organisations for the use of its services. ... The service can trace its routes back to 1939, when a forerunner was founded to provide the UK government with information about wartime propaganda and press reports from overseas." See also comments.

BBC World Service press release, 5 July 2010 "BBC World Service expanded its reach on new platforms last year in the face of a dramatic drop in global shortwave listening trends, according to the BBC World Service Annual Review for 2009/10, published today (5 July). ... During the year, BBC World Service attracted around 9 million new viewers to its television, online and mobile services, in addition to new listeners to BBC radio programmes through local FM and medium wave radio partner stations in a number of countries. This increase came despite a loss of 20 million short wave radio listeners during the year, reflecting the increasing global decline in short wave listening. Overall, BBC World Service drew a weekly multimedia audience of 180 million across television, radio, online and mobiles – an eight million decline from the previous year. In his foreword, BBC World Service Director Peter Horrocks said: 'The headline figures only tell part of the story. The strategic move into Arabic and Persian television channels has been vindicated.' The estimated BBC Arabic television audience was up 3.5 million, making it the largest BBC's largest language service with an audience of 22 million across all platforms, while BBC Persian has an estimated 3.1 million viewers in Iran. " So, a decline in the BBC World Service audience, although a record audience 241 million for BBC Global News (see previous post) on the strength of its commercial services BBC World News and the international-facing bbc.com. Link to BBCWS 2009/10 annual report.

BBC World Service, "Over To You," 8 July 2010: "Peter Horrocks, Director of the World Service, discusses the BBC's Annual Report with [program host] Rajan, who asks him how he accounts for the decline in listener numbers, particularly in certain parts of the world, and how he plans to respond if, as seems to be widely expected, the World Service is asked to make savings through cuts or efficiencies." With link to audio.

journalism.co.uk, 7 July 2010, Laura Oliver: "Impartial news coverage is 'a scarce commodity' in international news broadcast in the developing world, according to a new study from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The study, which looks at eight countries in Africa and South Asia, considers the increasingly competitive provision of TV news by international providers in these markets and the impact of this on news consumption and news agendas in those countries. Its initial findings suggest that there has been huge investment in state-funded coverage of international affairs in recent years, resulting in a more nations presenting an uncritical perspective of themselves. ... But this provides an opportunity for international broadcasters, such as the BBC's World Service arm, to provide reliable, local news, it says. ... 'Many established providers [have cut] vernacular radio services to expand international TV. While these strategies generally reflect shifts in media consumption they can pose threats to the ability to tailor content to ensure its relevance to local audiences,' says the report's executive summary." With link to the working paper.

followthemedia.com, 7 July 2010, Philip M. Stone: "What do you do if you’re a nation that doesn’t think the world’s 24-hour English language global news networks are giving you a fair shake? Simple, you start your own English news channel. All you need is money and that’s what governments print so, no problem even in these days of counting pennies."

Associated Press of Pakistan, 9 July 2010: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, currently on a official visit to China, "was impressed when the interviewer of China Radio International (CRI) interviewed him in Urdu Language."

Press Trust of India, 8 July 2010: "An MOU was signed between Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and China Radio International for Urdu service broadcasts in selected Pakistani cities."

Associated Press of Pakistan, 8 July 2010: "Under the MOU, both the broadcasting institutions of friendly countries will extend maximum cooperation with each other in technical field and programmes to enhance the standard of their broadcasts in the region. The PBC will relay programmes of China Radio International on its network which will help further promote friendship of both the countries.It is worth mentioning that Director General Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Murtaza Solangi during his visit to China a few months ago had held talks with the administration of China Radio to finalise the MOU."

China Radio International, 8 July 2010: The MOU "will see CRI broadcast Urdu and English programs on FM in five Pakistani cities, including Karachi and the capital, Islamabad."

Jamaica Observer, 6 July 2010: "The State-run Chinese media is seeking the cooperation of the media in Latin America and the Caribbean, not only to deepen its friendship with countries in that region, but in helping to tell the story about the new China. Executives of China Daily, China Central TV (CCTV), and China Radio International (CRI) - all of which have English Language services -- as well as the online news service www.newssc.org, all had the same message for media executives and senior journalists from Latin America and the Caribbean, who were on a recent tour of the Asian country, courtesy of the State Council Information Office (SCIO). ... CRI's vice-president Wang Yunpeng told the nine Caribbean and Latin American journalists and media executives (representing Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Panama and The Bahamas that he wanted closer cooperation with their media companies in the promotion of friendship with their respective countries. ... In the meantime, the CCTV network plans to increase the number of its bureaux from 30 to 50 as part of its international expansion. The new bureaux will be set up in North, South and Central America as well as in Asia, in which there is already a strong presence. CCTV English - one of the news channels offered by Jamaican cable operators - is one of 38 channels offered by the Chinese television network which employs 15,000 people, among them 3,000 journalists."

Bernama, 6 July 2010: "Bernama General Manager Hasnul Hassan said the news agency received one representative from China Radio International (CRI) last year, who was given a one-month training at both Bernama Radio24 and the editorial department, with two more to be assigned this year. As part of the exchange programme, Bernama also dispatched its journalist for a two-week training at CRI, he said."

Radio the Voice of Vietnam, 6 July 2010: "Vietnamese young people and 20 Chinese students studying at Hanoi and Hai Phong universities on July 5 started a friendship cycling tour from Hanoi to Nanning, China. ... The tour is being jointly held by the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) and China Radio International (CRI) to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Vietnam-China Year of Friendship and the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity." People's Daily Online (Beijing), 6 July 2010: "'The Vietnam China Youth Friendship Bicycle Tour', jointly organized by the China Radio International and Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, was the first of this kind to be held."

Awoko (Freetown), 5 July 2010, Umaru Fofana: "Here in China, knowledge of Africa is growing tremendously. The Chinese satellite TV station, CCTV, which broadcasts around the world in English, Chinese, French, and many other languages, carries stories about Africa almost everyday. China Radio International has services in Hausa and Kiswahili and has relay stations in especially east Africa with plans to go big in West Africa."

Asia News via Spero News, 5 July 2010: "China's state news agency Xinhua has launched a 24-hour global news channel in English, CNC World, part of the China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC), in order to present 'an international vision with a China perspective' by broadcasting 'news reports in a timely way and objectively' that can 'be a new source of information for global audiences,' said Xinhua’s President Li Congjun at the launch ceremony in Beijing. For a number of analysts however, the new channel represents China’s attempt to pass on its 'official' version, and sweep under the rug the fact that it closely censors its own media. The new English-language channel (with a peace dove for logo) will allow anyone to know the CNC’s and thus the Chinese government’s point of view. It aims to reach 50 million viewers in Europe, North America and Africa within its first year, CNC World Controller Wu Jincai said." See previous post about CNC.

Press Association, 8 July 2010: "A British production company which created Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has been celebrating a multi-million pound 'David and Goliath' legal victory against Disney over profits from the game show. A jury in Los Angeles on Wednesday awarded Celador 269 million dollars (£177m) in damages after ruling it failed to receive a fair share of profits from Disney's screening of the programme in the US. Celador chairman Paul Smith described the US court ruling as 'justice' after fighting for eight years to obtain money the company was owed."

Press Association, 8 July 2010: "'Millionaire' was first broadcast in the U.K. in 1998 and has been carried in 106 countries, including Australia, India, Japan, Germany and Russia, according to the creators."

Rapid TV News, 8 July 2010, Chris Forrester: "The Class Action against Worldspace and some former directors and advisors looks like slowing down the final asset transfer to new owner [and founder] Noah Samara. A filing on July 7 to the Delaware Bankruptcy Court stated politely but bluntly that '[Worldspace’s] arguments have no merit'. The Class Action against Worldspace has been running for a number of years and alleges that Worldspace inflated ['misrepresented'] their subscriber numbers in their IPO prospectus back in August 2005. Worldspace is attempting to deny lawyers for the Class Action further access to its past documentation at this time."

Radio World, 29 June 2010: "You can read the highly detailed purchase agreement on the WorldSpace investor website; see the June 29 Form 8K entry." -- The Worldspace investor website is investor.worldspace.com. It loads slowly and shows a share price from 1 December 2008. The URL www.worldspace.com does not work. The URL 1worldspace.com works, but does not appear to have been updated since 2008.

Satwaves, 6 July 2010, Brandon Matthews: "With Liberty Media’s credit rating at risk, short sellers are betting that Liberty Media could have been forced to convert and liquidate all or part of its Sirius XM stake. Looking back, Liberty’s attempted acquisition of Worldspace fell through, which may also lead some to believe that Liberty has abandoned whatever plans it might have had regarding Liberty Radio."

Sirius Buzz, 4 July 2010, Spencer Osborne: "I hear this argument [that Sirius XM should expand internationally] all the time. The fact of the matter is that this company is not yet mature enough to take on that task. Via the Internet, they already have a global presence, but to manufacture satellites, launch them, get political permissions, and then market the service on a larger scale would be a costly endeavor that Sirius XM simply can not afford now. It should also be considered that there are countries that have perhaps soured on the satellite radio concept after the failure of World Space." See previous post about Worldspace.

AFP, 6 July 2010: "Saudi Arabia's Kingdom group controlled by tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said on Tuesday it would launch a regional 24-hour news channel to be headed by prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi. ... The channel, which will make use of a network of reporters from across Arab countries, will enter a field already dominated by tough competition between Qatar-based Al-Jazeera and the Saudi-controlled Al-Arabiya. 'We no longer have a void in the Arab world as it is now heavily occupied,' Alwaleed acknowledged in the statement. 'Therefore the new news channel is going to become an addition and an alternative for viewers. Our personal aim is to achieve this.' ... The statement also said the new channel would be independent of Alwaleed's Rotana regional media and entertainment group, which earlier this year sold a nine percent stake to global media giant News Corp, owner of the Fox News channel."

The National (Abu Dhabi), 6 July 2010, Ben Flanagan: "Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud plans to launch a 24-hour Arabic-language news channel in partnership with Rupert Murdoch’s Fox network, and has recruited the controversial Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to head the station. ... Prince Alwaleed did not say when the network would begin broadcasting. Mr Khashoggi will be chief of the channel, overseeing news bureaus around the world. He was previously editor-in-chief of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Watan, but resigned this year after the newspaper published an opinion piece questioning Salafism, a form of Islam at the heart of the conservative state. The article was written by the Saudi poet Ibrahim al Almaee and published while Mr Khashoggi was abroad. The editor later claimed that he did not agree with the points made in the article."

The Economist, 8 July 2010: "Fox had previously said its Gulf operations would focus on making natural-history shows. In the 1990s Mr Murdoch dropped the BBC’s world-news channel from Star TV, a satellite operator that beams into China, after complaints from Beijing. This time, he is presumably ready to accept the editorial compromises that such a venture is bound to bring." -- Most reports claim the new channel will be in partnership with Murdoch's Fox network, but the AFP says it will be independent of the Rotana group, which has the News Corp stake. I can't find the full statement at Prince Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding website, or anyplace else. See previous post about same subject.

The National, 10 July 2010, Bob Flanagan: "Some analysts doubt there is enough demand for another Arabic news channel, and one commentator claims the prince’s move could force consolidation in the sector. 'This brings the number of [major] pan-Arab news channels to at least four and there could be more on the way,' said Rob Beynon, the chief executive of DMA Media Middle East, a news and production company based in Abu Dhabi. 'That’s more than most other TV markets can support so we’re expecting it to open the way to consolidation, which will … be the trend for TV generally in the region.' ... Kingdom Holding claims the channel will be launched in partnership with the Fox Network, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp empire of which Prince Alwaleed has a 7 per cent stake. ... But News Corp would not confirm the extent of Fox’s involvement when contacted by The National. Any association with the Fox News Channel in the US, which has the reputation of being right wing and presenting Arab affairs in a poor light, would be unlikely to prove popular in this region." -- The four major pan-Arab news channels would be Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Prince Alwaleed's channell and -- what would be the fourth? Probably BBC Arabic, given this at the DMA Media website.

Washington Examiner, 6 July 2010, Byron York: "Lawmakers across Capitol Hill, both Democrats and Republicans, were surprised to learn recently that the Obama administration has made reaching out to Muslim nations a top priority for the space agency NASA. They will probably be more surprised to learn that administration officials told the Middle East news organization Al Jazeera about it before they told Congress. ... According to a NASA spokesman, [NASA administrator Charles] Bolden sat down with Al Jazeera's Imran Garda on June 17, during a stop in Doha, Qatar. Bolden's Mideast trip, which was timed to mark the first anniversary of President Obama's June 2009 Muslim outreach speech, was devoted to pursuing 'a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world.' During the interview, Bolden told Al Jazeera that the 'foremost' mission he had been given by Obama was 'to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.' the Al Jazeera interview did not air until June 30, after the Obama space plan was released and Bolden briefed members of Congress. But there's no question Al Jazeera got the word first." See also Washington Examiner, 7 July 2010, Byron York. Video: Real Clear Politics, 6 July 2010. See also Al Jazeera English video, 1 July 2010.

Los Angeles Times, Top of the Ticket, 8 July 2010, Andrew Malcolm: "Perhaps not surprisingly, Bolden's stunning announcement about the taxpayer-funded space agency's new task did not come at home. It came overseas during a televised interview with Al Jazeera, the Middle Eastern TV network."

Washington Times, 6 July 2010, editorial: "Islam's meager contribution to human technological advancement is no accident. In his new book 'The Closing of the Muslim Mind,' former Voice of America director Robert Reilly describes the brief flourishing of intellectualism in Muslim Spain 1,000 years ago before it was brutally suppressed by religious extremists. They imposed a continuing Islamic orthodoxy that is hostile to rational thought and to the scientific method." Many other comments about this, mostly from conservative commentators.

New York Times, Media Decoder, 7 July 2010, Brian Stelter: "CNN on Wednesday removed its senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs, Octavia Nasr, from her job after she published a Twitter message saying that she respected the Shiite cleric the Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who died on Sunday. Ms. Nasr left her CNN office in Atlanta on Wednesday. Parisa Khosravi, the senior vice president for CNN International Newsgathering, said in an internal memorandum that she 'had a conversation' with Ms. Nasr on Wednesday morning and that 'we have decided that she will be leaving the company.' Ms. Nasr, a 20-year veteran of CNN, wrote on Twitter after the cleric died on Sunday, 'Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah … One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.'"

Los Angeles Times, Show Tracker, 7 July 2010, Matea Gold: "The network issued a statement saying the tweet violated CNN’s editorial standards. Nasr herself said she was wrong to 'to write such a simplistic comment.'"

AFP, 9 July 2010: "Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi denounced the 'intellectual terrorism represented by the firing of journalist Octavia Nasr of CNN after she expressed sadness' at the death of Fadlallah. 'This measure reveals the double standard in the West regarding matters in the region and unmasks the United States, which pretends to protect freedom of speech,' he added in a statement."

Gulf News (Dubai), 9 July 2010: "Octavia said the reaction to the tweet was immediate, overwhelming. 'The incident provides a good lesson on why 140 characters should not be used to comment on controversial or sensitive issues, especially those dealing with the Middle East,' she said in her statement received by Gulf News."

The Daily Maverick (Johannesburg), 9 July 2010, Kevin Bloom: "It was a dumb move, any way you look at it. ... [S]he did it using her official CNN Twitter account, which kind of reflects the views of her employers, and one thing mainstream media bosses don’t like is a worker who pokes a hole in their carefully woven cloak of objectivity."

RT (Russia Today), 9 July 2010: "Octavia Nasr ... is the latest victim to be fired and publicly dismissed for careless use of microblogging website Twitter." RT, 8 July 2010: "A CNN senior editor is the latest high-ranking casualty in the virtual world of social blogging where a personally-held sentiment is becoming the ticket to an early retirement and worse. In yet another case of an American journalist being sacked for expressing a controversial opinion... ."

VOA News, 9 July 2010: "The British government says it has removed a blog post by its ambassador to Beirut praising Lebanon's controversial top Shi'ite cleric, Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who died earlier this week."

MEMRI Blog, 6 July 2010: "The Qatari daily Al-Arab reports that Al-Jazeera TV has filed lawsuits in Egypt and Britain against the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, for what it calls a false and distorted report about the resignation of five Al-Jazeera presenters one month ago. The channel, which is demanding five million pounds in damages, stated that the Al-Ahram report was criticized by the daily's own management in an attempt to appease Al-Jazeera and avoid the lawsuit."

The Guardian, 3 July 2010, letter from Louis Charalambous of Simons Muirhead & Burton, Jeremy Dear of National Union of Journalists, Aidan White of International Federation of Journalists, Gavin Millar QC, Helena Kennedy, Vera Baird QC, Professor Roy Greenslade, Heather Brooke: "The decision by five female journalists to resign over their treatment by management at the Doha-based al-Jazeera satellite channel causes us great concern. ... The dispute has been misreported as a row over dress codes and treated by some newspapers as a spat over fashion. The truth runs far deeper. The statistics of how women at al-Jazeera fare in its employment cast a poor light on a channel which was a refreshing change when it came on the scene in 1996."

Global Times (Beijing), 5 July 2010, Lu Yiyi: "Al-Jazeera, a 24-hour news channel founded by the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar but editorially independent, has broken CNN and the BBC's dominance in TV news. What's the secret of its success? ... First of all, you have to be willing to spend resources. For instance, Al-Jazeera makes sure that guests appear in person when conducting live interview, instead of just showing the guest's photo and voice. As Al-Jazeera's UK branch only has a studio in London, if they invite me to appear in a show when I'm not in London, they will rent the local BBC studio, regardless of the cost, even if only for two or three minutes."

Digital Spy, 5 July 2010: "David Essex has praised the news channel Al Jazeera. Speaking to Closer, the singer expressed his admiration for the English-language channel of the Qatar-based broadcaster, which launched in 2006. Asked what he watches on TV when he is alone, Essex said: 'Al Jazeera - an English-language version of the Arabic-language news network. No, really! I think it gives a more balanced view on what's going on out there.'"

ArabianBusiness.com, 4 July 2010: "Media freedom in the Arab world has tightened and little progress is being made to clarify ambiguous media laws, the director general of Al Jazeera Network has said. Speaking to CEO Middle East Wadah Khanfar said he believed Arab governments had taken a five year step back in terms of freedom of the press."

Eye of Dubai, 1 July 2010, onpassing press release: "Mandarin Oriental, Prague is now taking reservations for a special summer suite getaway offer including a complimentary extra night and a selection of Arabic luxuries. From Arabic-speaking staff to special Halal and shisha delicatessen, the hotels extensive Arabic amenities menu has been designed to make guests feel at home. ... To keep guests up to date on the latest news, daily Arabic newspapers and a wide selection of channels such as Al Jazeera, MBC, Saudi 1, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Arabiya, Dubai Sport or Abu Dhabi are also available."

The Economist, Babbage, 6 July 2010, E.L.: "Fans of weirdly constructed propaganda have long enjoyed watching the programmes of Russia Today, a well-financed television channel that seeks to redress what its backers see as the anti-Russian bias of the mainstream English-language media. Some the stuff is interesting and unobjectionable, such as this photo essay about an underground river in Moscow. Some of its more hard-edged, such as this report lambasting the European Court of Human Rights for upholding Latvia's side in a case involving a wartime Soviet fighter who has been convicted for war crimes. Sometimes the programming is ludicrously bad, such as this discussion in which Douglas Murray, a British commentator, tries in vain to explain to a comically combative presenter that the 9/11 attackers were in fact Islamist terrorists. But some of the channel's recent offerings suggest a penchant for wild conspiracy theories which may have the opposite effect." RT is capable of very well produced reports and respectable journalism, in addition to its less salubrious material. If it could focus on the former, the channel would speak well for Russia. As it is now, RT gives the impression that Russia, as a nation, is not ready for prime time.

4rfv.co.uk, 5 July 2010: "The US-based television network showcasing the diverse culture and perspectives of Africa's people, The Africa Channel, has entered into an affiliation agreement with FLOW - Columbus Communication (Grenada) to expand its reach in the Caribbean. Beginning on July 1, The Africa Channel will be available in standard definition to subscribers on FLOW's Economy tier as Channel 54 on the digital line up. ... The Africa Channel, which is already available in Jamaica via FLOW and in Barbados, will continue to provide a daily window into modern African life, offering a bridge to African entertainment, culture, information, music, lifestyle, travel, news and business."

Media Bistro, 6 July 2010, Chris Ariens: "Tipsters across the pond tell us commercials are now running on CNBC Europe featuring NBC's Brian Williams telling viewers 'Nightly News' will return to the channel later this month. It was pulled from the channel in April. The broadcast will air live at 11:30pm UK time / 12:30am in Central Europe. 'Meet the Press' will also air on the channel beginning this next Sunday at 10pm UK Time, 11pm in Central Europe. NBC News President Steve Capus tells News on News, 'NBC News is always looking to extend its reach, and making America's number-one evening newscast and public affairs shows available for the international audience is vital to that mission.'" See previous post about same subject.

The Daily Maverick (Johannesburg), 7 July 2010, Mandy de Waal: "'What’s very worrying for me on a broader political level is the growing tendency for politicians to want to buy their own PR,' said City Press editor Ferial Haffajee. 'We saw this in the CNBC Africa saga where the provincial government of Paul Mashatile supported and funded CNBC Africa.'"

Moneyweb (Johannesburg), 7 July 2010, Alec Webb: "It's interesting if you go back in history when the National Party funded The Citizen we had the Info Scandal, which had reverberations around the world. Yet lately Mbeki's acolytes funded CNBC Africa - silence." See previous post about same subject.

National Geographic Channel press release, 7 July 2010: "Hyundai, official partner of the FIFA World Cup™, has chosen National Geographic Channel to help it reach a massive global audience with a brand campaign that communicates the excitement of the first ever FIFA World Cup tournament in Africa. As Hyundai’s global media partner, National Geographic Channel will bring international attention to the Korean auto industry leader’s FIFA commitment under the theme 'The World Comes to Africa to the FIFA World Cup with Hyundai.' National Geographic Channel has put together a collection of its best Africa-themed documentaries in a series which Hyundai is sponsoring to raise awareness of Africa’s unique wildlife by capitalizing on interest around the FIFA World Cup. Hyundai’s Wild Africa will be shown across Asia, Europe and Latin America throughout the World Cup period."

Radio Netherlands Media Network, 8 July 2010: "The Netherlands will face Spain in Johannesburg on Sunday 11 July at 1830 UTC in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2010." With shortwave frequencies of Radio Netherlands' Dutch-language coverage of the match.

Nehanda Radio, 8 July 2010, Robson Sharuko: "There will be a Zimbabwean voice bringing the drama of the 2010 World Cup final to millions of listeners on the BBC World Service radio broadcast on Sunday. Stanley Katsande, the veteran commentator who was recruited from ZBC as part of an all-star pan African team working on the BBC World Service 2010 World Cup team, has been given the job to cover the World Cup final. He will be one of the two English language commentators who will cover the grand chapter that will bring a close to the historic World Cup." If BBC World Service is broadcasting the final, it doesn't show on their schedule for Sunday at 1830 UTC. Instead, I see "This Week in Africa." This week in Africa, indeed.

MLB press release, 9 July 2010: "Major League Baseball International (MLBI) has renewed agreements with broadcasters in Korea (OBS) and Mexico (Televisa), as well as with pan-regional Asian broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS), allowing fans in these baseball-crazed regions to catch all of the action of the 2010 All-Star Game. MLBI, which will utilize its own production team and facilities for the 2010 All-Star Game telecast, will broadcast the Midsummer Classic in 20 languages to 219 countries and territories around the world, as well as to the more than one million United States and Canadian Armed Forces personnel stationed around the world and aboard ships-at-sea via the American Forces Network and the Canadian Armed Forces Network."

Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 9 July 2010: "President Barack Obama has appointed eight media, communications, and foreign policy leaders to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal agency which supervises all U.S. civilian, international broadcasting. The Broadcasting Board of Governors is a bipartisan board comprised of nine members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate; the ninth is the Secretary of State, who serves ex officio." With short biographies of all the new members. See previous post about same subject.

VOA News, 8 July 2010, Doug Bernard: "An intellectual summer camp for adults? No wonder so many think the Aspen Ideas Festival is something special." -- Walter Isaacson is president of the Aspen Institute and founder of the event. Doug adds the disclosure: "Isaacson was recently named Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the entity that oversees VOA."

Washington Post, The Federal Coach, 6 July 2010, Tom Fox: Interview with Sen. Ted Kaufman, junior senator from Delaware, appointed in 2009 to fill the unexpired term of senator now Vice President Joseph Biden, and until then a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. "Q: Why did you decide to lead the 'Great Federal Employees Initiative'? I was scratching an itch. It's bothered me for the last 30 years that some people felt like they could denigrate federal employees. In the federal government, we have so many incredible superstars." -- A major East Coast newspaper almost published today an op-ed of mine, calling for reform of U.S. international broadcasting. Said newspaper has promised a slot for said op-ed since January. If/when it is published, it will guarantee that I will never be named a Great Federal Employee. Great Federal Employees always argue for budget increases for their agencies.

Studio Briefing, 2 July 2010: "Other TV news organizations may be closing bureaus and reducing staff all over the world, but al-Jazeera English is continuing to expand, and on Thursday it announced that it plans to open a bureau in Los Angeles to be headed by veteran TV journalist Rob Reynolds. Reynolds has been the Arab news channel’s senior correspondent, most recently reporting from Washington D.C. He previously had reported for CNN, CNBC, and was Moscow correspondent for NBC News in the 1990s. With the opening of the Los Angeles bureau, the Qatar-based network said that it now has 65 bureaus around the world." See also press release via LA Observed, 1 July 2010. -- Does "bureau" mean an office and staff? Or a correspondent working out of his/her home?

Digital Spy, 1 July 2010, Andrew Laughlin: "Al-Jazeera English was named 'Best News Channel' at the second annual Freesat Awards last night in London. The Qatar-based news channel, which launched today on Freeview, beat the BBC News channel, Bloomberg, CNN and BBC Radio 5 Live to the accolade." See also Al Jazeera press release, 1 July 2010.

The Guardian, 30 June 2010, Mark Sweney: "Al-Jazeera English, the Qatar-based news channel, will double its availability in UK homes by launching on Freeview. The English-language version of the Arabic news channel will be available in about 10 million homes that get digital TV via Freeview from tomorrow. Al-Jazeera English is currently available in about 10 million homes that subscribe to Sky's digital satellite TV service or have Freesat. The service launched on Sky's pay-TV service in late 2006 and went free to air on the Freesat digital satellite service in May 2008. 'This is a breakthrough for us; it will give us substantial reach to more than 80% of homes in the UK,' said Al Anstey, director of media development for the al-Jazeera Network." -- Freeview and Freesat are digital multichannel platforms, the former terrestrial, the latter satellite-delivered. Both, as the names would suggest, are free, and both are in the UK.

The National (Abu Dhabi), Mixed Media blog, 1 July 2010, Ben Flanagan: "[D]espite its expansion in the UK and the digital sphere, Al Jazeera English has failed to crack another potentially lucrative market: the US. For despite launching in a few US states last year, the channel has found it 'virtually impossible' to win space on American cable and satellite networks, according to a report by AP. In the same report, AJE's managing director Tony Burman blamed the 'very aggressive hostility' toward Al Jazeera from the Bush administration, but said that 'we're really determined to make a breakthrough in New York'. Critics of AJE accuse it of being anti-US and anti-western, claiming that it focuses too heavily on issues in which Arabs are seen as 'victims'. Others says that the channel has failed to criticise its financial backers, the Qatar government."

Palestine Note, 24 June 2010, William McKeithen: "In contrast to [journalists Shireen Abu Aqleh's and Taghreed El-Khodary's] dismay over mainstream American media, both journalists expressed optimism over the rise of a diversified and respected Arab media. From the availability of Al-Jazeera in English to the plethora of new channels, the Arab news voice is getting both louder and more polyphonic, they said. But ahead of the pack, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya dominate the field. One point of contention was over the perceived bias attached to the two agencies. While El-Khodary described a well-known dichotomy between Al-Jazeera/Hamas and Al-Arabiya/Fatah camps, Abu Aqleh [correspondent for Al Jazeera] brushed off the claim, saying Al-Jazeera receives criticism from both groups."

Ha'aretz, 25 June 2010: "The Palestinian Authority may be struggling hard to develop the trappings of a national state – but West Bank residents are still forced to turn to Israeli television stations to enjoy the World Cup. Palestinian television has no rights to broadcast the soccer tournament. These belong exclusively to satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera, which is transmitting footage from South Africa across the entire Arab world. Yet Palestinians viewers have encountered so much interference in signals from the Qatar-based station that they have been turning to Israeli channels instead."

AFP, 24 June 2010: "At just 25 dollars (20 euros) a month, the Israeli subscription is especially popular among poorer Palestinians who cannot afford the 100-dollar (80-euro) Al-Jazeera subscription. An official at Palestine TV, a network run by the Palestinian Authority, said he was not concerned about the reliance on Israeli TV, which he assumed would end with the tournament on July 11."

The Chosun Ilbo, 29 June 2010, "The National Human Rights Commission on Monday failed to endorse the resumption of anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts across the military demarcation line. The discussion was postponed when members could not reach agreement. Kim Tae-hoon of the NHRC, a proponent of the proposal, said, 'North Korea is a violent regime that restricts freedom of information. I submitted the proposal to help North Koreans regain their own human rights by supplying them with information.' ... But some members were against. Cho Guk, a professor of law at Seoul National University, called the measures 'anachronistic.' 'Wary of such things, the North Korean regime will put pressure on North Koreans instead,' he said."

New Statesman, 28 June 2010, Daniel Trilling: "Singing in a mix of Korean and English, the polyglot 4Minute ... bear the dubious distinction of having reopened the propaganda war between North and South Korea. Following the sinking of the Cheonan warship earlier this year, the South has resumed radio broadcasts and installed 11 loudspeaker points along the demilitarised zone that separates the two countries."

The Japan Times, 26 June 2010: "The recent news Aichi International Broadcasting Co. will terminate its FM radio service at the end of September because of a large deficit has sent shock waves through the industry in the Tokai region. Nagoya-based Radio-i, as it is known, is the only FM station in Tokai offering programs in English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Tagalog. It began airing in April 2000, serving Aichi, Gifu, Mie and Shizuoka prefectures, but it has suffered falling ad revenues. ... The firm will return its broadcast license and liquidate itself by year's end. The Tokai Bureau of Telecommunications said Radio-i will be the first to fail among TV and radio stations in Japan, except for small community-based FM stations." -- In the United States, ethnic foreign-language radio stations generally don't sell spot ads. Instead, they sell time to the foreign-language program makers, who in turn sell their own ads, or seek financial support from listeners or foundations, or just maintain the programs as a pricey hobby.

Asahi Shimbun, 26 June 2010, Shinya Murase: "U.S. television companies are making a fortune off the Japanese appetite for drama, courtesy of a propensity in this country for renting DVDs. Japanese broadcasters would dearly love to turn the tables, but they haven't had much success. American TV dramas are acclaimed for their grand themes and strong narrative elements, such as the terrorists-versus-investigators story of '24' and the tale of survival on a deserted island in 'Lost.' These strengths are drawn from the huge production costs for large-scale sets, cutting-edge graphics and special effects. It's not unusual for a season of one program to cost several billions of yen. ... Japanese TV dramas have enjoyed some success in Asian countries, such as the smash-hit 'Hana yori Dango,' a high school story adapted from a popular manga. But they get no airplay in the much larger U.S. and European markets."

Los Angeles Downtown News, 1 July 2010: "The Japanese American National Museum announced today the screening of a documentary about Japanese American World War II radio broadcasters. The film Calling Tokyo will screen at 2 p.m. July 10 at the museum. It tells the story of the role played by Japanese Americans as government broadcasters during the war. While the U.S. government incarcerated 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during the war, the government also recruited a group of Japanese Americans to be part of the Office of War Information (OWI) and the British Political Warfare Mission (BPWM). The OWI and BPWM produced regular short-wave radio broadcasts in Japanese in hopes of convincing Japanese political and military leadership to surrender." See also Japanese American National Museum.

BBC News, 1 July 2010. "China's state news agency Xinhua has launched a 24-hour global news channel in English. ... CNC - China Xinhua News Network Corporation - said it would offer 'a better view of China to its international audiences' and enable 'more voices to be heard by the rest of the world'. ... Wu Jincai, controller of CNC World, told the BBC's Chinese service ... the channel was initially broadcasting in Hong Kong but aims to reach 50 million viewers in Europe, North America and Africa within its first year. Mr Wu insisted that the coverage would remain objective, saying: 'We are a news channel, not a propaganda station.'"

Xinhua, 30 June 2010: "As a new international TV network, CNC broadcasts to the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North America and Africa by satellite, cable, cellphone and the Internet. The Chinese-language CNC has been airing across the Asia-Pacific region and in parts of Europe since Jan. 1. It started airing on Hong Kong cable television on July 1. Xinhua Internet and cellphone broadcasts are already in operation and are expanding to overseas markets. CNC World will have global satellite coverage by the end of the third quarter this year. By Oct. 1, it will be available on cable networks in regions including the United States. Xinhua will also promote production of TV programs in Russian, French, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic with contributions from its overseas branches." -- On 1 October, will CNC be available on, or (more likely) available to, US cable networks? See also Xinhua, 1 July 2010.

Wall Street Journal, 30 June 2010, Anton Troianovski: "China's state news agency could soon be the newest Times Square neighbor of media giants Thomson Reuters and Conde Nast. Xinhua, one of the Chinese government's main news outlets and propaganda arms, is finalizing a deal to move to the top floor of the 44-story skyscraper at 1540 Broadway, Xinhua's North America bureau chief, Zeng Hu, confirmed in an interview. ... Xinhua has been increasing its presence outside China and is launching a global English-language television channel."

New York Times, 1 July 2010, David Barboza: "Xinhua’s move is just one of several planned by Beijing. China Central Television, the country’s biggest state-run television broadcaster, has also been expanding overseas and offering broadcasts in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and other languages. And China has heavily financed a makeover of China Daily, its English-language daily newspaper, and introduced a new English edition of Global Times, which is controlled by People’s Daily, the leading Communist Party-run newspaper. Whether state-run news services financed and controlled by Beijing can attract a big international audience or earn significant revenues overseas remains uncertain. Many media experts say Chinese news agencies, though improving, lack credible and objective reporting and are widely perceived to be propaganda vehicles for the Chinese government."

RFE/RL press release, 25 June 2010: "RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin discussed his recent trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan in an event titled, 'Af-Pak Diary: Notes from Islamabad and Kabul' at the New America Foundation. Gedmin shared his observations on U.S. policy in the region, RFE/RL's broadcasting in the countries, and the importance of promoting press freedom, tolerance and pluralism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. ... Gedmin also announced a joint RFE/RL-ISAF initiative that will see some 20,000 solar-powered radios delivered to rural areas of Afghanistan in time for the country's Fall parliamentary elections." With link to video of the event.

International Herald Tribune, 29 June 2010, Jeffrey Gedmin and Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent of RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal: "Robust support for free, professional, responsible media [in Pakistan] will help. It’s the great disinfectant. The State Department supports indigenous media and journalist training. It would be impossible to do too much."

Goethe-Institut Washington: "To Russia, With Love tells the story of the Cold War from a most unusual perspective: Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Conceived as a propaganda instrument and financed by the CIA, RFE over the years changed its face and provided the people under Soviet rule with information and news not available to them in any other form. Today the radio station is seen as one of the most successful enterprises of the CIA, and some claim that the peaceful end of the cold war is largely due to RFE/RL's broadcasts." "Tuesday, 15 June 2010, 6:30 pm, Goethe-Institut Washington ... Followed by discussion with A. Ross Johnson, Senior Advisor, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Kevin Klose, Dean and Professor, Philip Merrill College of Journalism (University of Maryland, College Park), former president of Radio Free Europe and National Public Radio." -- The blurb gives the impression that RFE/RL is still a CIA "enterprise." As important as RFE/RL and VOA were, I think the peaceful end of the Cold War was at least "largely due" to Mikhail Gorbachev's decision not to use tanks to quell rebellions.

Update: RFE/RL Off Mic blog, 18 June 2010, Charles Dameron: "In a bizarre moment of historical revivification, Oleg Kalugin, a former KGB general who was linked with the [Sergei Markov] killing, came face-to-face last Tuesday night with the story of the Markov assassination as he sat in the audience of the U.S. premiere of the film, To Russia with Love: The Great Radio War. The movie, by the late independent German documentary filmmaker Christian Bauer, was screened at the Goethe Institute in Washington, D.C. last week, and Kalugin, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1995, offered pointers after the show on how America might improve its overseas information programs. (Kalugin currently works in Washington as a counterintelligence consultant). Bauer first got involved with the project at the suggestion of a former RFE/RL staffer in Germany, but began his research with a considerable amount of skepticism. According to former RFE/RL president Ross Johnson, Bauer grew up with a distaste for RFE/RL’s early CIA affiliations. But, after reading the testimony of former dissidents writings crediting the radios as invaluable sources of truth during Eastern Europe’s darkest periods of state oppression, Bauer gained respect for RFE/RL."

Radio Survivor, 1 June 2010, Matthew Lasar: "Anyone interested in how broadcast radio and international politics merged in the late 20th century should watch Alexandru Solomon’s masterpiece, Cold Waves, a documentary on Radio Free Europe’s role in Romanian society from the 1950s through the Cold War. LinkTV ran it over the weekend here in San Francisco." -- I don't have access to the 24-hour LinkTV, so missed it. The first five minutes of the documentary are available at this LinkTV page. The DVD can be purchased for €19.90, plus shipping. Or watched pay-per-view for four dollars. It would be nice if some Washington-area entity would do a screening. Update: RFE/RL's Ross Johnson informs us: "We planned a screening of Cold Waves at the Romanian Embassy over a year ago, but the producer/director changed his schedule and did not want a discussion without him present."

RFE/RL Off Mic blog, 17 June 2010, Julian Knapp:: "Last fall, RFE/RL’s Persian-language service Radio Farda launched "Top 10," a monthly music program featuring new music being produced in Iran and throughout the Iranian diaspora worldwide. We talked to Radio Farda's chief music producer Payam Razi about the 'Top 10' from May and take a look at this month's program. June marks the one year anniversary of the protests that broke out in Iran following controversial presidential elections. Q: What's the basic concept of the show? Razi: The idea is simple: each month, our music team selects 10 songs, and these songs are aired daily. Our listeners then vote for their favorite song by e-mail or text message. At the end of each month we present the winners in a special program. Before the Revolution, Iranian public radio had similar programs, but now this kind of show no longer exists on Iranian radio as far as I am aware." -- In June, apparently everything had to hark back to the previous year's election, even the music program.

RFE/RL, 30 June 2010: "'The Iran Sound From Way Out' is a new music program from RFE/RL with the best of Iran's underground music scene. Despite the restrictions imposed by the Islamic republic's ruling authorities, Iran has a vibrant underground artistic life. In the last 10 years, many Iranian musicians have introduced Western musical devices, influences, and instruments into traditional Persian melodies and musical traditions, branding their own Persian sub-genre in familiar styles such as rap and blues." With links to audio.

VOA press release, 28 June 2010: "The Voice of America and 'Express 24/7,' a cable news channel in Pakistan, have launched a new joint TV program called The Platform, which will focus on key issues in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship and the fight against terrorism. The twice-weekly 50-minute program, co-hosted from Express studios in Islamabad and VOA studios in Washington, is the first English-language TV talk show to be jointly produced by stations in Pakistan and the United States."

Media Newswire, 25 June 2010: Questions after speech by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at Center for Strategic and International Studies, Rick Nelson moderating: "Let's try this side of the room over here, back with the red dress in the corner. Q: For Secretary Napolitano. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has confirmed, and other sources within the administration have confirmed, that the administration will be filing a federal law suit against the State of Arizona. And I'm wondering since you were Governor of Arizona and spent so much time there if you could comment on that. Nelson: I'm sorry. Could you just state your name and where you're from too? Q: Oh, sorry. Carolyn Presutti with Voice of America TV. Napolitano: No. Nelson: All right. Could we go to the next question? Napolitano: Listen. Questions about whether, how, when or whatever to challenge the Arizona law should be addressed to the Department of Justice. ... Nelson: No more questions from this side of the room. You guys are in the penalty box."

Portland (ME) Press Herald, 25 June 2010, Christopher Hyde: "Wednesday's opening concert of the Maine Festival of American Music, presented by the United Society of Shakers and the Portland String Quartet at the Shaker Meeting House in New Gloucester, was devoted to the music of George Gershwin and friends. ... The most surprising work of the evening was a Russian string quartet's transcription (ca. 1992) of 'It Ain't Necessarily So,' which the composers had heard on a Voice of America broadcast. The original song, from 'Porgy and Bess,' is one of my all-time favorites, but I think the string quartet version is better. The part writing both amplifies and brings into sharp focus the masterful construction of a work of pure genius."

VOA press release, 30 June 2010: "Visitors to Washington D.C. have discovered Voice of America studio tours are an exciting opportunity to escape the searing summer temperatures and learn more about the world’s largest international broadcasting organization. VOA tours are free, offered twice-daily during the summer months, and conducted just minutes from the U.S. Capitol and other Washington museums and landmarks." -- One oppressively hot summer day in 1965, my family visited Washington. As a young shortwave listener, the VOA building was number one on my list of places to see. Back then, one could just stroll into the building (no security), walk up to the second floor, look through the windows at the live radio broadcasts, and push the buttons to hear the audio in various languages. And the air conditioning, also then, provided blessed relief. The present tour is on the first floor, showing the main television set (nothing like that at VOA in 1965!) and two radio studios.

IEEE-USA, 29 June 2010: "IEEE-USA [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] Engineering Mass Media Fellow Smitha Raghunathan has begun her 10-week media internship preparing news stories on science, engineering and technology in Washington at the Voice of America. Raghunathan has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing her master's degree in biomedical engineering from the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences."

World Affairs, 28 June 2010, Martha Bayles: "Last week the Senate actually did something good. It unanimously passed a bill (S. 3104) to authorize funding for Radio Free Asia (RFA) on a permanent — as opposed to a temporary — basis. Co-sponsored by Dick Lugar, R-Ind., Ted Kaufman, D-Del., Al Franken, D-Min., Dan Inouye, D-Hawaii, Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Jim Webb, D-Va., the bill 'indicates the importance we place on the free flow of information, particularly in countries noted for their lack of an open press,' said Lugar. ... The Mandarin service poses a bigger challenge, because unlike RFE/RL’s Russian Service, it never had the chance to cut a deal with a post-Communist government to operate through local FM affiliates. This deal looked promising in the 1990s but lasted only as long as other press freedoms in post-Soviet Russia. When Putin came to power, he ordered a media crackdown that included closing all of RFE/RL’s affiliates. Because shortwave is no longer used by Russians, that leaves RFE/RL relying largely on the Internet, which today limits its reach to less than 30 percent of the population. RFA has consistently refused to negotiate with Beijing, which makes it look less naive than RFE/RL, not to mention less compromised than certain U.S. businesses (Yahoo, Google, Facebook) whose liberty-loving image has been sullied by their cooperation with the Chinese authorities’ repression of dissidents. But RFA pays a price for its integrity. Today it too relies mainly on the Internet, and you know how much fun that can be in the PRC." S.3104 passed the House on 30 June, so it now goes to the President for signature.

How could anyone in Congress vote against a bill that has "free" in its name? At the risk of being considered anti-freedom, I would like to argue why, by passing S.3104, the Senate actually did something bad.

Just by dint of its expanse, East Asia is one of the most difficult areas of the world to get news out of, and news back into. This is compounded by the shortwave jamming, internet blocking, and satellite dish confiscating of China and other regimes in the region.

Successful international broadcasting to this region will require all the resources the United States can muster. The resources of U.S. international broadcasting are, however, divided into two entities, VOA and Radio Free Asia, which compete with each other.

Yes, the theory is that RFA transmits news about the target country, and VOA does news about United States and the world in general. If this were true, the audience would have to tune to two U.S. stations to get a complete newscast.

Fortunately, the theory is not true. VOA does broadcast news about the target country, in addition to world and U.S. news. This means, however, that VOA and RFA are reporting on many of the sames stories, and broadcasting them back to the same audiences. S.3104 perpetuates this unsatisfactory situation.

The global media environment has become much more competitive. U.S. international broadcasting will not be equal to the task at hand until it stops competing with itself.

Washington Post, 30 June 2010, Keith L. Alexander: "One of the most sensational criminal trials in D.C. history ended Tuesday with the judge acquitting three men of covering up the slaying of Robert Wone -- even though she believes that they know who did it. D.C. Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz said she thinks that the three defendants made up a story about an intruder breaking in and stabbing the overnight guest at their Northwest Washington home. ... The key to the verdict was the strong distinction between what she might feel in her gut and what was proved beyond a reasonable doubt in her courtroom, the judge said. ... Wone, a prominent lawyer who worked as general counsel for Radio Free Asia, was stabbed three times in the chest and abdomen, and one of the thrusts pierced his heart." See also Who Murdered Robert Wone blog. And The Blog of Legal Times, 29 June 2010.

Washington Post, Politics and Policy blog, 30 June 2010, Paul Kane: "The Senate confirmed the appointment of all eight Broadcasting Board of Governors nominees by a unanimous voice vote Wednesday night. ... Ending one of the longest standoffs in recent nomination history, Senate Democrats reached accommodation with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to allow the confirmation of a high-profile collection of nominees to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. ... On Tuesday, [Senator Tom] Coburn and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the committee chairman, came to an agreement that will mean more oversight for the BBG. If Coburn allowed all eight BBG nominees to pass by a unanimous voice vote, Kerry promised to invite Coburn, who is not a member of the panel, to serve as a 'guest of the committee' at an oversight hearing on the board, giving the Oklahoma Republican a temporary perch to rail against the BBG's expenditures of taxpayer dollars."

Foreign Policy, The Cable, 30 June 3010, Josh Rogin: "'We have eight great nominees and I'm looking forward to working with them,' Coburn told The Cable in a brief interview. ... The entire affair [recent controversy concerning VOA Persian News Network] speaks to what many observers see as a confused and unresolved definition of the BBG's mission and role in U.S. public diplomacy. The law calls for the BBG to be both a tool of American foreign policy as well as an independent source of journalism -- which can lead to editorial dilemmas in a region where U.S. policies remain deeply unpopular."

The Hill, Congress Blog, 25 June 2010, Senator Dick Lugar: "[S]hould the chronic dysfunction in the confirmation process persist, Congress may well have to consider a new structure to oversee our international broadcasters so that this important tool of public diplomacy gets the consistent management and oversight it deserves." See previous posts on 16 June and (another) on 16 June.

Modern Ghana, 24 June 2010, press release (unknown if from BBC or EMS): "EMS Africa, a new survey covering affluent adults in five countries, has revealed that BBC World News reaches over half of them every month. Covering a number of African markets – Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco and Cameroon, EMS Africa provides data for advertisers and agencies looking to reach key consumers in these emerging economies. According to EMS Africa, the monthly reach among individuals accessing both BBC World News and BBC.com is 53% across the whole survey, and the weekly reach is 41%. In Nigeria, the monthly reach is 76%, 64% in Kenya, 56% in South Africa and 37% in Cameroon. These are significantly higher than for similar surveys in Europe and Asia Pacific." -- BBC World News is the global English-language television news channel. It would be interesting to compare these numbers with those of CNN International and Al Jazeera English.

Washington Post, 22 June 2010, Al Kamen: "The Senate on Tuesday confirmed 63 Obama administration nominees, many of whom had languished for months awaiting final approval after the resolution of a dispute over the National Labor Relations Board." With a link to all the conformations. -- The eight persons nominated for seats on the Broadcasting Board of Governors are not included. Are there issues, apart from the NLRB nominee, still to be resolved? Senator Coburn received answers to the questions he put to the BBG nominees. (See previous post.) If this means anything the Senate Executive Calendar (pdf), as of today, still shows Senator Coburn's "notice of intent to object to proceeding" for six of the BBG nominees, i.e. all except Perino and Meehan.

FrontPage Magazine, 17 June 2010, Jamie Glasov interviewing Amir Fakhravar, "an Iranian writer, student leader and former political prisoner": "Before we conclude, tell us a bit about the role of VOA Persian service to support Freedom and Democracy in Iran. Fakhravar: VOA Persian has been broadcasting its programs to Iran for the past 30 years. Up to now, it has been a source for news and programs that have done more damage than good towards the principles that are supposed to govern it — representing America and covering the news accurately, objectively and comprehensively. VOA can be tremendously effective in supporting the Green Movement and the cause of democracy in Iran. In representing America, it can educate ordinary Iranians how modern democracies work and familiarize them with the inner workings of the U.S. system of government. It can also report comprehensively all the efforts made by Iranians and non-Iranians outside Iran in support of their movement. These and many other helpful programs can help give Iranians the confidence and optimism they need to speed up their movement. I am hopeful that with the new management at VOA Persian, a new direction will be taken and I know that members in both the House and Senate are closely monitoring this progress." -- Does this "new direction" involve little more of what Mr. Fakhravar believes, and a little less of what he doesn't believe? At the Heritage Foundation event, "Perspectives on US International Broadcasting," (see previous post, where audio is now available) Josh Carter, staffer for Senator Sam Brownback, mentioned complaints about VOA Persian by Iranian expats who visit his office. Mr. Carter said there is a role for the firewall, but also a role for Congress. Congress, he said, is concerned that US international broadcasting should be "messaging things that need to be messaged."

Family Security Matters, 22 June 2010, editorial: "It is strange that Britain allows Iran full broadcasting rights. Earlier this year Danforth Austin, director of Voice of America, said that the Iranian regime was banning its citizens from talking with representatives of VOA or the BBC (Britain’s nationalized TV corporation). And of course, as VOA is the voice of the 'Great Satan' it is officially banned in Iran. In the US, Press TV is subject to sanctions, and can only be used to report on affairs in United Nations, but it still manages to broadcast via other outlets, such as its show American Dream, which is described as 'A political roundtable offering a warts-and-all picture of life in the USA from ghettos to gated communities.' Press TV also has three English language websites and its shows, such as American Dream, are showcased there." -- By Britain allowing Iran "full broadcasting rights," he is probably referring to the Press TV studios in London. What is "strange" to the writer is actually the free press exercised in the UK and other Western democracies. Ideas compete in the marketplace. In this competition, Press TV does not have much of an audience.

AP, 23 June 2010, Claire Lee: "South Korean and Japanese activists floated hundreds of thousands of leaflets by balloon toward the border with North Korea on Wednesday to condemn the country's government amid tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship. ... The leaflets sent Wednesday criticized North Korea's late founding father Kim Il Sung for starting the 1950-53 Korean War and blamed the current government led by his son, Kim Jong Il, for a botched currency reform and the downing of the warship, which killed 46 sailors. ... The groups originally planned to send 100 balloons carrying a total of 6 million leaflets, but less-than-ideal wind conditions at the launch site near the border reduced the total to nine balloons and 540,000 leaflets, organizers said. It was unclear whether the balloons would actually reach North Korea."

Viet Nam News, 22 June 2010: "Viet Nam Television is set to begin broadcast of a programme on the country's attractions that it hopes will bring overseas Vietnamese flocking back to their homeland. Viet Nam Ngay Nay (Viet Nam Today), a joint production by VTV and Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper, will be on VTV4 every day, beginning on July 15. It will be a kaleidoscope on the country's economy, culture, people, and landscapes made by young film-makers. Bach Ngoc Chien, head of VTV's Foreign Affairs Department, hoped the programme will appeal not only to the 4 million overseas Vietnamese all over the world but also foreigners who are looking for information about Vietnamese culture and people living in this country. ... The channel is seen in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and North Africa, Chinh said, adding VTV has negotiated with CNN, Russia Today, CCTV, and other television stations to carry the programme." -- Rather confusing. The program will also appeal top foreigners, but will be only in Vietnamese. And will "CNN, Russia Today, CCTV, and other television stations" provide free airtime to this program? Or will be be a paid informercial?

Redlands (CA) Daily Facts, 22 June 2010: "Timothy Calvin Ling, 95, passed away peacefully at his Loma Linda home on June 10, 2010. He was born Feb. 19, 1915, on Kulangsu Island in South China. ... Tim accepted a position in New York City with the United States Information Agency in its Voice of America operations in 1951. When the agency moved its operations to Washington, D.C., a few years later, the Ling family relocated to Takoma Park, a suburb in Maryland. Until his retirement in December 1982, Tim was a broadcast journalist for Voice of America, committed to sharing global news with those behind the Iron Curtain, particularly in China."

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, 20 June 2010, John Campanelli interviewing Donny Newman, Cleveland native who studied Chinese and now works for the VOA Mandarin Service: "You work at the Voice of America; does that mean you're piping propaganda into China? Newman: I work on an entertainment TV show, 'Cultural Odyssey,' that is purposefully not political. Basically, we introduce different aspects of Americana to the Chinese audience every week, like a Mark Twain-inspired frog-jumping contest or the hot dog restaurant scene in Chicago." -- Although native Mandarin speakers will continue to do most of the work for VOA Chinese, a few Americans who speak Chinese well are necessary to put the America in the Voice of America.

Wired Danger Room, 27 May 2010, Nathan Hodge: "The 193rd Special Operations Wing operates a fleet of three ["Commando Solo"] EC-130J aircraft, cargo haulers that have been converted into flying radio and television stations. These 'psychological operations' aircraft can broadcast their own signal over AM and FM radio, UHF and VHF television bands — or override broadcast stations on the ground, something they apparently did during operations in Bosnia and Iraq. I recently accompanied a Commando Solo crew on a training mission. It was an unusual opportunity to see the crew at work testing their radio and television equipment at full power. ... [Lt. Col. Mike] Rice says many of the Commando Solo broadcasts during early phase of Operation Iraq Freedom were simple rebroadcasts of the BBC: It was perceived as a more neutral, and therefore more trusted, outlet, by Iraqis. In Afghanistan, lots of the broadcasts post-9/11 were simple Afghan pop music. After years of rule by the Taliban, which forbade pop music, Afghans were eager to tune in."

Update: Harrisburg Patriot-News, 21 June 2010, T.W. Burger: "'In Haiti, we could see immediately that we were having an effect,' [Lt. Col. Mike] Rice said. 'When they moved relief stations from one location to another, we would broadcast that fact, and within 30 minutes to an hour, people started showing up. Obviously, people were listening.' ... During the 193rd’s nearly two-month mission to the Caribbean, the unit was essentially working for the U.S. State Department, Rice said. In addition to whatever portable radios Haitians might have owned, the U.S. supplied small receivers to be distributed as widely as possible so civilians could get information they needed faster."

Addis Neger, 22 June 2010: "The satellite transmission of an Ethiopian broadcaster ESAT has successfully been jammed by Ethiopia’s Information Network Security Agency (INSA). According to information obtained by Addis Neger, INSA has received material and technical assistance for the jamming from the Chinese government. ... Assistance was sought from the Chinese government after INSA tried local jamming equipments. In mid May, a 700MW Chinese manufactured jammer was brought to Ethiopia. It was installed at the agency’s facility which is located at the Sar Bet area. Satellite images obtained by Addis Neger show the location of the jammer." If 700MW is 700 megawatts, that would be moere power than needed to send a jamming signal up to a satellite. This would suggest, then, ground jamming affecting satellite dishes in an urban area, Addis Ababa most likely. (Try not to stand too close to that 700 megawatt jamming transmitter.) See previous post about same subject.

The Japan Times, 22 June 2010, Kevin Rafferty: "With the growing global reach of the Internet and world television channels, the BBC should be on the cusp of a golden age as an international broadcaster and promoter of debate about issues vital to the future of the planet. Instead the reputation is at risk from a strange mixture of little England and a tabloid mentality. ... This is particularly marked in the international television brand, known as BBC World News. World Service radio still tries to preserve traditional values in spite of pressures on it. On TV, the BBC yells the latest headlines, like a tabloid newspaper with a bold front page but with little background or explanation inside. ... Repetition is the order of the hour and day. If you watch for two hours, you get about 21 minutes of news repeated twice, 90 seconds of headlines repeated six times, 10 minutes of business duplicated, 10 minutes of sport ditto, a few minutes of weather where forecasters struggle with foreign place names, a few advertisements and endless, mindless promotions of future programs, often proclaiming 'only on BBC World News.'"

WWL TV (New Orleans), 4 June 2010, Meg Farris: "Local seafood promoters say the Louisiana seafood brand is hurting around the country. They say it took two years to come back after Hurricane Katrina, but with the perception from the oil leak, it could take longer. So they took the message that the seafood is still safe to a worldwide audience Friday with an hour of live, talk radio, broadcast around the world from the University of New Orleans, to an estimated 190 million listeners. BBC World Service gathered a panel of local people in front of a live audience to talk about their perspective on the oil leak. ... Listeners called from Nigeria, England, and Alaska, where a man who called the show said 21 years after the Valdez spill, areas of seafood production are still not back. ... BP representatives were invited to be on the panel but BBC says they declined." Refers to BBC WS World Have Your Say on 4 June. Audio available here.

BBC World Service: "BBC World Service reporter Robyn Bresnahan is spending two weeks at New Orleans station WWNO. She'll be hearing how the BP oil spill is affecting people's lives."

BBCWS World Have Your Say blog, 4 June 2010, Ros Atkins: "We got some sad news from Oregon a few days ago. As you may have seen on facebook and twitter yesterday, OPB [Oregon Public Broadcasting] has decided to drop WHYS from its schedule from the end of June. ... Needless to say it's a real shame as we've a fantastic connection with the station and many of you who listen in Oregon. (We get more comment from Oregon than any other US state and more than any country bar Nigeria.) But clearly for a significant number of listeners our 'tone' and 'production' are not to their liking and we have to respect the station's decision."

OPB Facebook, 3 June 2010, John B.: "With a limited number of hours, we are constantly looking to bring the very best to our listeners. After nearly three years that we’ve broadcast WHYS, production and audio quality issues continue to be problematic. And we’ve heard from listener feedback that the tone of the show is inconsistent with that of our other programs. World Have Your Say is an ambitious concept. We’ve enjoyed working closely with Ros Atkins and the WHYS production team and we wish them the best." Many listener comments at the OPB Facebook wall. See also comments about OPB morning talk shows at The Portland Mercury, 14 January 2010.

Update: The Oregonian, 21 June 2010, Kristi Turnquist: "The BBC World Service radio show, 'World Have Your Say' is leaving the Oregon Public Broadcasting schedule as of July 1. Depending on your attitude, this will either prompt a sigh of disappointment, or a hearty shout of 'It's about time!'" See also many comments, including this from adoregon: "I hated the urgent/conflict/crisis tone they always used and the implication that other news sources are un-trustworty or conspiratorial but talking to a few people around the world is a good way at getting at the truth. But I did like hearing broader perspectivefrom all over - I think it could be a good show with some changes."

BBC World Service, 21 June 2010: "Once a year, staff at the four Antarctic bases - Rothera, Halley, King Edward Point and Bird Island - cluster round their short wave radios to hear the BBC's Gabrielle Walker present half an hour of music requests and special messages from their loved ones back home. ... The 'Antarctic Specials' are possibly the World Service's most unusual broadcasts. " -- It was 21 June at 2130-2200 UTC, but audio of the program is available.

The Guardian, 20 June 2010, James Robinson: BBC Worldwide chief executive John Smith's "retort to those who criticise Worldwide's growing power and reach is to point out that it has returned nearly £1bn to the BBC since he was appointed at interim CEO in July 2004 – money that is ploughed back into programme-making. 'That is increasingly important at a time when public finances are tight because it reduces the burden on the licence fee payer,' he claims. ... Smith is unapologetic about Worldwide's expansion and says growth will continue apace particularly in digital and international areas, with an emphasis on the US. Unabashed by the controversy it has caused among competitors who claim it has little or nothing to do with existing BBC programmes, Smith remains a huge fan of the October 2007 acquisition of the travel guide Lonely Planet, calling it a 'good business doing all the right things'. ... 'It fits very nicely with the other genres in which we are big – like news and natural history. It's got brilliant assets. It's number one in all the countries that matter to us … It's doing well in India and China and its brand values are very synonymous with those of the BBC. It's about impartiality and truthful, honest appraisal of a topic. It is making that transformation to digital in a way that I'd like the rest of the company to do.' Earlier this month, the Lonely Planet iPad 'app' was the most downloaded in the world."

The Guardian, 20 June 2010, James Robinson: "Senior managers at BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, will receive bonuses this year, the company's chief executive John Smith has said. The payments are likely to prove controversial at a time when the government is emphasising the need for the BBC, a publicly-funded organisation, to show pay restraint. ... Smith said Worldwide, which employs 2,700 people in 21 offices in 12 countries, 900 of them overseas, has to compete for talent in expensive markets, particularly in Australia and the US, but said it might also impose a pay freeze."

mUmBRELLA, 21 June 2010, bbc.com press release: "BBC.com has created two new Australian roles to boost its local sales offering in NSW and Victoria. Andrew Knowles joins BBC.com on 1 July as Sales Manager, NSW. ... 'They join the team as we look to build on our current success by introducing key new products and services to ANZ audiences and advertisers over the next year.' BBC.com is the number one international online news provider across Australia and NZ with more than 3 million ANZ unique users. It offers advertising opportunities across three platforms: online, mobile and VOD. Globally, the site reaches more than 50 million unique users and attracts more than 600 different advertising partners." -- I've never seen a "bbc.com" press release, and don't know where they would be found, other than maybe bbcworldwide.com.

Gulf News (Dubai), 19 June 2010: "In what seems as a scale down in tension between the European satellite service provider, Eutelsat and the Hamas-run TV channel Al Aqsa, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday notified the management of the Palestinian channel that it will give it five days before removing it from the satellite beam unless the material was found to be in compliance with EU rules. The ministry had said earlier that it would shut down Al Aqsa TV on June 17 for repeated violations of EU broadcasting policies. ... Suhaib Shahadeh, director of Al Aqsa terrestrial channel ... said all preparations were being made for a backup system which will enable the viewers to see its programmes around the globe."

AP, 15 June 2010, Ibrahim Barzak: "The Hamas station — best known for its children's programs glorifying violence against Israel — is the centerpiece of a growing media operation of Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas rulers. Losing the satellite provider will hamper the group's attempts to spread its message and raise funds abroad."

UPI, 9 June 2010: "The European Commission has warned France to cease carrying 'inflammatory broadcasts' of Al-Aqsa TV, the television channel of Hamas, officials said."

Aljazeera.net, 17 June 2010, Estelle Youssouffa video report: "Broadcasting regulators in France have ordered a French satellite company to stop carrying al-Aqsa, the Hamas-backed TV station. ... Hamas officials said the ban contradicted the 'principles of freedom and justice which France is proud of'."

Rapid TV News, 16 June 2010, Chris Forrester: "Al-Aqsa TV says it will “mobilise” rights activists around the world to fight the sanction. Gaza-based Al-Aqsa was responding to a formal prohibition made by the French Higher Broadcasting Council (CSA) ordering Eutelsat to cease the transmissions. In reality, Al-Aqsa held an uplink contract through a third-party supplier, and that contract was itself honoured by Amman-based Noorsat, an Arabian satellite sub-contractor which leases spare Eutelsat capacity."

Al Jazeera press release, 16 June 2010: "Al Jazeera English ... is pleased to announce that the channel began broadcasting on [Canada's] Shaw Cable today. AJE is available to all digital subscribers of Shaw Cable on channel 175 and will be free of charge for a promotional trial-period that will last until August 31. ... Additionally, AJE has announced the opening of their Canadian bureau. The new bureau, which is based in Toronto, signifies the channel's commitment to presenting Canadian news and perspective to a global audience. This makes AJE the only international news channel with a bureau in Canada."

The Coast (Halifax), 18 June 2010, Bruce Wark: "The National Council on Canada-Arab Relations is calling on all Canadian cable television companies to offer Al-Jazeera English to their subscribers. Doug Daniels, who serves on the Council’s board of directors, says cable companies should give customers a chance to sign up for what he describes as Al-Jazeera’s 'well balanced and high acclaimed' international coverage. 'Al-Jazeera is an open door to the rest of the world,' he says. 'It’s not only an alternative to North American all-news channels, it also offers a broader range of coverage from around the world.'"

Winnipeg Free Press, 19 June 2010, Tom Oleson, "The contrast between the two networks -- AJE [Al Jazeera English] and CBC -- is interesting. AJE's core funding is a $400 million annual grant from the emir of Qatar. The rest of its money is raised through advertising, cable subscription fees, broadcasting deals with other companies, and sale of footage. The CBC has both an English and a French network. It gets a $930 million yearly grant from the federal government that is paid for by Canadian taxpayers. Its total budget is $1.3 billion, the difference being made up mostly from advertising. Al Jazeera reaches almost every corner of the world. Its two networks operate 60 bureaus around the world and it can be seen in pretty well every country that hasn't actually banned it under the perception that it is a tool of Arab-Muslim propaganda. The CBC reaches almost every corner of Canada -- last year it considered closing bureaus in Thompson and La Ronge, Sask., because of what it considered to be a budget pinch. It has bureaus across Canada and in a few foreign countries as well, but its reach is limited to our little corner of the world. There seems to something seriously out of proportion here." -- Check also for undocumented sources of funding, and different accounting methods, at AJE. Also, unlike Al Jazeera, CBC has to pay for many terrestrial transmitters and local stations.

FrumForum.com, 16 June 2010, Martin Krossel: "Quebecor Media Inc., a Canadian owner of newspapers and television outlets, just announced the launch of a channel modeled after conservative-leaning Fox News. Imitating Fox’s parent News Corp., Quebecor hired Kory Tenecyke, the former communications director for Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to run the channel. News Corp. employs Roger Ailes, a former communications adviser to Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, to oversee the development and the continued operation of the Fox News Channel. ... [L]ast year when the left-tilting Al Jazeera English (AJE) sought the CRTC’s approval to be shown in Canada, the only group that opposed the application was the Canadian Jewish Congress, fearing – not without reason – that the channel would broadcast blatantly anti-Semitic content." See previous post about same subject.

PennyStockLive.com, 18 June 2010: "Worldspace, Inc. (OTC: WRSPQ) surged by 100.0% and closed at $0.01 with total volume of 513,400 shares for the day."

Rapid TV News, 20 June 2010, Chris Forrester: "For the best part of two years interested parties have been watching the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of pay-radio operator Worldspace unfold, before seemingly getting resolved two weeks ago. Watching in the wings have been the backers of a Class Action against Worldspace and some of its directors. Now they have pounced. In a Court filing on Friday, the Lead Plaintiff in the Class Action (Midtown Partners) asked Judge Peter Walsh for a modification in the wrap up proceedings. Their request is on behalf of those 'who, during the period from Aug 4 2005 through March 16 2006 purchased or otherwise acquired common stock of Worldspace Inc..... and [traceable] to the debtors IPO of August 4 2005.'" See previous posts about same subject on 16 June and 9 June 2010.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs press release, 18 June 2010: "The Australian Government is inviting views on the future direction of Australia Network, the Government-funded international television broadcasting service. The Australian Government has funded an international television service since the early 1990s. The service is currently provided under the terms of a contract between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which expires in August 2011. The service aims to present a reliable Australian voice in the Asia-Pacific region and to promote Australia as a sophisticated, diverse, innovative and tolerant society. ... Submissions are invited to address the following issues: ▪The future opportunities and challenges for a Government-funded international broadcasting service to effectively deliver a high quality, credible and reliable service in the Asia-Pacific region; ▪Options for the delivery and funding of an international broadcasting service in the Asia-Pacific; and ▪Whether the service, when the current contract with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation expires in August 2011, should be the subject of a competitive tender process." -- Is Australia a "sophisticated, diverse, innovative and tolerant society"? If so, there is no need to "promote" that fact through an international television channel. Instead, report on life in Australia through an independent news and information service. That way, the channel will have credibility, and an audience.

The Australian, 21 June 2010, Michael Bodey: "The move might be considered an attempt to head off heated media lobbying in an election year. ... ABC managing director Mark Scott has noted that his corporation is best-placed to serve a role as a 'soft diplomat' through the region with the free-to-air satellite TV service, while Sky has questioned the suitability of the ABC providing a service that is already provided by the market and thereby over-stepping its charter. ... Critics have also suggested the ABC might cross-subsidise its other news and current affairs services with the DFAT contract, although most accept the Australia Network is a much-improved service since the ABC won the contract from the Seven Network in 2001."

Crikey, 21 June 2010: "Does Australia really want a foreign-controlled group directly involved with the Australia Network, the federal government-funded international TV broadcasting service run by the ABC? The future operation of the service is up in the air: a decision on who operates is due next year and the ABC has already put its hand up for it, but Sky News wants to have another go." See previous post about same subject.

Deutsche Welle, 17 June 2010, Stephanie Siek: Icelandic "legislators passed a law that they hope will protect the freedom of the press around the world. The law, passed unanimously during Icelandic parliament's last session for the year, provides more protection for journalists and their sources than any other such law in the world, say its creators. Icelandic parliament member Birgitta Jonsdottir, who helped write the legislation, said the goal was to create an information haven - much like other countries which have turned themselves into tax havens. ... The law protects anonymous sources who communicate with journalists, places strict limits on pre-publication censorship, and provides immunity for telecommunications and internet providers who merely act as conduits for the publication of news and information. Icelandic courts and institutions would also not be required to enforce rulings by foreign courts which violate Icelandic law. Any entity that bases some part of their operation in Iceland - even if only a data server - are all protected under the law."

RFE/RL News, 17 June 2010: "International organizations have criticized controversial Armenian legislation that media freedom groups say will allow the government to retain its control over Armenia's broadcast media, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. Dunja Mijatovic, the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's representative on media freedom ... said the final version of the bill passed by parliament last week 'fails to promote broadcast pluralism in the digital era.' She pointed to provisions reducing the number of channels, making all forms of broadcasting subject to state licensing, and setting what she says are 'ambiguous procedures' for establishing private TV and radio stations. Critics also say the new bill may prevent the embattled independent TV channel A1+ from regaining a broadcast license. A1+ was closed just before the presidential election in 2002."

Wall Street Journal, 18 June 2010, Stefania Bianchi: "A host of technical glitches is threatening an embarrassing own goal for Al Jazeera, the satellite-TV channel that won exclusive rights to broadcast the World Cup in much of the Arab world. Soccer fans across the Middle East and North Africa have paid as much as $150 for one-month World Cup subscription packages or special cards that allow their receivers to tap into the soccer tournament. ... Al Jazeera said broadcasts carried by Egypt's Nilesat satellite operator and Arabsat, of Saudi Arabia, were deliberately jammed. The station hasn't accused anyone of the jamming yet but suggested political interference."

Ynet News, 19 June 2010, Doron Peskin: "The network has been placing the blame on cable companies and satellite providers throughout the Arab world, but now, it is also point the finger at Israel. Raed Abed, head of the Al-Jazeera's broadcasting department, told Emarat Alyoum, 'I do not rule out Israeli involvement in the disruptions.'" See previous post about same subject.

The Hollywood Reporter, 14 June 2010, Eriq Gardner: "Football fans in Hong Kong are upset because they've been ordered by the government to stop using satellite antennas to see mainland China's CCTV coverage of the World Cup. Violators have been warned about being sued for copyright infringement if they continue to tune in to China's coverage."

Phuket Gazette, 17 June 2010: "Authorities in Patong are reportedly cracking down on bars illegally showing World Cup football matches with English-language commentary. A source has told the Gazette that officials last night raided a restaurant that allegedly violated international copyright law by airing broadcasts telecast on the Malaysian-based Astro SuperSport satellite TV network."

Tribune Magazine (London), 18 June 2010: "A BBC reporter has been refused entry to the UK to collect a Parliamentary award for services to press and democratic freedom. Mohamed Olad Hassan, the main English language correspondent in Mogadishu for the BBC World Service, was chosen to receive the Speaker Abbott award by a panel of senior Parliamentarians, Speaker John Bercow and Tribune, which sponsors the award. But his flight, and a two-week programme of events and meetings organised by the Parliamentary Press Gallery, which instituted and organises the award, had to be abandoned when the British High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya, rejected his visa application. ... Olad told Tribune: 'I am really very grateful for the award and the support it gives to me. I am surprised at the denial of a visa to a journalist working with the BBC in Somalia for seven years and in possession of an official, documented invitation to meet the Speaker.'"

Suna Times, 19 June 2010: "A BBC World Service journalist described as 'the voice of the voiceless' in Somalia has been honoured at a reception in the House of Commons. Mohammed Olad Hassan was not able to attend the event in Speaker's House this week, where he was awarded the Speaker Abbott Award for his promotion of democracy. ... Lord Avebury, one of this year's judges, later wrote on his blog of his unhappiness that Hassan could not attend the event as he was refused a visa by the UKBA. 'The reason I was told, at second hand, was that he hadn't submitted payslips showing his earnings from the BBC with his application for a visa,' he wrote."

"Voice of the voiceless." Where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, in the previous post, and all over the place when international broadcasters talk about themselves. (Search this website for voiceless.) Al Jazeera uses the slogan frequently, and it has been used to describe Alhurra. Perhaps it should be copyright, like "Good to the last drop," or "Strong enough to pick up a 16-lb. bowling ball." The problem, however, is that "voice of the voiceless" doesn't capture what successful international broadcasting really does. "News to the newsless" would be much better, though, admittedly, it doesn't sound as good.

The Telegraph, 16 June 2010, BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks: "On June 18, 1940, the world's future looked bleak indeed. Half a dozen countries had already been conquered by the Nazis; German troops had entered Paris; and British forces had been evacuated from Dunkirk. In occupied Europe, newspapers had been shut down or taken over, while radio stations had been turned into beacons of Nazi propaganda. Yet when General Charles de Gaulle strode into a studio at the BBC's Broadcasting House, on that Tuesday, he spoke to the people of occupied France about hope, insisting that 'the flame of French resistance must not and will not be extinguished'. De Gaulle appealed to officers and soldiers, military engineers and armament workers to rally under his command in London. ... When war broke out in 1939, the BBC was broadcasting overseas in English as well as in nine foreign languages, most of them aimed at European listeners. Today, the World Service maintains that same crucial lifeline in a very different world, and in very different places."

USC Center on Public Diplomacy blog, 19 June 2010, Nicholas J. Cull: "[T]he seventieth anniversary of one of the great broadcasts in the history of international broadcasting ... has been marked by a visit from President Sarkozy to the BBC and press hullabaloo on both sides of the English Channel. The appeal of 18 June has a number of lessons for contemporary public diplomacy. It is a reminder of the historical impact of the radio, which still has a role to play in today’s world. More than this it is an example of the public diplomacy of empowerment. The British government could (and did) address the people of France themselves, but Churchill for one understood that there was infinitely more to be gained from empowering a credible Frenchman to speak."

AFP, 19 June 2010: "Sarkozy said the decision to let de Gaulle make the appeal from London -- initially opposed by the British cabinet but championed by premier Winston Churchill -- 'made possible the very existence of the French resistance.'"

About the BBC Blog, 17 June 2010, Robert Seatter "The Free French (as his followers were called) were allowed five minutes each day on the BBC French Service to broadcast to occupied France and orchestrate their defiance. Many impassioned addresses were made by de Gaulle himself, either from Broadcasting House or Bush House, and he was regarded as the 'secret hope' by those living under German rule. Even today, the sound of the opening jingle of those BBC broadcasts can bring tears to the eyes of surviving listeners. 'Unprecedented in media history' is how one of the most famous Resistance survivors described these lifeline broadcasts. It's moving and humbling to be told by others of the impact of the BBC 70 years ago, and it's salutary to remind ourselves that wars go on, media freedom is still a precious thing, and many of our BBC News and World Service colleagues are today carrying on that vital role of giving voice to the voiceless on air."

BBC World Service, 18 June 2010, interview with Jean-Louis Crémieux-Brilhac, who was in charge of clandestine Free French propaganda from the spring of 1942 until the liberation. See also BBC Newsnight report, 18 June 2010. Read and hear (the second airing of) the speech.

BBC was important in Europe during the war because of the credibility of its news. It was the information Europeans used to determine what shreds of truth there might be in the propaganda coming from everywhere else on the continent. BBC had to serve the national interest during the war, but it managed to maintain its credibility by not letting such appeals take over its schedule.

Radio Heritage Foundation, James Wood: "By mid-1944, NHK overseas broadcasting bureau had honed and crafted its skills in making authentic American-style radio programs. By patience and dedication, the Japanese had overcome all initial problems and were setting a new standard in radio propaganda, which was unequalled by anything existing. ... The American FBIS closely monitored Japanese propaganda broadcasts, and many recordings were taken for archival purposes; yet not one of these has the name Tokyo Rose, nor is the name found in NHK broadcasts. ... From 1944, the US government took some steps to combat the effects of Japanese propaganda programs by setting up radio shows of a comparable quality and style. 'Voice of America' SW transmitters beamed such programs to its troops in the Pacific zone. The highly successful Command Performance scripted and produced by Hollywood specialists, employed a galaxy of stars to entertain the troops." [Excerpt from Wood's 'Japanese War Time Broadcasting' in the book 'History of International Broadcasting, Vol.1.] -- "Command Performance" was a program of the Armed Forces Radio Network, not VOA, although it may have been sent over the same shortwave transmitters used by VOA. (US English-language shortwave broadcasts across the Pacific to Asia may not have gone by the "Voice of America.")

CNBC Asia press release, 13 June 2010: "CNBC ... and Singapore Exchange (SGX) jointly announce the official launch of CNBC’s new primary studio facility at SGX. The new studio begins operations today on the second floor of SGX Centre 1 in Shenton Way, the heart of Singapore’s financial district. To coincide with the unveiling of the new studio, CNBC Asia is introducing a new morning programming line-up. ... The new look includes visual enhancements such as s providing real-time market data that frames the new studio space at SGX. Along with the new studio comes an enhanced line-up which includes an earlier and more dynamic three-hour Squawk Box Asia from 6am, a brand new one-hour programme, The Call, an updated two-hour programme, Cash Flow from Australia and a fresh approach to Capital Connection with the introduction of a new bureau in Bahrain."

Rapid TV News, 17 June 2010, Rose Major: "Vietnam’s newest DTH [direct-to-home satellite] service, from digital-terrestrial broadcaster VTC, is shaping up well, with Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific announcing it would launch six of its channels on the platform. ... One of Vietnam’s largest broadcasters, VTC will distribute Turner’s flagship channels, CNN International and Cartoon Network, as well as HLN, Boomerang, TCM Turner Classic Movies and, newcomer to Asia, truTV. Distribution to VTC’s potential subscribers will begin on July 1, 2010. VTC will launch its new DTH television service using Asiasat5. The service will provide subscribers throughout Vietnam with the best of both worlds - a compelling mix of VTC’s well established local channels and a variety of popular international channels from news, kids and factual entertainment to Hollywood movies."

WorldScreen.com, 16 June 2010: "Outdoor Channel is set to roll out in Taiwan and Vietnam, via new carriage agreements clinched by Multi Channels Asia, a Singapore-based venture that represents, distributes and owns a number of thematic pay-TV channels across Asia Pacific."

Newscast Studio, 15 June 2010: "For [CNN International's] 'Inside Africa,' [production music producer Stephen] Arnold had to create a compelling intro using local beats that worked with CNN’s existing brand. 'We stayed true to the three-note mnemonic that’s a signature of the network’s "Inside the Middle East,"' Arnold says. 'We applied those same notes, but in a setting that emphasized strong beats and modern instrumentation, creating a sound that was instantly recognizable as pan-African.'" With video (recommended viewing). -- For some listening fun, check out Arnold's The Vault.

Mail & Guardian (Cape Town), 19 June 2010, Lisa Steyn: "According to Burmese exile media, Aung San Suu Kyi will celebrate her [65th] birthday in seclusion, with her two women companions. She has not been allowed visitors, and her telephone line has been cut for many years. But she does have a short-wave radio, so -- if the batteries are still working -- she will know that many people around the world are honouring her."

Irish Times, 20 June 2010, Stephan Morgan: "[A] birthday song composed by Paul Brady called The World is Watching was played on Saturday morning by the BBC World Service, the only radio station which Daw Suu Kyi is permitted to listen. The Democratic Voice of Burma, a non-profit organisation, travelled from their office in Norway to film the concert, having made arrangements with the Burmese authorities to show the footage to Daw Suu Kyi." -- Really? She's not allowed to listen to VOA or RFA Burmese? Listen to "Freedom From Fear," BBC World Service, 18 June 2010.

amnesty.org.uk, 17 June 2010: "There is no doubting the power of radio – those are the words of Amnesty International – who are today launching a major new financial appeal to supply thousands of radio sets to the people of Burma. ... Despite the severe restrictions placed on access to information in Burma, media organisations in exile are able to broadcast directly into the country. These broadcasts are a vital source of independent information for people in Burma, especially in a year when the government prepares to hold elections for the first time in two decades."

Asia Sentinel, 15 June 2010, Haseenah Koyakutty: The Thai elite "allege the foreign media was negligent in reporting on the so-called Men in Black who appeared to be responsible for a major share of the Red Shirts' violence, thereby rendering the movement anything but peaceful. ... Second, the critics say, the foreign media, specifically large television networks with an international reach such as CNN and BBC, report conflicts through western eyes, fitting this particular one into a standard third world archetype: A military-backed government using force on unarmed demonstrators. The western reporting, they say, also ignores cultural differences. Put another way, the foreign media do not understand Thailand. To a press participant in the two month-long crisis that ended with the expulsion of the Red Shirts, however, the media coverage was as fair as it could be under the difficult and life-threatening conditions in which many reporters operated. In-depth coverage was a luxury under deadline and budgetary pressures. CNN and the BBC are easy public targets given their global impact, especially during a crisis or with breaking news that may portray the unpleasant side of a semi-open or controlled society. The outcry is therefore not unusual. What was unusual, however, is the vitriol hurled at certain media outlets or specific reporters."

Committee to Protect Journalists, 18 June 2010: "Authorities in Ethiopia expelled an American journalist on Thursday who had been reporting near a rebel area in the east of the Horn of Africa country, according to local journalists. Heather Murdock had been reporting with the U.S. international broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) in the eastern region of Harar, near an area where there was reported skirmishes between the army and rebels of the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), according to the same sources. ... VOA confirmed to CPJ that Murdock had left the country. ... 'We condemn the expulsion of Heather Murdock,' said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. ... Murdock arrived in Ethiopia last month after she was expelled from Yemen in April following a reporting trip to strongholds of Yemen’s armed separatist Southern Movement, according to news reports. In Ethiopia, she covered the country’s general election and its aftermath, among other topics."

AFP, 19 June 2010: "Murdock, who said she was reporting on the town's semi-domesticated hyenas that are a major tourist attraction, had her material confiscated and was sent to Addis Ababa where she boarded a flight to Cairo. 'This journalist has broken the law. The Ethiopian government has all the rights to defend itself against such behaviours,' an official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The official said Murdock's business visa had expired and that she had been working in the country on a tourist visa."

Bloomberg, 19 June 2010: "Bereket Simon, Ethiopia’s communication affairs minister, confirmed the expulsion, saying in a phone interview Murdock 'was searching for ONLF people.' Murdock said from Cairo she 'didn’t know talking to people was a crime in Ethiopia.'"

VOA press release, 15 June 2010: "The Voice of America Swahili Service announces the launch of Mitaani, or From the Streets, a new video feature produced exclusively for mobile phone users in Kenya and other parts of Africa. The short video reports, which debuted on the VOA Swahili mobile site this week, can also be viewed on the Swahili Service website: http://www.voaswahili.com."

VOA press release, 10 June 2010: "A popular Voice of America Portuguese language program on HIV/AIDS prevention is back on the air in Mozambique. ... The 30-minute weekly radio program, called Vida Sem Medo, or, 'living without fear,' focuseson educating young people in Mozambique about the dangers of HIV/AIDS."

Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2010, Ruth Walker: "The Voice of America Special English Service, meant for those just learning English, recently ran a report on the Center for Plain Language. The piece included some sound bites from the recent congressional hearings on Goldman Sachs and its involvement with synthetic collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). ... Among the reader comments was one from someone identified as 'jose roberto (brazil).' His words, eloquent in their own way, are reproduced below, with all their endearing departures from standard usage: '[I]f for you is difficult to understand, could you imagine for us, foreings. when things are confused, non clear for all people, something wrong is, with the thing or with those who do that, this case of Goldman Sachs says all. hugs for you american friends of VOA.'"

New York Times, Schott's Vocab, 10 March 2010, Ben Schott: "Has anyone ever attempted to construct an artificial language based on English? ... [Author] Arika Okrent: A reasonable simplification project is the 'Special English' used in Voice of America radio programs. It has a core vocabulary of 1500 words, but other terms are introduced as needed, along with brief explanations. The few rules it does claim – no passive voice, one idea per sentence – are violated when they interfere with sensible judgment. It doesn’t modify the grammar of English; it just provides guidelines for speaking in a way that makes it easier for learners to understand."

Foreign Policy, 7 June 2010, Golnaz Esfandiari: "[I]t is time to get Twitter's role in the events in Iran right. Simply put: There was no Twitter Revolution inside Iran. As Mehdi Yahyanejad, the manager of "Balatarin," one of the Internet's most popular Farsi-language websites, told the Washington Post last June, Twitter's impact inside Iran is nil. 'Here [in the United States], there is lots of buzz,' he said. 'But once you look, you see most of it are Americans tweeting among themselves.' A number of opposition activists have told me they used text messages, email, and blog posts to publicize protest actions. However, good old-fashioned word of mouth was by far the most influential medium used to shape the postelection opposition activity. ... Nonetheless, the 'Twitter Revolution' was an irresistible meme during the post-election protests, a story that wrote itself."

The Atlantic, 18 June 2010, Jared Keller: "[W]hile Twitter failed as an organizational tool, the Green movement remains the first major world event broadcast worldwide almost entirely via social media. Given the extent of the Iranian regime of repression, the amount of information publicized real-time through social networks allowed the international community an unprecedented peek into the turmoil afflicting Iran. For the Greens, the international reaction to the post-election violence gave the movement critical international visibility. While crowd sourcing is now a familiar concept to even the marginally tech-savvy, Twitter's use on a massive scale was rarely contemplated nor executed prior to the Iranian election. The Green revolution was a Twitter revolution; while social media fell short organizationally, it brought the violence in the streets of Tehran to the forefront of the geopolitical conversation." See previous post about same subject.

Committee to Protect Journalists blog, 18 June 2010, Sulome Anderson: "Jeffrey Gedmin, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, expresses his dismay at the rapid manner in which repressive regimes evolving to crush this new form of opposition: 'The government of Iran is pretty good at social media too.'" -- Gedmin was the guest on "Ideas in Action," 10 June 2010, a coproduction of Grace Creek Media and The George W. Bush Institute, with former BBG chairman James K. Glassman as host.

The Hill, 16 June 2010, Gautham Nagesh: "When asked if the [State] Department has any policy on foreign citizens using social media to question their own government such as the widely-cited use of Twitter during last year's Iranian protests, [Caitlin Bergin of the State Department's Office of International Information Programs] seemingly endorsed the practice. 'I personally think these technologies are empowering for people, they allow them to have a voice,' Bergin said. 'Some people will use it for expressing their political views and that's not a bad thing.'"

EurActiv.com, 18 June 2010: "Foreign television stations who have accused Iran of cutting off their broadcasts to stop coverage of violent political clashes have appealed to telecoms unions to step in and shield satellites from 'international piracy'. A broadcasting union put pressure on the CEPT, a European postal and telecoms body, and the International Telecoms Union (ITU) to pass a resolution to protect telecommunication satellites from the kind of interference experienced by the BBC and other channels in the Middle East. It has also requested the involvement of the UN's Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space. The Bruges Group of European broadcasters argues that this would be the only remedy to prevent interference or to sanction it, because there is nothing else that can be done under international law to stop such meddling. Iran has been jamming satellites, stopping European broadcasters' Farsi-language transmissions in the Middle East and Europe since 12 June 2009, according to a statement made by Peter Horrocks, director of the BBC World Service."

Politico, 16 June 2010, Senator John Cornyn: "Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and I have introduced legislation ... [stating] that it is U.S. policy to support the Iranian people’s efforts to establish a truly democratic and accountable government and free themselves from the regime headed by Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Our bill authorizes the president to provide assistance for broadcasting and other communications directly to Iranian democratic opposition organizations, as well as to offer humanitarian aid to victims of repression by the current regime. Our bill reflects the reality that the millions of Iranians who want democratic change still deserve it and that the United States must stand with those who stand for their liberty." "Broadcasting ... directly to Iranian democratic opposition organizations" indicates that Senator Cornyn does not have "objective and comprehensive" (quoting from the VOA Charter) in mind.

National Council of Resistance of Iran, 14 June 2010, Representative Brad Sherman: "[W]e need to promote democracy in Iran. I was just at hearings today calling upon the State Department to provide free satellite time to the thousands of different flowers blooming on the radio and television and cable airways; chiefly of Los Angles. The people of Iran ought to hear all of the different opinions, not just those of Radio Farda which of course does a good job. But - I wish I understood Farsi - I can tell from so many of my friends in Los Angel[e]s, there is a wide array of opinions being expressed in a vibrancy to public policy discussion in Farsi that may not be matched by the public policy discussion we have in English in this country." -- This would open a can or worms. Would all viewpoints, no matter how extreme, be welcome on this free satellite time? If not, what would be the parameters? Who would monitor the content for compliance?

The Guardian, Comment is Free, 18 June 2010, Benjamin Weinthal: "The EU has made scarcely any efforts to cultivate free information inside Iran. Europe should strengthen the broadcast of its existing Farsi-language news services, including the Prague-based Radio Farda and the BBC Persian service. Creating independent new outlets in the Iranian diaspora that broadcast shows, popular cultural programming and music into Iran can strengthen the forces of democratic change." -- Mr. Weinthal, an adjunct fellow of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, thinks Radio Farda is an EU effort. It is located in Prague, but is US-funded, part of RFE/RL. The formidable BBC Persian Service, and not-insignificant Deutsche Welle Persian Service, are more than "scarcely any efforts." There are already Iranian diaspora channels, mostly from California. Europe could add one of its own, but good luck maintaining harmony among the factions.

Heritage Foundation: "Perspectives on U.S. International Broadcasting ... will examine the challenges and the potential of U.S. international broadcasting." Speakers are James Glassman, former Broadcasting Board of Governors chairman; Jeff Hirschberg, BBG member; Tom Korologos, former BBG member; Robert Reilly, former VOA director; Josh Carter legislative director for Senator Sam Brownback; Tim Shamble, president of VOA employee union. Monday, 21 June 2010, 11:00 to 1:30, Lehrman Auditorium.

Xinhua, 17 June 2010: "Confucius enlightened people on different elements of life. Some 76 generations later, his descendants are doing the same. Jeffrey Kung, the 29-year-old American-born Chinese pop singer who is related to the famous philosopher, wants to expose Chinese youth to hip-hop and spark interest in the local music scene. ... His radio show - The Park on HIT FM88.7 - is his main source for spreading hip-hop in Beijing. It is the first station within China that promotes hip-hop. Between established rappers from other countries and local artists who send in self-produced mix tapes, The Park plays a wide variety of music with as much as 70 percent of songs recorded in English. Kung hopes one day the show will be 100 percent Chinese. ... 'We started broadcasting from a living room,' Kung said. 'You could hear a lot of background noise like dog's barking and people playing NBA Live.' The show was picked up by China Radio International and is now broadcasted from a studio."

Global Times (Beijing), 18 June 2010: "Eight months ago when Nillah Nyakoa took up a China Radio International job offer to come to Beijing from Kenya, the Chinese tones and characters were like 'song and drawings' to her. Now she knows how to bargain with vendors, tell the cab drivers to stick to the shortest route and has found her own rhythm to dance with the city. ... 'In December 2008 I came to Shanghai for the first time. The weather was not good, I have never experienced winter in my life, it felt like being in a fridge. But after a week, I fell in love with the city, and I wanted to resign from my previous job in Kenya and move to China. I used to listen to the CRI station to learn about Chinese culture, so I went to their website and left a resume there. A few months down the line they gave me a call and told me they wanted to bring me to Beijing.' ... 'I think the major difference is reporting in Kenya is mostly about politics; while here politics totally does not exist. Here we do a lot of human interest stories. Otherwise everything else is quite similar.'"

The National (Abu Dhabi), 27 May 2010, Daniel Bardsley: "Although launched as part of CCTV’s ambitious plan to have a channel in each of the six official languages of the United Nations – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish – [its Arabic] service has no pretensions to being the new Al Jazeera. While the Qatar-based channel has become influential through its coverage of the Middle East, CCTV Arabic aims to tell the Arab world about China. That means 90 per cent of the content, which includes news, feature stories and programmes covering entertainment, education and travel, comes from other CCTV channels, with much of the material subtitled in Arabic. ... The channel has a staff of 110, among them 80 who have graduated in Arabic and 15 'special experts' on the Arab world. ... 'The mainstream media [are] dominated by the western media like the BBC and CNN, and we want to be part of the mainstream voice in international affairs.'"

Reuters, 15 June 2010: "CLP Holdings Ltd, Hong Kong's largest power supplier, said it had recorded a small rise in radioactivity in reactor cooling water at a nuclear plant in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen last month. 'The reactor cooling water is sealed in completely and isolated from the external environment, thus causing no impact to the public,' CLP said on Tuesday. CLP's statement followed a report by Washington-based Radio Free Asia that the Daya Bay nuclear plant had suffered a large radiation leak that was threatening public safety."

AFP, 16 June 2010: "The operator of a nuclear power plant in southern China has acknowledged possible cracks in fuel tubes but, contradicting Hong Kong authorities, denied that any radiation had leaked out. ... Washington-based Radio Free Asia first reported a leak at the plant, which the Hong Kong government confirmed on Tuesday. ... Radio Free Asia had quoted a 'Hong Kong expert source' as saying a large amount of radioactive iodine was released into the air. It said the plant's management had kept the incident secret and only later reported it to authorities in Beijing."

China Radio International, 16 June 2010, from China Daily: "Power supplier and experts assured the public Tuesday that there is no threat to public safety arising from an incident at Daya Bay nuclear power plant. The nuclear leakage fear was ignited by a report from Washington-based Radio Free Asia Monday, saying that the plant experienced an abnormality in Unit 2 on May 23 resulting in the release of a large amount of radioactive iodine into the atmosphere. Hong Kong's No 1 electricity supplier CLP Holdings, which owns 25 percent of the plant, denied the allegation. The company issued a statement saying that only a small increase in radioactive substances was found in the cooling water at the unit."

Radio Free Asia, 15 June 2010: "Albert Lai, vice chairman of Hong Kong’s Civic Party, who has closely watched the development of the Daya Bay nuclear plant for more than a decade, urged the government and CLP to explain why the public was not informed about the incident until it was first reported by the media."

El Universal, 15 June 2010: "In an interview published on Monday by the BBC World News and BBC Mundo networks, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez addressed a wide array of topics, from his relations with the United States to the independence of the Judiciary. The Venezuelan leader defended vehemently his model."

BBC News, 15 June 2010: "Mr Chavez rarely grants interviews to foreign media but he agreed to talk to the BBC's Stephen Sackur to mark the premiere a new documentary by the director Oliver Stone."

BBC News, 11 June 2010: "During his weekly TV address to the nation, the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, reveals what it is like to be interviewed by Stephen Sackur."

BBC Mundo, 15 June 2010: "En un tono a veces distendido y en ocasiones tenso, la BBC confrontó a Chávez durante casi 25 minutos con gran parte de las críticas que argumenta la oposición a su gobierno y que Venezuela recibe internacionalmente."

BBC News, 12 June 2010: "The Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the owner of a private television channel fiercely critical of President Hugo Chavez. Prosecutors accuse Guillermo Zuloaga, who owns the Globovision channel, of business irregularities."

BBC HARDtalk, 14 June 2010: "In what may have been his last interview before going into hiding, Mr. Zuloaga spoke to [HARDtalk anchor] Stephen Sackur."

Reuters, 17 June 2010: "Globovision boss Guillermo Zuloaga is a fugitive after an arrest warrant charging him with usury was issued on Friday. Then on Monday, the government took control of a bank that is owned by another Globovision director and handles its payroll, citing liquidity problems and risk of fraud, and leaving the station's employees in fear for their livelihoods."

Dow Jones, 17 June 2010: "President Hugo Chavez said his government might take over part of Venezuela's last remaining opposition television station, Globovision, if its owners don't return to Venezuela to meet with authorities."

CTC Media press release, 16 June 2010: "CTC Media, Inc., Russia's leading independent media company, today announced the launch of the CTC-International channel in Israel. The channel is distributed on the Yes satellite platform and the HOT cable network, which have a combined total of approximately 120 thousand Russian-speaking subscribers. ... The international version of CTC, which was launched in the U.S. in December 2009, is a 24-hour a day family entertainment channel with a broad range of high quality programming content from the CTC (80%), Domashny and DTV channels. 1 million people, or 13% of the Israeli population, is Russian-speaking... ."

Discovery Communications press release, 2 June 2010: "More than 25 years ago, [John] Hendricks mortgaged everything he owned to realize his dream: the first cable network in the United States dedicated to providing high-quality documentary programming. On June 17, 1985, John Hendricks launched Discovery Channel to 156,000 subscribers; today, the network reaches more than 100 million subscribers in the U.S. alone and globally, Discovery Communications has more than 100 networks in over 180 countries, touching 1.5 billion subscribers."

Financial Express, 16 June 2010, Ashish Sinha: "Taking advantage of the paucity of quality content on television and a shift in urban viewership towards foreign lifestyle programming, several large international broadcasting houses are set to bring in a slew of international channels to India soon. The new channels can be broadly classified into two categories –– lifestyle and news & current affairs. BBC, Discovery and Fox will bring channels on lifestyle, while media houses from Canada, the US, the UK, France and Japan will come up with news and current affairs channels."

CanadaEast Interactive, 17 June 2010, Victoria Handysides: "The people of the Tantramar marsh [New Brunswick] hear voices. ... Through the miracle of external rectification - aka: 'the rusty bolt effect' - folks around the region have been receiving misdirected radio waves for over half a century. They're unintentionally intercepting Radio Canada International broadcasts from CBC's shortwave broadcasting transmitter, built in the marshy wetlands to send radio waves across the globe. 'The plumbing acts as an antenna,' area artist and burgeoning historian Amanda Christie said. ... Christie, a 33-year-old Sackville resident, is attempting to record the area's buzzing and undocumented history; she's creating an audio/visual art project to tell the tale. ... The filmmaker/gallery worker has never heard the waves through her own appliances, so she's trying to fake it. Christie has constructed a homemade sink, with makeshift antenna copper piping. ... So far, nothing yet - but Christie's resolve is strong."

swissinfo.ch, 15 June 2010: "This year the internet portal swissinfo.ch is marking its 75th anniversary. The Swiss shortwave service was set up in 1935 and was renamed Swiss Radio International (SRI) in 1978. Listeners from all over the world were very motivated to write in, as a look in our archive reveals."

merinews.com (Gurgaon), 11 June 2010, Prakash F Madhwani: "Readers OF my generation will recall the times when cricket commentary; from a tiny transistor, glued to our ears, an extra bit of a dangling wire, twisted on to the existing aerial for a better reception, angling the transistor and its aerial to varied angles constantly to get the best reception, was a treat to listen to, not to forget the eloquent expert commentators in English, Hindi and in Kannada too, who gave defined description of ball to ball movement. ... For matches held within India, we had our own His Masters Voice of Medium Wave All India Radio, but for those outside India, we would be up at all unearthly hours and amid the proverbial burning of the midnight oil, we would tune in on Short Wave and this would be best savoured as a part of combined studies in the house of – not the guy with best brains but the house of the guy with the best radio system."

Stabroek News (Georgetown), 12 June 2010, letter from Mohamed Sattaur, chief executive of NCN: "With reference to a letter titled ‘Test cricket should take precedence over World Cup football’ in the June 11 edition of Stabroek News, The National Communications Network [Guyana] wishes to advise that cricket reigns supreme on radio at 560AM and 102.5FM as well as our shortwave signal which is received worldwide."

Update: Stabroek News, 17 June 2010, Mohamed Sattaur, CEO of NCN: "The Voice of Guyana is broadcast on the medium wave on 560 and 700 AM, on the shortwave on 3.290 and on 102.5FM. Everyone along the coast, in most of the interior locations and some parts of Suriname should be able to hear VOG on 560 AM without any difficulty. The shortwave signal is heard internationally. We have received word from Europe, Africa, Australia and the USA, among other places, that the signal is clear."

Putnam County (Ohio) Sentinel, 16 June 2010, Tom Jeffery: "It was around 10 years ago when Tom Deitering, Leipsic, came up with the idea of having a Catholic radio station for Putnam County. Listening to EWTN, which is the global Catholic network, on a short wave radio sparked his vision. Seven years passed and Deitering looked into buying a radio station. It was too expensive, but a number of radio frequencies started to open up in the area. The Leipsic native applied for a frequency in Oct. 2007, and was finally approved in Sept. 2009. ... WJTA 88.9 FM, Holy Family Radio was born." And now from Catholic to Protestant shortwave broadcasting...

San Francisco Chronicle, 15 June 2010, Justin Berton: "For a man convinced the world is going to end in less than a year, Harold Camping was in a delightful mood. I visited with Camping at his Oakland office two weeks ago, shortly after he'd returned from a business trip to prepare for his ministry's last year on earth. 'There's so much work to do,' Camping told me with some enthusiasm as he sat down. 'And not a lot of time left to do it!' As readers may already know, Harold Camping gained notoriety a few years ago when he announced he'd cracked a code within the Bible that revealed the date for Christ's return: May 21, 2011. Camping oversees Family Radio and his daily recorded sermons are translated into 54 languages, then beamed across the globe via short wave radio." Harold Camping's station, Family Radio, WYFR, is a member of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters, which will hold its next annual meeting 13-16 May 2011 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas cruise ship, which be sailing from Miami to the Bahamas and back.

South African Press Association, 15 June 2010: "The main private radio station in uranium-rich northern Niger was on air again Monday after being closed two years earlier by the deposed president following broadcasts linked to the Tuareg rebellion. 'The National Observatory of Communication has given us permission and we have already started transmitting again,' said the head of private Sahara FM, Ahmed Raliou, in the northern capital Agadez. 'It is very good news,' said Raliou, who is also the regional [correspondent for] Radio France International (RFI)."

Goal.com, 16 June 2010, M. J. Somoni: "At least 10 people have been arrested by Islamic fighters who accused them of watching the banned screening of World Cup football matches currently going on in South Africa. The groups imposed a ban on the viewing and screening of the matches in Somalia but local fans have been daring to watch the games at the homes of those who can afford to install satellite dishes. According to Radio France Internationale, unconfirmed reports say that two people were also killed after Islamic fighters stormed a house in Mogadishu as youths were watching live matches from the World Cup in South Africa."

Deutsche Welle, 5 June 2010, Michael Knigge: "When the oil tanker Erika sank and broke apart off the French coast in December 1999, the public was outraged. An estimated crowd of 20,000 demonstrated at a rally in Nantes against French oil giant Total whose leased vessel had spilled approximately three million gallons of oil. The disaster killed as many as 75,000 birds and spoiled around 400 kilometers (250 miles) of the coast. ... The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dwarfs both the Erika and Prestige disasters. ... It is by far the worst environmental disaster in US history. ... And yet after weeks of uninterrupted spilling, a recent rally at BP's Washington headquarters according to media reports attracted only a few dozen protesters. A protest event in New Orleans, which is directly affected by the spill, also drew only some 200 people according to media reports."
   ARLnow.com, 16 June 2010: RT (Russia Today) on America's "crude oil addiction." With video.

theChanner press release, 14 June 2010: "A new service, theChanner, begins offering mobile TV access to live TV broadcasts from networks and stations that stream across the globe. ... Available for $1.99 for mobile devices, theChanner will enable 3G viewing on Android phones and wi-fi viewing on the iPhone. theChanner can be downloaded at www.thechanner.com. ... As broadcasters start streaming their channels live to the Internet, theChanner will search for them and add to its lineup. ... theChanner viewers can explore such International channels as ABC Australia, e-Music Television (United Kingdom), Hip Hop TV (France), Fashionguide TV (Germany), Sky News (United Kingdom), IBA (Israel), Sport Italia (Italy), NHK World (Japan), Press TV (Iran), Canal 44 (Mexico), among many others. Many of theChanner’s broadcasters stream in English."

Washington Post, 16 June 2010, "Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) had a hold on all eight nominees to the Broadcasting Board of Governors until he could talk to them about challenges facing U.S. international broadcasting. 'I am pleased to report,' he wrote in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) and top Republican Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.), 'that each of them has answered my questions,' apparently to Coburn's satisfaction. 'However,' he added, given the BBG's 'vital role' in international broadcasting, he requested a 'balanced oversight hearing before the end of the year to discuss the agencies under the BBG's purview.' What's more, he wrote, 'I would further ask that I be allowed to attend the hearing and question the witnesses.' Maybe not unprecedented but pretty unusual. Kerry and Lugar are said to be mulling." See previous post for Senator Coburn's questions to the BBG nominees.
   So will the BBG nominees soon be confirmed? Or will they and dozens of other nominees to federal positions continue to held up by other Republican senators, unhappy about a Democratic nominee to the National Labor Relations Board?
   If the hearing that Senator Coburn wants takes place, especially with himself in attendance, it could be a battle for the soul of U.S. international broadcasting.
   One side is articulated in the recent Lugar report on U.S. international broadcasting: "[I]n order for the BBG to be credible to its audience and draw in not just those who already agree with U.S. policy, its networks must be permitted to present both sides of an argument."
   This is in contrast to Senator Coburn who, in April 2008, wrote: "The U.S. taxpayers should not subsidize content presenting a balance between the truth and the regime's malicious propaganda. U.S. broadcasts should be the balance to the propaganda being broadcast by the regime and others."
   The eight new BBG members, probably in attendance at the hearing, might align with the Lugar view and take their firewall function to heart. Or they may go with Senator Coburn and his call to transmit the U.S. version of truth. At the hearing, they may get a sense of which way the wind is blowing.
   The Lugar version will be attractive to the potential audience, which tunes to international broadcasts as an antidote to one-sided government controlled media in the homeland.
   The Coburn plan will be attractive to certain members of Congress who might, in coming years, be in the majority. Send the messages that please those legislators, and the funds will continue to flow. No need for an audience (beyond Capitol Hill), except as a pretext.

I have finally read and digested "U.S. International Broadcasting -- Is Anybody Listening? -- Keeping the U.S. Connected," a report by the staff of Senator Richard Lugar (see previous post). My comments are in this pdf document.
   MountainRunner.us, 11 June 2010, Deirdre Kline, Communications Director, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc: "We appreciate Senator Lugar’s report pointing out the success of Alhurra in Iraq where research shows it has a weekly reach of 64 percent and is the third most trusted TV news station in the country. However, it is equally important to highlight the success Alhurra has had throughout the Middle East. As the chart on page 31 of Sen. Lugar’s report shows, Alhurra’s audience has consistently averaged more than 25 million weekly viewers for the last three years – a significant audience by any standard - and an unprecedented audience by international broadcasting standards. The network is the leading international non-indigenous news television channel broadcasting to the Middle East. Television is an expensive medium, but America needs a voice in the region and television is the way people consume news in the Middle East. In a region filled with anti-American sentiment and with the local media regularly distorting U.S. policy; Alhurra’s steady inroads into the competitive Middle East marketplace are noteworthy."
   Huffington Post, 14 June 2010, Philip Seib: "Al Hurra, the U.S. government's Arabic-language television news channel, was created as if there were audiences eager to hear from America because they had no reliable home-grown news sources. That, however, is no longer true. With Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, and many other broadcast news providers in the Middle East, people there no longer need to rely on outsiders' views of the region's events. Although hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on Al Hurra, it does not have a significant audience and needs to be torn down and rebuilt."
   Update:USC Center on Public Diplomacy blog, 15 June 2010, Shawn Powers: "Lugar's report will serve as a critical text for the future of U.S. International Broadcasting, and the timing could not be any better. Walter Isaacson, current President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and former Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME, was nominated to be the Chairman of the BBG in November 2009 and is reported to be thinking outside the box when it comes to the future of American broadcasting. In 2007, Isaacson wrote about the need for dramatic overhaul to create 'an organization for public diplomacy in the digital age. This is a field in which America, with its values and media savvy, should be triumphing, but instead it is failing astonishingly. The outmoded structures of the Broadcast Board of Governors, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and the like -- built for an analog broadcast era -- should be swept away for a coherent agency empowered to create an honest and open information strategy built for the age of blogs, social networks, digital streaming and satellite.' Well, Mr. Isaacson, there is no better place to start thinking through the details of such a broad and important shift in structure and organization than with this detailed report on the state and future of U.S. International Broadcasting."
   Budget Insight, 16 June 2010, Elizabeth Cutler: comments made by BBG Governor Jeffrey Hirschberg do not bode well for the BBG’s fate on the budgetary chopping block. He stated that a “one-to-one correlation as to whether or not for every dollar we spend we can change hearts and minds” simply does not exist. Concern runs rampant in Washington that American dollars are supporting the promulgation of anti-American views that are often espoused by local broadcasts made possible by the BBG. On the other hand, if the ultimate goal of the BBG is to support democracy worldwide, then diversity of views is necessary. Hirschberg’s statement thus demonstrates the vulnerability of the BBG right now as it tries to defend its purpose in the broader context of U.S. foreign aid while scrambling to establish an actual full board of governors.

Periódico AHORA (Havana), 31 May 2010: "A civic group will shortly disclose evidence on how the U.S. Government covertly paid tens of thousands of dollars to Miami journalists working for major media outlets to incendiary stories against Cuba and five Cuban antiterrorists. The evidence has been uncovered by the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, which next June 2 will make it public at a press conference. ... The press conference will reveal names of journalists, payment amounts, and will have available notebooks highlighting articles and propaganda by supposedly-independent journalists who were covertly on the payroll of the U.S. Government. Speaking at the press conference will be attorneys with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) that have filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the National Committee. The litigation filed by the PCJF asserts that the Broadcasting Board of Governors and its Office of Cuba Broadcasting are withholding information that will show that they have engaged in activities in violation of federal law, specifically the Smith-Mundt Act, which prohibits the BBG from seeking to propagandize the U.S. public, and may be continuing to do so." See also PCJF complaint (pdf).
   CounterPunch, 4 June 2010, Linn Washington Jr: "Others, however, claim it’s just coincidence that the same journalists who were paid $1,125 to $58,600 to appear on anti-Castro programs produced by the U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting before and during the trial for the Cuban Five also published scandalous articles about the Five in an influential Spanish language newspaper owned by the Miami Herald and in other local media. ... 'This is a most blatant and outrageous example of government influence destroying the right to a fair trial and the right to appeal,' said Gloria La Riva, Coordinator of the National Committee. ... La Riva, in her remarks at the National Press Club in Washington, said the payments to journalists, funneled through Radio and TV Marti, violated federal law banning domestic government propaganda." See also Russia Today, 4 June 2010.
   Radio Havana Cuba, 3 June 2010: "The activist said that these manipulations were funded by the government's Office of Broadcasting and Propaganda against Cuba and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), under the supervision of the Department of State of the United States." -- The "Office of Broadcasting and Propaganda against Cuba" is probably the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, with the addition of some poetic license. It's not "under the supervision of the Department of State."
   See also National Committee to Free the Cuban Five reply in support of its cross motion for summary judgment (pdf). Additional materials at freethefive.org.
   Update: The Real News Network, 14 June 2010, Jesse Freeston, interviewer: "Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, lawyer, Partnership for Civil Justice: This is conduct by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, through its Office of Cuban Broadcasting, that violates domestic law in the United States. It violates the Smith-Mundt Act, under which the US government may not seek to propagandize the domestic population of the United States. Freeston: Recent law school graduate Jeremy Berkowitz is one of very few people to have written about the Smith-Mundt Act. He believes that the contracts will need to be seen before a legal violation can be proven. Jeremy Berkowitz, recent grad, Catholic Univ. Law: If there is evidence that's revealed that could show that there were specific ties between government payments and these journalists writing specific articles on certain topics, then there could potentially be a violation of the Smith-Mundt Act."
   Statement by the Broadcasting Board of Governors: "The National Committee to Free the Cuban Five claims that the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), an entity under the Broadcasting Board of Governors, was improperly influencing U.S. public opinion and particularly the Miami area jury pool by paying local reporters to generate negative coverage in the case of 'The Cuban Five'. These allegations are baseless. OCB did not pay local reporters to influence coverage of 'The Cuban Five.' Radio and TV Marti are broadcast to Cuba and were inaccessible on the U.S. airwaves in the period leading up to and during the trial. Furthermore, the International Broadcasting Act requires the news and information reported by Radio and TV Marti to be balanced and comprehensive."

AP, 15 June 2010, Eileen Ng: "Asia's broadcasting union said Tuesday it's providing North Korea with free live coverage of World Cup matches so that its citizens could enjoy the sport and get a feel for life outside their isolated communist nation. John Barton, the sport director of the Kuala Lumpur-based Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ... dismisses as 'rubbish' reports accusing Pyongyang of broadcasting a pirated recording of the opening match between South Africa and Mexico. ... Two North Korean commentators dryly narrated the South Korea-Greece game and offered mostly background information on the teams' rankings and general game rules. They expressed little excitement at a goal by South Korea's Park Ji-sung and calmly offered analysis into the technical skills leading to South Korea's 2-0 victory."
   State Department daily press briefing, 15 June 2010, assistant secretary Philip J. Crowley: North Korea "could enter into legal transactions with their neighbors. But they choose, rather than doing so, to try to steal or pirate a World Cup signal even if the showing of the World Cup may well offer yet another crack so that the North Korean people understand the dichotomy between what is happening in the North and what’s happening in the South and elsewhere."
   Daily NK, 14 June 2010, Namgung Min: "The pace of the resumption of psychological warfare against North Korea, an important plank in South Korea’s response to the Cheonan incident, has slowed. Originally, the South Korean military announced a wide-ranging plan for psychological warfare through radio broadcasts, anti-regime leaflets, loudspeaker broadcasts and electronic signboards. However, the only pledge currently to have been fulfilled concerns FM radio broadcasts. All the rest; leafleting, loudspeaker broadcasts and electronic signboards, have been deferred or cancelled, ostensibly for timing reasons. However, some suspect that a softening of South Korean will is behind the move. ... However, experts point out that, despite North Korean vitriol, firm measures by the South Korean military are the best way to prevent additional provocations, and therefore scaling back the planned psychological warfare could prove counterproductive."
   Washington Post, 16 June 2010, Michael Gerson: "In addition to a policy of economic isolation, it would be worth trying a policy of ideological exposure -- an aggressive, patient, well-funded information assault by South Korea and the United States. Clandestine distribution of radios and cellphones. Video exposure of the gulags. History texts on flash drives for the educated. Information on the decadence of the elite for the common folk. Other options have failed. We should test if the North Korean regime can survive the collapse of its lies.
   Korean Central News Agency, 12 June 2010: "[T]he [South Korean] puppet army has already set up loudspeakers for the psychological warfare at 11 places in areas along the Military Demarcation Line and is stepping up its preparations to install them at more than 30 places at the second phase and at 94 places under a long-term plan. And it is also attempting to set up even electronic displays at 11 places for the psychological warfare. ... From a military point of view that a psychological warfare is one of the basic operational forms for carrying out a war the installing of such means for the above-said warfare is a direct declaration of a war against the DPRK. Therefore, the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK will launch an all-out military strike to blow up the group's means for the psychological warfare against the DPRK in all areas along the front as already solemnly warned by the commander of forces of the Korean People's Army in the central sector of the front. The decisive military strike of the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK is not a tit-for-tat retaliation on the 'principle of proportion' much touted by the group of traitors. It should bear in mind that the military retaliation of the DPRK is a merciless strike foreseeing even the turn of Seoul, the stronghold of the group of traitors, into a sea of flame."

AP, 14 June 2010, David Bauder: "Frustrated by its continuing inability to crack the American television market, Al-Jazeera English's new strategy is to make itself available for free on every other possible screen. The Qatar-based news network said its 24-hour newscast has been streamed over the Internet for 18 months. The company said it will expand its presence on various smart phones, is launching an iPad application and is aggressively distributing content through Facebook, YouTube and Twitter."
   The American Thinker, 15 June 2010, Leo Rennert: "In sharp contrast [to New York Times coverage], Al-Jazeera shows no such timidity and hesitation. In its June 14 dispatch, the Arabic network reported that conservative political parties in Israel 'blamed the attack on the government's recent moves to dismantle checkpoints in the West Bank.' Al-Jazeera quotes a Knesset member from a right-wing party as declaring that 'opening roadblocks encourages terror.' And, on its own, Al-Jazeera adds that the attack took place 'about nine kilometers from the Dahariya checkpoint, which was dismantled by Israeli authorities three weeks ago.' Imagine that -- Al-Jazeera connecting the dots... ."
   London Evening Standard, 16 June 2010, Roy Greenslade: "I was astonished a couple of weeks ago to see that five of the female presenters at Al-Jazeera's Qatar headquarters had resigned after complaining about harassment from a senior editor and a demand that they modify their dress. ... They were accused of wearing clothes that were 'incongruous with Al-Jazeera's expected strictness' and then given instructions on what would be congruous. ... According to the station, this dress code is based on those at the BBC and CNN. I think not." See previous post about same subject.
   Huffington Post, 13 June 2010, Magda Abu-Fadil: At the 4th Arab Free Press Forum "anchorman Mohamed Krichen of Qatar's Al Jazeera (aljazeera.net) admitted his satellite channel had undergone serious Islamization. He confirmed to a forum questioner that Al Jazeera was undergoing internal turmoil, notably with the recent resignation of five female anchors the media had reported were harassed by former deputy editor in chief Ayman Jaballah."
   The Peninsula (Doha), 14 June 2010: "After receiving numerous international awards, and following its success in European and International cinema theatres, 'Aisheen - Still Alive in Gaza', will be telecast on Al Jazeera Documentary Channel this week. The 85-minute documentary was co-produced by Al Jazeera Children’s Channel and Akka Films with the participation of La Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR) and directed by the Swiss filmmaker Nicolas Wadimoff."
   Digital Production Middle East, 14 June 2010: "Al Jazeera Sport is unlikely to be liable for compensation following the signal disruption during the World Cup, according to a lawyer with experience in the Middle East satellite sector. ... 'Commercial satellite contracts typically include a force majeure clause that would envisage interference out of the broadcaster's control, such as the jamming that Al Jazeera suffered this past weekend and that would excuse the broadcaster from liability.'" See previous post about same subject.

American Radio Relay League, 11 June 2010, Stan Horzepa: "[A] software defined radio (SDR) application for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad called iSDR. It is a portable software-defined radio receiver designed for experimenters, shortwave listeners and Amateur Radio operators -- and it is free! A caveat: receiving live on-the-air signals with iSDR requires purchasing or constructing a quadrature sampling detector (QSD) RF front-end device that connects between an antenna and the microphone input jack of the iPhone, iPod or iPad." See also iSDR web page.

Rapid TV News, 14 June 2010, Chris Forrester: "The bulk of WorldSpace’s assets are now owned by a new company controlled by Noah Samara, who founded WorldSpace. The order approving the transfer of assets was signed by the bankruptcy court judge on Thursday last week. Now Samara is to concentrate on rebuilding a satellite radio business, starting in South Africa. ... WorldSpace opened its offices in South Africa five years ago and received permission to operate while the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) finalised the licensing process for subscription broadcasters. But WorldSpace pulled out of the process in 2007 because it was said to have contravened the Electronic Communications Act, which caps foreign ownership on local broadcasting companies at 20%". Avhasei Mukoma, a broadcasting and telecommunications lawyer said: "If they are going to position themselves as a niche provider and also bring something unique to the market, it might work."
   Business Day, 14 June 2010: "Hamza Farooqui, MD of WorldSpace Southern Africa, said ... [Worldspace] will provide wider choices for consumers wanting access to regional and international radio stations. Unlike commercial radio, which depends heavily on advertising, satellite radio depends primarily on subscription income. ... WorldSpace had 42 radio stations on its local platform, including Kagiso Media's East Coast Radio and international stations such as Voice of America."

The Sunday Times (Colombo), 13 June 2010: "China Central Television (CCTV) News Channel and China Radio International (CRI) Sri Lanka FM were launched in Colombo recently. CCTV English news channel telecast on UHF 29 and CRI Sri Lanka is aired on 102FM. ... Nihal Perera, the president of China Sri Lanka Friendship Association [said] ‘Since the CCTV programme has been introduced in Sri Lanka, I requested that the CCTV programme be made accessible to hotel rooms. Presently the hotel guests have access to the programmes of BBC, CNN, NHK, KBS, AL Jazeera, and other channels; however CCTV programs are not available in the hotels.’"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, 12 June 2010: "On June 11, the Chinese Embassy in the United States formally put into operation its newly facelifted Chinese language website and also initiated the test run of its upgraded English version. As part of the program, Ambassador Zhang Yesui briefed Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun by telephone on the considerations for overhauling the Embassy website and major features of the new version. Ambassador Zhang expressed his appreciation to leaders of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and relavant Departments incluing its Information Department for their guidance and support, stressing that the Embassy will continuously attach importance to public diplomacy and keep improving the Embassy website. Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun congratulated the Embassy on the launching of its renovated website. Pointing out that public diplomacy is an important part of diplomatic work, he encouraged the Embassy to keep up the good work to ensure an ever better Embassy website." See also said website of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.

Seattle Times, 5 June 2010, Bruce Ramsey: A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West, by Ian Johnson: "is the story of how the scheming agents of several governments tried to make political use of Muslims in Germany, and instead helped light a fuse for Islamic radicalism. ... [T]he CIA had hired some of the same central Asians who had fought for the Germans to broadcast to the Turkic peoples of the USSR through Radio Liberty." See also Epoch Times, 12 June 2010.

Stars & Stripes, 11 June 2010, Kevin Baron: "A popular Facebook page for Robert Gates, the secretary of defense, appears to have been hacked, and then went missing altogether from the website on Friday. One problem: Sec. Gates doesn't have a Facebook page, according to Col. Dave Lapan, director of press ops at the Pentagon's Office of the Secretary of Defense. There are many celebrity pages and fan pages on Facebook, including military celebrities. Usually the one with the most followers is the legitimate one, not a faker. ... This Gates page had more than 5,200 'fans' who signed up to follow it...including several Pentagon and military reporters (you know who you are). It usually posted news stories about the secretary and not much else. ... Hat tip to Al Pessin, of Voice of America, who noted some oddly non-OSD like language being used to comment on some recent wall postings on the page."

All About Jazz, 11 June 2010: New Jazz Works awarded a total of $200,500 was awarded to nine grantees. "New Jazz Works provides support to professional U.S. ensembles for the creation and performance of new work in the jazz idiom." One of the grantees: "Curtis Hasselbring and The New Mellow Edwards (Brooklyn, NY) A work for septet, inspired by broadcasts that mysteriously appear on shortwave radio, in which each musician has his own five-pitch scale, or 'number station.'"
   CounterPunch, 11 June 2010, David Yearsley, reviewing Richard Williams' The Blue Moment: Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and the Remaking of Modern Music: "It’s as a teenager in England in 1963, some four years after Davis had made Kind of Blue, that Williams first hears the sounds that will shade his musical world: Kind of Blue comes over his wireless courtesy of the Voice of America nightly Jazz Hour, 'presented' as Williams puts it 'by Willis Conover, a man who introduced jazz records in a tone of impeccable sobriety but probably did more for the image of the United States around the world than any president you could mention.' Williams has a penchant for well-meaning overstatement."

Sacramento News & Review, 10 June 2010, Cosmo Garvin: "NPR’s CEO Vivian Schiller, who said last week at The Wall Street Journal’s 'All Things Digital' conference in Rancho Palo Verdes that 'Radio towers are going away within 10 years, and Internet radio will take its place. This is a huge change, and we should embrace it.'"
   James Cridland's blog, 11 June 2010: "The typical refrain of poor journalists and sub-grade radio consultants is that broadcast radio’s days are numbered. Talk to them and they’ll tell you not to bother with DAB, or HD, or whatever: because 'the internet is the future of radio'. In the US, 50% of total hours (TSL) is spent in a mobile situation, like in a car. In the UK, the figures are rather lower, but at least 25% of all total hours is spent listening to radio in a car. Yet, to my disbelief, they claim that the internet is the future even in a mobile environment. Now, it seems, even the mobile operators are beginning to smell the coffee. ... Last week, AT&T, the US mobile phone network, removed its unlimited iPhone data tarrif. And yesterday, O2 removed unlimited data here in the UK. (Vodafone has never even offered it.) New contracts – or upgrades to iPhone 4 – will limit your data usage. My 35-quid tarrif will only offer me 500MB of data a month, instead of unlimited data. ... It’s always been clear that radio via 3G has never been able to replace broadcast radio in terms of technical quality: the coverage and contention levels simply aren’t adequate in most parts of the UK (or, I discovered last week, most parts of San Francisco either). But now it’s clear that we’ll not be able to afford to listen to radio in this way either. While the internet’s great for niche listening or for on-demand programming, BROADCAST radio – whether FM, DAB, satellite or HD – is the best way to reach hundreds of thousands of people at the same time."

The Irrawaddy, 11 June 2010, Shah Paung: "A group of Karen volunteers in Melbourne, Australia, plan to launch the community radio program in cooperation with 3ZZZ radio. The program will also be broadcast worldwide on the Internet. ... Programing will keep the Karen community informed of events and activities and include local and international news, as well programs on Karen history, traditional music, interviews and story telling for children. 3ZZZ radio (FM 92.3) is the largest ethnic community radio station in Australia, which started broadcasting in 1989. ... Radio broadcasting is an important tool to unite the Karen community inside and outside of Burma. ... Karen language radio programs are also broadcast by Democratic Voice of Burma; DVB Burmese service and Radio Free Asia; RFA Burmese service; Radio Verita Asia; and a Karen community radio station based on the Thai-Burmese border operated by the Karen Student Network Group."

Ha'aretz, 10 June 2010, Aviva Lori: Christine Ockrent recently visited Israel, "invited to the 'Democracy and its Challenges' conference, sponsored by the French Embassy in cooperation with Haaretz. She used the visit to conduct business negotiations with local cable and satellite stations on behalf of the body she heads: She is director of the external broadcasts of the French broadcasting commission, which includes two television channels, France 24 and TV5, and the radio station RFI. The main issue on her agenda was to persuade HOT (cable) and Yes (satellite ) to purchase the broadcasting rights for the France 24 news channel - in French. Presently, the channel broadcasts in Israel in English only. ... '[I]t is very important for us to ensure that our values and worldview on every subject are reflected - if necessary, in English. It took us hundreds of years to achieve democracy and we will not allow tyrannical regimes destroy it.'"

Media Bistro, 11 June 2010: "At a star-studded ceremony Thursday night, CNN won a Golden Nymph award for its Haiti Earthquake coverage at the Monte Carlo TV Festival. The award was for coverage in the 24-hour news program category. The network beat out BBC, Sky News, France 24 and Russia Today." See also CNN, 11 June 2010.
   WorldScreen.com, 11 June 2010: "Best TV news item went to Lucia Newman: Colombia Drug Labs Attack from Qatar's Al Jazeera English."
   Russia Today press release, 10 June 2010: "RT [Russia Today] Channel is nominated for two Golden Nymph awards at the world's biggest annual Monte Carlo Television Festival that celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year. RT's 'Urban Decay' (Mortal Motor City: Detroit on the Edge), a four-minute story on Detroit, a once booming capital of the U.S. auto industry, and currently seized by the acute unemployment accompanied with a crime surge, is running for the top prize in Best TV News Package category."

Escambry, 11 June 2010, Fidel Castro: On 9 June, "at 10:00 am, knowing that the meeting had been scheduled for that morning, I decided to watch CNN in Spanish, which would certainly carry news of the Security Council debate [on sanctions against Iran]. Thus, I could listen to the words of the chairman of the Security Council as he introduced the Draft Resolution promoted a few days before by the United States with the support of France, the United Kingdom and Germany. ... The CNN showed in it news segment various images of hands raised as the representatives explained their positions with noticeable gestures. These included the representative of Lebanon, a country that would abstain from voting. ... There would still be masses of news on the issue. I turned on the TV to watch Telesur, which for hours pleased the indescribable need for information." -- Most Cubans (a few black-market satellite dish owners are the exception) do not have 24-hour access to CNN en Español.

journalism.co.uk, 10 June 2010, Judith Towend: "'The World Service can't be insulated from the world and say this is what we're interested in and this is what we're going to tell you. We do have our values, which are absolutely bedrock and are non-negotiable, but the way you tell stories, the angles that you use, the perspectives that you bring to a world that's changing very fast has to be more responsive to the audience than would have been the case 20 or 30 years ago.' ... In Somalia shortwave radio is "a lifeline", while the BBC's Brazilian service is 'going hell for leather online'. Where broadband penetration is picking up, video distribution, without having the full expense of TV services, is a huge opportunity, he says. In other markets, Horrocks would love to launch new TV services, building in particular on the success of BBC Persian and BBC Arabic. ... 'State suppliers have got a lot of resources - but we know from the audience research we have done that their reputation is too much as a representative of their country's point of view and that's absolutely not what we do. The reputation issue is very much in our favour.'" See also the Horrocks speech, and questions, at the BBC College of Journalism Values of Journalism conference. See previous post about same subject.

Daily Times (Lahore), 7 June 2010: "BBC Pakistan Acting Editor Haroon Rasheed told the Daily Times that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority's (PEMRA) decision to shut down their bulletins being aired on around 34 channels across the country was surprising, biased and illegal. He said the broadcasting company had decided to lodge a case against the relevant authorities."
   AFP, 10 June 2010: "Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rejected a news item appearing in a section of press in which the authority was alleged of banning the broadcast of BBC news bulletins on private FM stations in Pakistan. ... PEMRA Authority had allowed FM stations to broadcast BBC news bulletins, in May 2009, subject to the permission which is mandatory under law. According to the statement, all foreign broadcasting facilities have to obtain permission from the host country, which is in line with international broadcasting practices. It also said that some stations failed to obtain permission and kept on flouting the law, and that action was taken against them as per rules and regulations. All FM radios which have obtained prior permission are allowed to broadcast BBC News Bulletin three Times a day. ... The statement also said that ‘It may be noted that BBC News (TV) is available to people in Pakistan through Cable Networks without any hindrance."

Intelsat press release, 10 June 2010: "Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced that BBC World News has signed a renewal and expansion contract for satellite and teleport services to distribute its programming to its audiences throughout Asia-Pacific and the Americas regions. ... To reach viewers in the Asia-Pacific region, BBC World News will utilize capacity on the Intelsat 8 and the Intelsat 5 satellites, located at 166º E and 169º E, respectively. For distribution into the Americas, BBC World News will use capacity on the Intelsat 9 and the Galaxy 13 satellites, located at 58° W and 127° W, respectively."

Gulf News, 13 June 2010: "Soccer fans in the UAE were left wringing their hands in frustration at the interruption of the World Cup coverage on Al Jazeera Sport for the second day in a row on Saturday. Up to 40 minutes of the telecast were lost during the first half of Argentina's game against Nigeria as garbled images flickered across the TV screens. The interruption comes a day after the satellite television channel vowed to deliver the 'best coverage' of the World Cup after similar transmission woes of the opening match. ... Al Jazeera Sport has advised customers who are experiencing reception problems to retune their set top boxes to the following frequencies: Arabsat at 12341 horizontal, 11881 horizontal, 12398 vertical, 11585 vertical and Nilesat at 11240 vertical, 11488 horizontal."
   The Peninsula (Doha), 13 June 2010: "Observers said this was the first time hackers had become active and targeted the broadcast of as coveted a sporting event as the football World Cup."
   The National, 13 June 2010: "The company said in a statement it did not know the identities of the perpetrators, but Nasser al Khalifi, its chairman, vowed yesterday to “go after whoever has caused this terrible act” and that the perpetrators would be found out 'very soon'. A telecommunications industry analyst in the United States, Jeff Kagan, said that would be a virtually impossible. 'When the company says the bad guys have done this, they really have no idea who hacked in,' he said. ... 'The signal they used to gain control could have come from anywhere in the world.'"
   Aljazeera.net, 12 June 2010: "'We apologise for the interruption that happened, it was because of satellite interference from an unknown source,' Nasser al-Kholeifi, the managing director of Al Jazeera Sport, said. He said he was astonished that the World Cup signal was blocked because it was 'not a political programme, but a sporting event.'" With video showing the disruption.
   The National, 12 June 2010, letter from Roland Blaney: "A complete shambles across the UAE. Al Jazeera left so many people disappointed, and now confused, about which channel to watch. When we managed to see the picture, we had to suffer the commentary in French!"
   Gulf News, 13 June 2010: "The fans would have tolerated it if their viewing was free. But they paid good money to watch the games, only to find themselves staring at blank screens. Sabotage or not, Al Jazeera has a responsibility to rectify this and let people enjoy the paid-for fun. It is a fact that the task is challenging for Al Jazeera. But the fans only want to enjoy the game and cheer their favourite teams. It is simple and should have been free anyway."
   Almasry Alyoum, 13 June 2010: "The head of the Egypt Radio and TV Union (ERTU), Osama el-Sheikh, decided to file a lawsuit against al-Jazeera sport; the owners of the broadcasting rights to the FIFA World Cup competitions, which kicked off last Friday in South Africa. ERTU is accusing the Qatari channel of breaching three articles of the agreement it signed with the union by cutting the air time of the opening match between South Africa and Mexico. The union is also dismayed with the accusations by al-Jazeera Sport, which claims that Nile Sat, the Egyptian satellite company, had intentionally jammed its transmission."
   Arab News, 13 June 2010: “'We have launched an investigation to find out how it happened. Egypt has no interest whatsoever in marring the reputation of the Arab world’s best provider, the Nilesat,' said Mahmoud Juma, the head of the Egyptian Radio & Television Union, which owns 40 percent of Nilesat, quoted by Aljazeera.net. 'Al Jazeera might have decided to punish Nilesat 10 minutes after the first disruption by claiming that its causes were unknown and requesting its viewers to move to other providers, such as Arabsat, Hotbird and Noorsat,' Juma said. He continued: 'Al Jazeera is punishing Egyptian viewers and advertisers. Egyptians are not thieves or highwaymen; we are gentlemen and professionals.'"
   Khaleej Times, 13 June 2010: "Most families cannot afford this high rate and may miss the most widely watched event in the world (by the way, it is not Olympics or some religious festival)."
   Ennahar Online, 12 June 2010: "Blue Cards, orange Cards, no signal, the two channels that broadcast the encrypted World Cup ... Since Saturday and the kick off the World Cup, Algerian subscribers of Al-Jazeera are lost. On the second day of the World Cup, many customers complain of cards that do not work." See previous post about same subject.

Qantara.de, 10 June 2010, Stephanie Doetzer: "Al Jazeera English tries to walk a tightrope. One can scarcely count it among the Arabic media; its reporting is more like that of a left-wing station in Europe. Israeli military spokespersons often get more time than they would get on any other Middle Eastern station outside Israel. This could have the effect of leading viewers who are critical of Israel to switch over to Press TV from Tehran, which currently sees itself as the English-speaking voice of the pro-Palestinian scene." -- I think that even anti-Israel viewers would find that Press TV can be taken only in small doses, and this would return to AJE.

Aljazeera.net, 4 June 2010: "Journalists from the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) ... say recent revelations from a former army officer show that the military government is pushing ahead with ambitions to become a nuclear power. The allegations are contained in a special documentary produced by the DVB being aired by Al Jazeera. On Thursday evening, shortly before the film was due to be broadcast, US Senator Jim Webb announced he was postponing his scheduled trip to Myanmar in response to allegations in the documentary." "The film Myanmar's military ambitions can be seen on Al Jazeera from Friday, June 4, at the following times (GMT): Friday: 0600; Saturday: 1900; Sunday: 0300; Monday: 1400; Tuesday: 0530; Wednesday: 1900; Thursday: 0300."
   Update: Xinhua, 12 June 2010: "Myanmar has charged Al Jazeera TV Network with airing recently an incorrect news report about the country's bid to produce nuclear weapons in collaboration with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). 'They are just groundless accusations made with the intention of launching political attacks on Myanmar,' refuted a press statement carried in Saturday's official daily New Light of Myanmar." See also Aljazeera.net, 12 June 2010.

The Hollywood Reporter, 11 June 2010, Etan Vlessing: "Quebec media giant Pierre Karl Peladeau has applied to Canada's TV regulator to launch a right-wing cable news channel to counter mainstream offerings from rival broadcasters CTV and CBC. ... Quebecor also hired David Akin away from Global Television to become a likely TV host for the proposed conservative-minded all-news channel modeled on Fox News to the south. ... In addition to the Canadian offerings, local cable and satellite TV schedules also receive a host of American news channels including Fox, CNN and MSNBC."
   Canadian Press, 9 June 2010, Bruce Cheadle: "NDP MP Charlie Angus reacted to Quebecor’s bid with guns blazing. 'One of the problems they’re going to face is that there is actually an obligation in Canada — unlike the United States — to have some balance (in news reporting)'."
   National Post, 11 June 2010, Tasha Kheiriddin "If Liberal and NDP politicians are to be believed, Canadian airwaves are about to be flooded with right-wing propaganda... . Funny, but when the decidedly left-wing Al Jazeera English (AJE) got regulatory approval last month for broadcast in Canada, nary a peep was heard from Parliament Hill, and its arrival was welcomed by media organizations such as Canadian Journalists for Free Expression."
   The Coast (Halifax), 11 June 2010, Bruce Wark: "Eastlink which holds a monopoly on cable service in [Halifix Regional Municipality], does not carry Al-Jazeera English and three days of phoning and emailing produced no information on whether the company has any plans to provide it."

News.az, 10 June 2010: "Leading world CNN International channel will broadcast report at the end of the week. The program is devoted to the first democratic state in the East -- Azerbaijan People's Republic (1918-20) and its heritage. ... It has been prepared by ANS TV channel. On the basis of the agreement between CNN International and ANS, the popular television company will broadcast video materials about Azerbaijan." Within the CNN World View program.
   RFE/RL, 8 June 2010, commentary by Elmar Chakhtakhtinski: "Azerbaijan's petro-dictatorship not only qualifies as a gross violator of press freedom by any reasonable criteria, it also often uses its energy and geopolitical cooperation with the West to deflect criticism on human rights and democracy. Thus, the inclusion of this regime [in the US State Department's list of governments that violate the rights of journalists] would send a strong message about the list's impartiality and credibility."
   Azeri Report, 10 June 2010, Karl Rahder: "A high-level [US] diplomatic visit could really make a difference, but one would hope that it would be in the context of a coherent and visible Obama policy toward Azerbaijan, which would be a lot more than we have now, something I told Voice of America correspondent Erica Marat here. Erica is a very sharp analyst of Eurasian affairs, and writes frequently for organizations such as the Jamestown Foundation."

Press TV, 12 June 2010: "Iran's Press TV channel is to broadcast a documentary on the country's latest presidential election that was held on June 12 last year. The Real Fake by renowned Iranian director Nader Talebzadeh that will be aired by the English language channel on Saturday (13:35 GMT) provides realistic insight into developments in Iran before the election and the incidents after that. ... It includes footage that has never been broadcast on any TV channel, including some about the post-election violence and suspicious murders committed in the days after the election. The documentary also investigates the role of western media in the post-election developments in the country." It might be available again Sunday at 0305 UTC. I'll be asleep.
   Press TV, 11 June 2010: "Iran's international satellite channel Press TV announces the launch of a Persian-language website offering in-depth analysis and news coverage of world affairs. With the main goal of becoming a trusted source of news and information, Press TV's Persian-language website will give the latest reports on various political developments arising on the regional and global scene." -- Unclear why Press TV is doing this. There are already several Persian-language websites supporting the Tehran regime. And Persian doesn't reach very far among non-Iranian audiences. Perhaps it is to provide an outlet for the stories that are prepared in Persian for translation into English for Press TV and its accompanying website.

Foreign Policy, 11 June 2010, Karim Sadjadpour: "While jumping through bureaucratic hoops at the Iranian Foreign Ministry several years ago to retrieve my confiscated passport (a wrist slap compared with what many of my contemporaries later endured), I was taken aback to find that nearly every office I entered had BBC Persian or Rooz -- considered subversive, anti-government websites, which are now filtered -- on their computer screens."
   Wall Street Journal, 10 June 2010, Jay Solomon: "'Because Iranians seem willing to take risks, we should be willing to provide them help when requested,' says Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Washington's Freedom House. The State Department last year declined to provide $3 million in funding to keep open a Freedom House online magazine in Farsi that focused on democracy promotion. U.S. officials say many of the programs had little impact inside Iran, a charge disputed by their administrators. U.S. officials say they haven't pared back support for Iranian democracy, stressing that they have increased it in the communications area. The State Department declined to say how much the U.S. is spending specifically to support democracy promotion inside Iran. One primary goal of the U.S. tech-support program is to counter Tehran's jamming of Iranian websites and Western broadcasting, including reporting from the Voice of America, which Tehran routinely blocks, and U.S.-funded Radio Farda, which provides real-time political news."
   Wall Street Journal, 9 June 2010, Ilan Berman: It's time now for the U.S. government to put its money where its mouth is. Like their anti-Soviet counterparts during the Cold War, Iran's opposition needs reliable, independent means for communicating and coordinating their activities—technology and tools that the United States and its allies can readily provide. Regime opponents likewise need to be able to dispel the disinformation being spread by the Iranian regime, and to highlight official corruption. For that, they require unfiltered access to the Internet, and a receptive ear from Western media. And the Green Movement needs greater Western support for the plight of political opponents and dissidents, particularly those lingering in Iranian prisons.
   RFE/RL, 11 June 2010, Golnaz Esfandiari: "Iranian blogger and Internet activist known as Vahid Online, who was in Tehran during the 2009 events, tells RFE/RL that Twitter's role inside Iran was exaggerated by outside observers. ... 'Twitter never became very popular in Iran. [But] because the world was watching Iran with such [great interest] during those days, it led many to believe falsely that Iranian people were also getting their news through Twitter,' the Iranian blogger said. The blogger denies claims that Iran experienced a 'Twitter revolution.' He says that some Internet users encouraged others on social networking sites to participate in the protests, but he believes that Facebook and Twitter were not used for coordination purposes. Activists believe that the Internet and new media, particularly Facebook, will remain a platform of information sharing for opposition activists who use proxies to access blocked opposition websites and social networking sites."
   Index on Censorhip, 11 June 2010, Mahmood Enayat, "Director of Iran at the BBC World Service Trust": "Leaflets and cassette tapes were widely used in 1979 revolutions. These days the digital equivalents of them will be CDs, DVDs, memory sticks, email, Bluetooth on mobile phones, peer to peer file sharing etc. The green movement only has the internet but it has to change its approach towards it by going beyond its widely prescribed uses. It is time to replace the Twitter revolution with small media discourse."
   The Guardian, Comment is Free, 12 June 2010, Eskandar Sadeghi: "The brute reality of state power had overwhelmed an opposition ill-equipped and incapable of mounting a crippling blow to the former's 'iron fist' – sporadic and/or poorly co-ordinated street protests, chanting 'God is great' from the rooftops, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, BBC Persian and Weblogestan were certainly effective in disseminating the presence and scattered demands of the Green movement, but were always going to be limited in their ability to provoke a fully fledged socio-political transformation; and even while the people's rage and ire has continued to bubble beneath the surface, the semblance of calm returned to the streets and the state has been in reasonable control."
   AP, 12 June 2010, Ali Akbar DareinI: "The one-year anniversary of Iran's disputed election passed quietly Saturday with little more than a subdued Internet appeal by opposition leaders for supporters to speak out on the Web against government repression. ... 'We have to expand social networks, websites, these are our best means,' said Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister who maintains he was robbed of the presidency through fraud in the June 12, 2009, election. 'These work like an army. This is our army against their military force,' he said on his website, Kaleme.com." See previous post about same subject.

VOA editorial, undated but recent: "In the run-up to the one year anniversary of last June's disputed presidential election, the Iranian government has continued to increase its jamming of satellite television signals in Iran, thereby prohibiting access protected by international treaties. According to complaints by Iranian citizens, the electronic interference was evident when the Voice of America's Persian News Network recently broadcast an HBO documentary on the life of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman killed during peaceful protests following the election last year. Despite the attempts of the leadership in Iran to deny outside information to its citizens, those in Iran who are trying to exercise their universal rights should know that the world is watching. As President Barack Obama has said, 'Suppressing ideas does not succeed in making them go away."
   Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 11 June 2010: "Days ahead of the one year anniversary of its disputed presidential election, the Government of Iran has stepped up efforts to keep its citizens from receiving independently reported news and information by reinvigorating its apparent jamming of TV and radio broadcasts, blocking websites and pressuring global news agencies to keep video of events within the country from being transmitted back to Iran. The Broadcasting Board of Governors condemns these actions by the Government of Iran and calls on authorities to open the airwaves and respect the rights of its people to freedom of opinion and expression."
   Iran Focus, 11 June 2010: "Satellite television broadcasts have failed to show in Tehran since Wednesday afternoon. Virtually all broadcasters have been affected, including the Persian service of US-based Voice of America television and the dissident Simay-e Azadi (iranntv.com). When those channels are dialled only a blank screen appears."
   EuropeanVoice.com, 12 June 2010, Eldar Mamedov: "[T]he EU must do its utmost to facilitate to the opposition the access to the Internet and other electronic communications despite government interference. It should protest loudly any jamming of its broadcasts, like attempts to block the BBC Persian TV, and it should find ways to retaliate." See previous post about same subject.
   RFE/RL press release, 11 June 2010: "RFE/RL and its Persian-language service, Radio Farda, will be covering the anniversary with interviews and programs focusing on the state of the Green Movement and comprehensive reporting of this weekend's events. They will also broadcast into Iran interactive roundtable discussions with prominent politicians, religious leaders, opposition figures and political analysts. ... In the past year, Radio Farda has stepped up its programming to Iran by adding additional hours of daily news coverage. One of the station's most popular new shows is Farshid Manafi's nightly, one-hour live satire called Pas Farda (The Day After Tomorrow). Manafi's irreverent comedy sketches and impersonations are enormously popular in Iran (visit the show's Farsi website), and is well-known for pushing the limits on critical satire. Four years ago, Manafi's lively programs on state television and radio were shut down by censors, and he was fired."

WorldNetDaily, 11 June 2010, Larry Klayman, writing again about the lawsuit of his client, former VOA Persian broadcaster Elham Sataki: "One would have thought, despite my differences with Judge Kollar-Kotelly, that she would have sympathized with a fellow woman who was sexually harassed, was retaliated against and is now bankrupt and on the verge of suicide. ... But, regrettably, Judge Kollar-Kotelly, unable to separate out her partisan politics and her dislike of me, not only turned down Ms. Sataki's request to immediately allow her to return to work and be paid, she refused to give her even a hearing. ... As Ms. Sataki's lawyer, I have now been forced to seek disqualification of Judge Kollar-Kotelly as well as prepare a formal complaint against her. This is sad, because another jurist – such as former federal Judge Stanley Sporkin (to whom I gave an award while I was head of Judicial Watch) – would have stepped in immediately, without putting Ms. Sataki through further pain and suffering, and told VOA to put my client back to work with pay." See previous post about same subject.
   Wall Street Journal, 11 June 2010, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, "Iranian filmmaker and opposition activist": "So before you give in to a nuclear Iran or put to the test the invasion of Iran and its consequences for Iraq and Afghanistan, consider in earnest the experiment of helping the development of democracy in Iran. A first step would be to overhaul the most important tool America has in its arsenal, Voice of America broadcasting, by finding management interested in enlightening the Iranian people. The Iranian democratic movement is in need of information. And I am asking the Europeans to broadcast EuroNews in Persian. Before you test our land by real bombs, test us with the bombardment of information."
   Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 11 June 2010, Karim Sadjadpour interviewed by, apparently, himself: "Sadjadpour: What can the United States and major powers do to support internal reform? Sadjadpour: Washington’s ability to influence internal reform in Iran is limited, but Iranian democratic activists commonly mention three areas where the United States can help. One, improve the editorial quality of the Voice of America’s Persian News Network, which has the potential to reach as many as 40 million Iranians (though it is often jammed by the Iranian government)."
   All three of these swipes at VOA Persian News Network are short of, or bereft of, facts. (Doesn't the WSJ op-ed page require some fact checking?) Nevertheless, I think they prefer US broadcasts to Iran to consist of propaganda with which they agree rather than that pesky objective, balanced news.

Maktoob.com, 12 June 2010: "Al-Jazeera television's sports coverage was hit by outages during the opening match of the football World Cup by what the company claims was sabotage. Al-Jazeera Sport, which has exclusive transmission rights of the event in the Arab world, was deliberately jammed on the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites, said a statement issued late on Friday. The channel aims to identify and pursue those responsible for this 'act of piracy,' managing director Nasser bin Ghanem al-Kholeifi said, while also apologising to the fans. For its part, the Egyptian Satellite Company (Nilesat) said it was investigating the source of the jamming."
   ArabianBusiness.com, 11 June 2010: "Technical problems hit the beginning of the coverage by the Qatar based TV station with its special World Cup channels frozen or broadcasting in the wrong language in a number of countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt. For most of the first half an hour of the first game between hosts South Africa and Mexico, viewers were left with no picture or a frozen screen. The issues appeared to have been sorted out shortly before half time but problems persisted throughout the second half of the match. Broadcasts on the English language channel morphed into French commentary from the start and then the channel went blank. The English commentary only appeared much later in the first half of the game. The only coverage working throughout was the HD channel broadcasting in Arabic only." -- The wrong language track would indicate switching errors rather than deliberate interference.
   ArabianBusiness.com, 12 June 2010: "The general manager of Al Jazeera Sport ... added that the TV station had the 'full backing' of World Cup organisers FIFA to find the culprits he accused of deliberately jammed the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites."
   The Jordan Times, 11 June 2010: "The Doha-based Al Jazeera Satellite Channel has set 'unacceptable conditions' that drove the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTVC) to reject a mediated deal that would have allowed Jordanians to watch 2010 FIFA World Cup free of charge. ... 'Al Jazeera’s administration asked for JD8 million and the mediator agreed. But just two days ago, they informed this party that in return for the amount they would allow JTV to air only 20 football matches from the preliminary stages that do not even include matches involving Algeria, the only Arab team taking part in the games,' the official said. The offer was consequently rejected. ... He claimed that the network's decision is 'based on a political agenda and has nothing to do with commercial or any other purposes, stressing that by doing this, Al Jazeera is punishing the Jordanian people, who have the love of sports in their blood'."
   Naharnet, 11 June 2010: "The [Lebanese] government is paying al-Jazeera TV network 800,000 dollars for the Lebanese to view the World Cup games at no additional cost, Information Minister Tareq Mitri said Friday. The Qatar-based satellite television channel owns the exclusive rights to air the 2010 South Africa World Cup in Lebanon and the Middle East. Mitri said during a press conference at his office that a deal was secured on Thursday night following negotiations with al-Jazeera and cable television distributors for Lebanese to watch the games at home. However, he told reporters that the deal does not apply to restaurants, cafes and hotels which will have to pay fees to the network."