Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

AM receiver in the new Sony Ericsson ‘R300i’ & ‘R306i’




Sony Ericsson has launched two entry-level handsets in the Indian market.
The newly launched handset models ‘R300i’ and ‘R306i’ has been priced between Rs 3,500-5,000. The company claims that both handsets are designed to deliver a"credible" radio-listening experience.

The R300i Radio phone includes a VGA camera while the R306i has a 1.3megapixel camera. However, both phones feature Bluetooth, GPRS and radiorecording.
The unique radio interface and the addition of an AM receiver in the newhandsets show a specific focus on the Indian market especially rural areas andwill help us provide customers with an even better radio and entertainmentexperience,” said Sudhin Mathur, general manager, Sony Ericsson MobileCommunications (India).

Additionally two more models, T270 and T280 were also launched by thecompany, but the prices of these handsets were not disclosed. The company, a joint-venture between Japan's Sony Corp (SNE) and TelefonAB LM Ericsson (ERIC) saw mobile subscribers grow by over 8.2 million lastmonth.

All the new phones would be available in the market from January- March quarter this year.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Radio Jackie - A Very English Struggle

On a cold February evening in 1985, over a thousand people gathered outside the studios of Radio Jackie. They were defying the authorities who were trying to close them down.Why were so many people so passionate about, what after all was a pirate radio station?

Radio Jackie - A Very English Struggle is a book written by Colin King that details his personal view of a momentous battle to bring Local Radio to South West London and North Surrey.Hilarious situations, larger than life characters and a band of young people utterly determined to succeed against all the odds.There are moments of 'Milliganesque' lunacy.


There are moments of abject despair.But through it all there is humour and determination.This is the story behind the highly popular Radio Station - 107.8 Radio Jackie - The only truly independent station in Britain.

Radio Talkshows for Peacebuilding: A Guide

Author
by Ross Howard and Francis Rolt

Summary
According to this guide, radio talk shows are becoming the most influential form of media and a great many of them risk doing more harm than good by using conflicts and disagreements to attract listeners. They can intensify the conflict under discussion, and rather than inform listeners, leave them angry or fearful, or with the sense that the conflict will go on forever. They can make destructive conflict seem the inevitable response to all disagreements and destabilise communities. This guidebook is designed to help talk show presenters and producers learn some new skills to deal with conflict effectively on air. According to the authors of this guide talk shows require diversity, spontaneity and flexibility, so there are no absolute rules about how to discuss conflict in a more constructive manner. The guide offers techniques and skills to enable presenters to talk about conflict in a way which is interesting and informative, which offers positive alternatives, and which holds an audience.

Overall the guidebook includes:
a how-to guide to analysing conflict;
tools and examples of how radio professionals can help build a peaceful society; and
descriptions and definitions of the different types of talkshows and their various strengths and Weaknesses.
The guide contains examples which are drawn from African countries, however, the issues, discussions and skills are also relevant to a much wider spectrum of countries. The guide was developed at a workshop organised by the Radio for Peacebuilding, Africa project in Bujumbura, Burundi in April 2005 which was attended by twenty-one sub-Saharan African talk show presenters and producers from commercial, state, public and private radio stations.
This second edition of the guide was developed out of a series of focus group meetings with broadcasters and experts in Sierra Leone, Burundi and Belgium. Their recommendations led the publishers to make several changes to the structure of the guides - notably to add a section on conflict.

Languages
English and French

Number of Pages 36

PDF Link
Click here to download the guide in PDF format in English.
Click here to download the guide in PDF format in French.


Publisher
Search for Common Ground
Publication Date
2006

Contact
Search for Common Ground


Source
Radio for Peacebuilding Africa website on April 4 2006.

Monday, January 21, 2008

New Media Technology Training Workshop Online Radio Broadcasting

Opportunity to Participate in New Media Technology Training Workshop Online Radio Broadcasting

Training Workshop PSA willrespond ONLY to selected applicants by 22 February 2008.

Panos South Asia (PSA) is a part of a family of Panos Instituteworldwide that encourages and facilitates public discourse on a widerange of issues, particularly those that have a direct impact on theleast privileged and most marginalized sections of society. Panosworks through media to bring neglected subjects to the fore indevelopmental debate, so as to give a platform for voices andperspectives, which are often rendered voiceless in the public sphere.

In this endeavour, besides other activities, Panos facilitates thecapacity building of media and other communication practitioners touse new media technologies to raise marginalized voices andperspectives in development. The Internet as a 'new media' has becomea major arena for traditional broadcast media. Internet based radio isproving an attractive field for traditional electronic broadcasters.Despite bandwidth limitations in South Asia, the Internet alreadyenables radio stations and other communication practitioners todistribute their radio programmes in broadcast quality beyond theirimmediate geographic confines.

Panos South Asia (www.panossouthasia.org) is organising a 5-day SouthAsian regional 'Online Radio Broadcasting Training Workshop' for mediaand other communication practitioners in South Asia, from 17-21 March2008 at its Media Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The workshop aims to provide know-how on the potential the Internetoffers to radio and point them to ways of incorporating it in theirrespective media outlets' strategy. Based on hands-on training indigital technologies, the workshop curriculum will cover the issues ofdistributing material online and the techniques of streaming contentto global audiences. Trainees will become acquainted with the latestreal-time on-line broadcasting technologies, as well as with thefundamentals of digitisation of multimedia input, encoding,compression standards and online audio streaming.

Broadcasters, radio producers/reporters, editors, web masters, webeditors, bloggers, pod-casters and other communication practitioners,especially, but not necessarily associated with radio media from SouthAsian countries wishing to attend this training workshop may apply by15 February 2008 by e-mail http://www.panossouthasia.org/

PSA will cover all related costs ofparticipation, including travel, for selected participants from theregion. Your application should contain a brief resume and less than300 word write-up stating your experience on 'new media'. Alos, how byparticipating in this workshop it will enable you or your organizationto enhance your work to give a platform for voices and perspectiveswhich are often rendered voiceless in the public sphere. PSA willrespond ONLY to selected applicants by 22 February 2008. Telephone andother solicitations shall not be entertained.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Hello FM, S FM, Radio Mirchi, My FM launch new stations in week gone by

Four FM radio players – Hello FM, S FM, Radio Mirchi and My FM – announced the launch of their stations in various cities across India last week. The stations were launched in Trichy, Raipur and Rajamundry.
With Radio Mirchi’s launch in Raipur last week, the total number of stations the player operates in has now reached 30. Mirchi will roll out two more radio stations to complete the total number of 32 stations in India.
My FM has also announced its launch in Raipur during the last week. This was My FM’s 15th launch nationally and second for the state of Chhattisgarh. The Group has two more launches planned after this, which will complete its launch plans for all 17 circles it has license to operate in.
Hello FM has begun its transmission in Tiruchy with the launch of its radio station last week. Tiruchy would be the fifth centre in Tamil Nadu, after Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Coimbatore.
Sun TV Network’s S FM has also launched in Tiruchy and Rajamundry, through its subsidiary Kal Radio, taking the total number of stations to 20 across India for the player. Sun TV will launch 25 stations to become operational in 45 FM stations all over India.
Source: © exchange4media 2008

‘Radio has changed to match public interest’


“The culture of radio listening has changed drastically in the last five years in the country. More than 95 per cent of radio broadcasting consists of film music,” G. Jayalal, Deputy Director-General (South) All India Radio (AIR), said here on Sunday.
Speaking at the ‘Kaithari Thiruvizha’ organised by All India Radio and Rainbow FM Neyar Peravai at Perks Matriculation Higher Secondary School, he said that while the FM listenership had gone up significantly, that of conventional radio had plummeted.
The nation was in the grip of FM fever. People even identified the radio through FM. The AIR had a presence in the country for over 80 years and it had evolved from its earlier mode of transmission to keep pace with the changing world. Earlier, the radio was not just taken as a medium of entertainment. It also bore the responsibility of educating the masses. It had a prominent role in the nation building process and was a harmonious mix of education, information and entertainment. In the face of stiff competition, the AIR had also taken to the ‘FM technology,’ Mr. Jayalal said. The popularity of Rainbow FM service of the AIR was an example of the changing interests of the public. “Modernisation of technology is required to survive competition,” he said.
Catering to all segments of society, the AIR took pride in its qualities of the best use of language and the culture of presentation.
P.V. Ravi, Chairman of Park Educational Institutions, said the AIR and Rainbow FM had touched the lives of the weaver community in particular. J. Kamalanathan, Station Director, All India Radio, Coimbatore, said the AIR and Rainbow FM had been able to feel the pulse of the listeners through the ‘Neyar Peravai,’ a forum of the listeners of the AIR.

Source; The Hindu

Monday, January 07, 2008

Communicating Disasters: An Asia Pacific Resource Book


Communicating Disasters: An Asia Pacific Resource Book (Edited by Nalaka Gunawardene and Frederick Noronha with a Foreword by Sir Arthur C Clarke) was published in December 2007. It is a multi-author book that discusses how information, education and communication can help create disaster resilient communities across the Asia Pacific region, home to half of humanity. It also takes a critical look at the communication lessons of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, and explores the role of good communications before, during and after disasters.
The book comprises 160 pages (17.3 cm x 24.4 cm) and contains 19 chapters authored by 21 contributors, plus 7 appendices. It is co-published by TVE Asia Pacific and UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok.
Read TVEAP news item on the book's release (14 December 2007)
Communicating Disasters – contents at a glance