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Week ending November 11, 2006

ITU Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General Elected – November 10, 2006

From Sanjay Acharya/ITU

Member States of the International Telecommunication Union elected Mr Hamadoun I. Touré of Mali as Secretary-General of ITU for a four-year term. The election took place in Antalya, Turkey during the 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference. Mr Touré won the position with 95 votes with 155 countries present and voting, and thus the required majority for election was 78 votes.

The majority emerged in the third round of voting, with Mr Mathias Kurth of Germany receiving 60 votes.

Addressing the Conference after the results of the vote, Mr Touré told the 1500 delegates from around the world that he would work with transparency, objectivity and vigor to realize the two main objectives that were central to his campaign: to eliminate the digital divide and to ensure that cyberspace would become more secure. He said, "The Millennium Development Goals that were endorsed by all the world's leaders as well as the WSIS resolutions are the ingredients we need to get down to work."

Mr Hamadoun Touré holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of Leningrad and Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) from the University of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics of Moscow. After six years at the Office des Postes et Télécommunications du Mali (OPT) Mali, he joined Intelsat as Group Director & Regional Director in 1985 until he became Director-General, Africa, of ICO Global Communications in 1996. Elected Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau in 1998, he was elected for a second term in 2002.

In the afternoon's election, Houlin Zhao of China was elected Deputy Secretary-General in the first round with 93 votes. Carlos Sánchez of Spain obtained 34 votes while T. Ayhan Beydo?an of Turkey received 28. John Ray Kwabena Tandoh of Ghana had announced the withdrawal of his candidature prior to the start of the election.

Thanking the members and, in particular, the People's Republic of China, for placing their confidence in him, Houlin Zhao remarked that the post of Deputy Secretary-General holds a strategic importance in the Union. He said that he would do his best to assist the Secretary-General elect and the three Directors as well as the membership to make ITU a more dynamic organization that would contribute to the emerging global Information Society. As outgoing Director of TSB, he said he was confident that "ITU-T will meet the future challenges of ICT standardization this century."

Graduated from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China in 1975, Mr Zhao received a Master degree of Science in telematics, University of Essex (United Kingdom) in 1985. From 1975 to 1986, he held various engineering positions at Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, China. In 1986, he joined ITU as a staff member of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) until his election as Director of the TSB in 1998. He was re-elected in his position at the 2002 Marrakesh Plenipotentiary Conference.

Outgoing Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi leaves behind him a more efficient and effective organization, offering a wider portfolio of more relevant services that led to a 19 per cent increase in private sector membership and a recommitment of the private sector to the work of ITU. His tenure was characterized by efficiency measures that led to savings equivalent to CHF 75 million out of a total budget of CHF 335 million on average per biennium as well as the introduction of operational planning, results-based budgeting and time-tracking across the organization, resulting in a substantial overhaul of the organization. Along with cost recovery, these measures created new sources of revenue that led to a reduction in the contributions to be paid by members, despite growing demands and cost increases.

From a strategic perspective, Mr Utsumi successfully refocused ITU as a policy-oriented organization by introducing new issues to ensure its continuing relevance, with the successful organization of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) which provides a common understanding and vision as well as a clear roadmap to building the Information Society by 2015. He also strengthened the role of ITU in the coordination of policy issues among Member States. Through this process, ITU has asserted its leading role in the broader domain of the Information Society.

ENPA Annual General Assembly – November 10, 2006

from Valtteri Niiranen/ENPA

Presenting this morning (10 November) to members of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA), Dr. Joachim Würmeling, the German State Secretary offered his views on the future of Europe. “It is vital to place the EU in a different light, to view it from a different angle: in short, to change the perspective”. This was his message on how to rebuild people’s confidence in Europe – to take more of a global perspective. “The thinking must start from the idea that Europe is more than just an economic community: that it is also a community of values.” He called on newspaper publishers, as key movers and shakers of the media, to give their backing in the German Presidency’s task of shaping the future of Europe.

Joachim Würmeling revealed the priorities most relevant for publishers’ interests that will be on the agenda of the German Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007. Nevertheless, the official list will only be presented by Angela Merkel on 14th December. Amongst the German Presidency priorities of greatest interest to newspaper publishers will be: the revision of the “Television without Frontiers” Directive, the examination of the Commission’s recently proposed Strategy to combat alcohol harm, the Better Regulation initiative and the protection of intellectual property rights coupled with the fight against piracy. On the Better Regulation initiative, Würmerling warned that EU legislation “must not mean more and more,” rather “it must be possible to dispense with new rules if these cause more harm than benefit”.

Dr. Jean-Eric De Cockborne, Head of Unit for Audiovisual and Media Policies from the European Commission’s DG Information Society and Media was also a special guest speaker at today’s (Friday 10 November) General Assembly of ENPA.

Jean-Eric De Cockborne gave a timely address on the European Commission’s recent consultation on “Content Online”, which will determine the future policy for Europe’s content industries. He also gave an update on the revision of the Television without Frontiers Directive (also known as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive) as well as the Commission’s plans for addressing issues related to media pluralism.

ENPA’s next General Assembly will take place in Lisbon on 10-11 May 2007, which will be hosted by the Portuguese Publishers’ Association - Associação Portuguesa de Imprensa.

ENPA is a non-profit organization of 5100 titles from 24 European countries (plus one observer member), representing the interests of newspaper publishers to the European Institutions. More than 120 million copies of newspapers are sold each day and read by over 235 million people in Europe.

European Newspaper Publishers’ Association elects a new President – November 10, 2006

from Hannah McCausland/ENPA

At its General Assembly in Berlin on 10 November, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association appointed a new President: Mr Valdo Lehari Jr. Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Reutlinger General-Anzeiger - a regional newspaper company in Germany, and who is also President of the Southern German Newspaper Publishers’ Association, Stüttgart. The term of ENPA President runs for two years and is renewable once. Mr Lehari Jr. replaces Mr Per Lyngby, Managing Director & Editor-in-Chief of Danish regional newspaper company Nordjyske Stiftstidende who has served as ENPA President since November 2004. The new ENPA President Valdo Lehari Jr. highlighted in his inaugural speech that “The media and communications landscape is changing but the freedom of the press should not be eroded.”

Other new members of ENPA Executive Committee appointed at today’s General Assembly are:

Mr. Jean Pierre Caillard, Président Directeur Général of the Groupe Centre France - appointed as Board Member of ENPA replacing Mr. Gérard Lignac of L’Est Républicain, who is retiring after many committed years from ENPA activities.

Mr. Kai Telanne, CEO of AlmaMedia has been appointed as the Board Member of ENPA, to replace Mr. Mikael Pentikäinen, President of the Sanoma Corporation.

VPRT-Pläne von MDR-Hörfunkchef Möller zu neuer MDR-Hörfunkwelle klarer Verstoß gegen Rundfunkstaatsvertrag – November 7, 2006

From Gesa Klebe/VPRT

Eine klare Absage hat der Vorsitzende des Fachbereichs Radio und Audiodienste und Vizepräsident des Verbandes Privater Rundfunk und Telemedien e. V. (VPRT), Hans-Dieter Hillmoth, den Plänen des neuen MDR-Hörfunkdirektors Johann Michael Möller erteilt, ein neues MDR-Radioprogramm für die Zielgruppe der 45- bis 55-Jährigen mit dem Musikgenre "Rock" zu veranstalten.

"Es zeugt entweder von einem gewissen Einarbeitungsbedarf des neuen Kollegen oder von einer besonderen Dreistigkeit, bereits nach wenigen Tagen im Amt, kurzerhand ein neues MDR-Hörfunkprogramm aus dem Hut zu zaubern. Der Rundfunkstaatsvertrag hat klar geregelt, dass die Zahl der Radioprogramme der ARD auf dem Stand vom 1. April 2004 gedeckelt ist, um der weiteren Expansion und Verdrängung privater Programme Einhalt zu gebieten. Der MDR ist mit allein sieben analogen (und einem digitalen) Radio-Programmen bereits zahlenmäßig an der Spitze der ARD-Anstalten. Ein neues Programm - auch wenn Möller eine 'Alterslücke' bei den öffentlich-rechtlichen Radioangeboten ausgemacht haben will - verstößt gegen die gesetzlichen Vorgaben und wir erwarten, dass der Gesetzgeber entsprechend einschreitet. Dies wäre auch im Bereich des Internetradios durch so genannte Online-Audio-Streams unterschiedlicher Musikgenres dringend notwendig, von denen die ARD-Anstalten immer mehr anbieten und die - aus Sicht des VPRT - ebenfalls die Vorgaben des Rundfunkstaatsvertrages unterlaufen." Bereits in der Vergangenheit versuchte der MDR, durch geänderte Programmformate den Marktzutritt privater Anbieter zu verhindern. Jetzt macht der Sender Front gegen alle erfolgreichen und im Markt etablierten Sender im MDR-Gebiet.

Auch vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Diskussion über die Kapazitätsverteilung zwischen privaten und öffentlich-rechtlichen Radios im Digitalen, bei der die große Gefahr bestehe, die bestehende analoge Schieflage zwischen ARD und Privaten in die Zukunft fortzuschreiben, seien erneute Versuche der analogen Programmausweitung besonders kritisch zu bewerten, so Hillmoth. Die analogen 'alten' Programme, die 'neuen' digitalen Programme und die Vielzahl der Internetradio-Angebote würden letztlich als Begründung angeführt, warum die Anstalten wiederum mindestens die Hälfte aller verfügbaren Frequenzkapazitäten benötigten.

Im Digitalen fordert die ARD die pauschale Zuweisung von 50 Prozent der digitalen Kapazitäten für das öffentlich-rechtliche Radio. Der VPRT tritt dem entschieden entgegen, und fordert die Kapazitätszuweisung für die Programme, die nach geltendem Rundfunkstaatsvertrag zulässig sind.

WAN - Arab Media in Danger – November 6, 2006

from Larry Kilman/WAN

The Prime Minister of Lebanon and international media personalities including Thomas Friedman of the New York Times and David Ignatius of the Washington Post will participate in an international conference in Beirut in December to draw attention to the threats against a free press in the Arab world.

The conference, organized by the World Association of Newspapers and the newspaper An-Nahar, will seek ways to support the development of independent, professional media in the Middle East. It will be held on 10 and 11 December.

The event, entitled "Media in Danger - Press Under Siege", was sparked by the continuing series of attacks and murders of journalists in Lebanon, including that of An-Nahar Publisher and WAN Board Member Gebran Tueni, who was killed in a roadside bomb attack last December.

The first Gebran Tueni Award, which will annually honor a newspaper publisher or editor in the Arab world who demonstrates the free press values upheld by Gebran Tueni, will be given at the conference. The award, which carries a €10,000 stipend for newspaper leadership training, will be given to an editor or publisher of an Arabic-language publication whose activity reflects a profound attachment to the freedom and independence of the press, courage, leadership, ambition and the search for high managerial and professional standards.

The Beirut conference is a continuation of a series of WAN 'Media in Danger' conferences focusing on countries or regions where violence against the press has become endemic. Three others have taken place: in Bogota, Colombia; in the Basque region of Spain; and in Kyrgyzstan, covering the Central Asian Republics.