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 News From You
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Week ending October 22, 2011
The EBU and Tunisia TV today successfully deployed a broadcast network across Tunisia to ensure the whole population can follow electoral developments in all constituencies during the first democratic vote in the country, and the first in the wake of the Arab Spring.
The strategic placement of satellite dishes and other network facilities means the whole population will for the first time see coverage shot in every part of the country as Tunisians go to the polls, on Sunday, October 23. Under the Ben Ali regime, only one sixth of Tunisia, including the capital, had radio and TV bureaux, because news from the rest of the country was not considered important.
The coverage plan was rolled out today (Friday 21 October), and will remain operational through Saturday, Sunday and Monday, until the result of the vote is known.
Today EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said the EBU had a duty to help where possible its Members to provide their populaces with reliable coverage in an independent, impartial and transparent way.
"This is a crucial test for Tunisia and for the whole region, where people will be closely watching this election and its news coverage to see if the transition to an institutionally functional democracy is possible through a normal election process," she said.
After talks in Tunis in September between EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot, and Tunisian Prime Minister Béji Caïd Essebsi, the EBU and a group of contributing Members gave around €200,000 to provide Tunisia TV and Radio with a total €400,000 package of technical support, production services, transmission capacity and professional expertise. This unprecedented joint operation between the EBU and its Members takes place within the EBU's Special Assistance Project. The aid is tied to the adherence of a code of ethics regarding editorial independence, impartiality, and transparency for the election coverage.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) President, Jean-Paul Philippot, and Director General, Ingrid Deltenre, have written to Egyptian EBU Member ERTU, expressing their "extreme concern" about independent reports and allegations regarding the broadcaster's coverage of a deadly riot in Cairo on October 9.
Egyptian and international media, as well as NGOs monitoring reporting standards, have criticized the live ERTU broadcasts made during clashes between Coptic Christians and security forces. It is alleged that ERTU anchors did not report the events in an independent and impartial way, and some claim that ERTU encouraged viewers to side with the military.
In their communication to ERTU Chairman, Tharwat Meki, Mr Philippot and Ms Deltenre highlight the fact that "Membership of the EBU entails a commitment to independent and impartial reporting at the service of all sections of the population, including minorities".
They also acknowledge ERTU's institutional importance in Egypt's movement towards a democratic future, while asserting that high editorial standards, including the sensitive handling of potentially inflammatory news, are essential to every independent and credible public service broadcaster.
The EBU has helped many of its Members through times of radical political transition, and is currently engaged in such a programme of assistance in Tunisia.
Representatives of the European media and advertising industry – including the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT), the Association of European Radios (AER), the European Publishers’ Council (EPC), the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), the association of television and radio sales houses (egta), the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA), the IAB Europe and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) – met at the European Parliament today, with high level decision and policy makers from the European Parliament and from the Commission as well as with industry senior executives, to share their vision of Europe 2020, the European Union’s growth strategy, and to discuss how advertising could be more effectively used in order to catalyse growth, jobs and competitiveness.
The event was hosted by MEP Nadja Hirsch and introduced by Reinhard Buescher, Head of Unit for Support for Innovation from the European Commission. The opening presentation by McKinsey&Company entitled “Advertising and Economic Growth”, based on preliminary findings of the McKinsey Global Institute research reminded the audience that while it is a stylized fact that the state of the economy influences the amount spent on advertising, there is also a reverse cause-and-effect whereby advertising acts as a stimulus to both company performance as well as macroeconomic growth. According to the preliminary findings, “advertising’s contribution to economic growth is on average about 10-15% and may have been contributing as high as 20% of total economic growth in the past 10 years for the G20 countries. In addition, the report shows that digital advertising boosts the impact on economic growth, mostly through indirect effects with other investments in the economy".
Proceedings then followed with a panel discussion featuring industry leaders[1]. In today’s uncertain economic context and with the growth strategy of the European Commission in mind, the panellists emphasised advertising’s leading role in helping to deliver Europe 2020’s ambitious goals for a “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”. They also put forward the view that advertising is an essential source of revenue for the European media sector and that it contributes to ensuring high-quality content, as well as supporting the independence, pluralism and diversity of the European media landscape. They pointed out that advertising finances innovation in the media across all platforms, therefore offering citizens a constantly growing array of media choices (VOD, catch-up, mobile news services, digital magazines, podcasts etc.). Finally, associations called on politicians and regulators to establish a flexible regulatory environment by reminding the audience that self-regulation has been the ongoing driver of the responsible and sustainable approach developed by the advertising industry. They also insisted that at a time when Europe (and the Euro) desperately needs every catalyst for growth and competitiveness to avoid triggering a global economic crisis, full consideration ought to be given to how advertising’s proven role in driving growth, innovation and competitiveness can be encouraged.
Anlässlich eines Spitzentreffens der Deutschen Content Allianz mit dem Staatsminister für Kultur und Medien Bernd Neumann, das am 18. Oktober 2011 in Berlin im Bundeskanzleramt stattfand, drückte die Interessengemeinschaft der Anbieter und Produzenten von Medieninhalten ihre Unzufriedenheit zum einen mit dem einseitigen Fokus der kultur- und netzpolitischen Debatten auf die technischen Infrastrukturen im Internet aus. Zum anderen kritisierte die Allianz die zögerliche Arbeit des Bundesjustizministeriums bei der Schaffung zeitgemäßer rechtlicher Rahmenbedingungen für Kreativität und kulturelle Vielfalt im Internet.
Aktueller Hemmschuh sei vor allem der Dritte Korb der Urheberrechtsreform, wie Jürgen Doetz, Präsident des Verbands Privater Rundfunk und Telemedien e. V. (VPRT) im Namen der Deutschen Content Allianz betonte: „Der Stillstand bezüglich des Dritten Korbes der Urheberrechtsreform verdeutlicht exemplarisch, wie wichtige Themen rund um den Schutz des geistigen Eigentums offenbar auf die lange Bank geschoben werden sollen.“ Jede weitere Verzögerung gehe zu Lasten der Kulturschaffenden und der kulturellen Vielfalt in Deutschland und wirke einer Etablierung legaler Dienste und Geschäftsmodelle im Internet, bei denen die Urheber, Künstler und Rechteinhaber fair an den Einnahmen beteiligt werden, entgegen. „Es ist dringend an der Zeit, dass die Politik hier gegensteuert und klare gesetzliche Rahmenbedingungen schafft.“
Das Spitzentreffen fand vor den anhaltenden kultur- und netzpolitischen Debatten statt, die sich einseitig an den technischen Infrastrukturen im Internet orientieren und den kulturellen und wirtschaftlichen Wert von Medieninhalten sowie auch die Leistungen der Kulturschaffenden in den Hintergrund rücken. Im Rahmen des Treffens mahnte die Allianz die Bundesregierung zur Umsetzung der im 12-Punkte-Papier dargelegten Maßnahmen zum Schutz des geistigen Eigentums im Internet, die der Kulturstaatsminister vor knapp einem Jahr vorgestellt hatte.
Mit dem 12-Punkte-Papier von Kulturstaatsminister Bernd Neumann liegen seit einem Jahr konkrete Lösungsoptionen für den Schutz geistigen Eigentums im Internet vor. Im Kern sieht das Papier vor, den Urheber und den Wert des geistigen Eigentums wieder in den Fokus der Debatte zu rücken. Dazu sei neben gesellschaftlicher Aufklärung und der Vermittlung von Medienkompetenz eine Überarbeitung der rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen erforderlich. Diese betreffen unter anderem die Stärkung der Urheber- und Leistungsschutzrechte, die Weiterentwicklung der Providerhaftung sowie die Etablierung eines sanktionierten Warnhinweismodells bei Urheberrechtsverletzungen im Internet.
Die hohe Wirksamkeit eines solchen Modells hatte unlängst eine GfK-Studie zur Digitalen Content-Nutzung, für die im Auftrag des Bundesverbandes Musikindustrie, der Gesellschaft zur Verfolgung von Urheberrechtsverletzungen und des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels 10.000 Menschen in Deutschland befragt wurden, bescheinigt. So sind 57 Prozent der Bevölkerung der Meinung, dass Personen, die illegal Medieninhalte anbieten oder herunterladen, ihr Handeln nach einer Verwarnung einstellen würden. Bei den aktiven Usern von Filesharing-Diensten sind sogar 81 Prozent dieser Ansicht.
As the weakening economy continues to dent consumer confidence, new research from the annual YouGov SixthSense Christmas Spending Intensions Survey suggests that consumers will be tightening their belts across all categories of expenditure this festive season.
The hardest hit category will be gifts for family and friends, with just under a quarter of the population (23%) saying that they plan on spending less than last year and only 12% saying that they will spend more. Furthermore, it appears to be low-cost items that dominate the consumer Christmas gift shopping list this year, with books registering as the most popular intended gift, followed by clothing and CDs/DVDs. More expensive items such as laptops, tablets and computer consoles are at the bottom of the shopping list.
“It isn’t a case of Christmas being cancelled this year,” says James McCoy, Research Director for YouGov SixthSense, “but simply downgraded slightly as consumers struggle to afford the luxuries of the festive season.”
Spend on Christmas cards and Christmas-related decorations will also be hit this year, with a fifth of consumers planning to cut back on the amount they spent last year in this category. Even food and drink for home consumption is likely to suffer, with 16% planning on cutting back – bad news for the UK’s largest grocery retailers, who have seen sales suffer as shoppers turn to discounters.
However, there is a glimmer of hope amongst the doom and gloom: while half the population sticks to a set budget for Christmas gift spending, the other half usually spends more than they intended. At the same time, a third of consumers admit that, although money is tight, they plan on ‘splashing out’.
And while the grocery retailers may be battling it out for their share of spend, there’s one area where consumers are flocking to in droves: the internet. 84% of consumers will be buying at least one gift online this year. Furthermore, approaching a third intends on buying all or most of their Christmas gifts via the internet.
“Consumers have become rather savvy in their bargain hunting, particularly at Christmas,” says James McCoy. “Internet deals and last minute bargains allow for significant saving, even if it means a bit of extra work.”
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