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 News From You
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Week ending January 23, 2016
BBC World Service has stepped up its offer for Afghan audiences with the launch of a daily live TV programme in Pashto, BBC Naray Da Wakht (BBC World Right Now). Broadcast live from London in prime time (18.00 Kabul Time) on Shamshad TV network, BBC Naray Da Wakht brings 24 minutes of key global and regional news reporting. The show is also available on demand via the BBC Pashto channel on YouTube and the website bbcpashto.com.
BBC Naray Da Wakht builds on the success of the BBC Pashto 15-minute daily news bulletins, broadcast by Shamshad TV since 2014 and watched by a weekly audience of around 1.5 million (2015). Presented by BBC Pashto’s Sana Safi and Amanullah Atta, the new dynamic, hard-hitting live programme provides audiences with in-depth reporting, analysis and interviews. There will also be a weekly interactive slot, Staso Ghazh (Have Your Say), featuring phone-ins, social-media comment as well as video and picture content shared by audiences.
With two in five adult Afghans consuming BBC content each week, Afghanistan is one of the BBC’s highest reaching markets around the world. BBC Afghan Editor,Meena Baktash, said:
“With output in Pashto and Dari, the BBC Afghan team connects with its audiences on all available platforms, and we are thrilled to be expanding our TV programming with BBC Naray Da Wakht. With content from the BBC’s global newsgathering network - including the BBC Afghan, BBC Persian and BBC Urdu - BBC Naray Da Wakht covers the main international and regional developments that resonate with Afghan audiences. Be it politics, business, technology, culture or sports – the new BBC Pashto TV programme will bring our independent, balanced, world-class news coverage to the viewers of Shamshad TV and, via YouTube and our website, to Pashto-speakers anywhere around the world.”
Fazel Karim Fazel, President, Shamshad TV, added: “Shamshad TV is a leading TV channel in Afghanistan, with a countrywide network and an extensive viewership across the country. Reinforcing our channel’s international news remit, the collaboration between Shamshad TV and BBC Pashto has enabled both broadcasters to reach new audiences. We hope that, with the launch of BBC Naray Da Wakht, Shamshad TV and the BBC will build an even stronger relationship with our audiences across the country.”
BBC Naray Da Wakht is repeated on Shamshad TV at 23.00 Kabul Time. Shamshad TV also airs the BBC Pashto monthly youth debate programme, De Fekr Lari(The Path of Thought).
BBC World Service - of which BBC Afghan service is part – reaches its audiences in Afghanistan on multiple platforms in Pashto, Dari, Persian, Uzbek and English. The BBC’s international news services reach 6.6 million people in Afghanistan on radio, TV and online each week, reaching around 40% of the country’s adults. The BBC Pashto content reaches 6.5 million people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the rest of the world (2015).
See more about international broadcasting here
The EBU has welcomed the crucial recognition given to the role of public service media and its importance for freedom and pluralism during the debate in the European Parliament on rule of law in Poland (19 January).
Following the debate, EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said: “We strongly welcome the clarifications made by the European Commission during the debate and the recognition that public service media governance is a building block of media freedom and pluralism.”
“We also welcome the fact that the Polish government is ready for dialogue about the concerns expressed by the European Institutions. This is necessary to arrive to a system in Poland that will preserve the independence of public service media.”
The European Parliament invited Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo to discuss the recent changes to the Polish constitutional tribunal and the governance of public service TV and radio, following the launch of a rule of law investigation by the European Commission last week.
The Prime Minister told the Parliament that the new Polish media law is a “prelude to further media reform” and claimed that “the kind of legislation we are preparing is equivalent to legislation in other Member States.” During her interventions, she frequently said that Poland respects rule of law and democracy.
European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans reiterated that concerns have been raised on the new media law, adding: “The rule of law, as defined in our Rule of Law Framework, requires the respect for democracy and fundamental rights. Media freedom and pluralism are also closely connected with fundamental rights, in particular freedom of expression.”
During the debate Commissioner Günther Oettinger, who is responsible for media issues in the European Commission, explained that following the adoption of the ‘small media law’ in Poland, the public broadcasters’ supervisory board will consist of 3 members who are all directly appointed by the treasury minister. Previously, the government nominated 2 of the 7 members of the supervisory board.
In addition, the board of both TVP (Telewizja Polska) and PR (Polskie Radio) can now be directly designated and recalled at any time and without any reason by the treasury minister alone. It will be also possible to modify the statutes of both public broadcasters without any consultation of the Parliament or the media regulatory body.
He concluded the discussion by saying: “When these decisions affect the public broadcaster, they affect media freedom, and this is what we are investigating.”
“We will continue the dialogue on the major media law scheduled in February or March, where we will have an opportunity to work in advance. The rule of law should not be investigated retrospectively, but there should be an active dialogue between the Commission and the government and Parliament before the big decisions are taken.”
The European Parliament intends to follow up on the debate by adopting a Resolution during the next plenary session in February.
See more about media in Poland here
Radio und Fernsehen sind die beliebtesten Freizeitbeschäftigungen der Deutschen und die mit Abstand meistgenutzten Medien. Gleichzeitig wächst die Bedeutung von Audio- und Video-on-Demand, Smart-Radio, Smart-TV und mobilen Angeboten. Dies geht aus der VPRT-Mediennutzungsanalyse 2015 hervor, die der Verband heute auf Basis von Drittquellen veröffentlicht hat.
Danach verbrachten die Deutschen täglich über 10 Stunden mit der Nutzung von Medien, wovon mit 70 Prozent der mit Abstand größte Anteil auf die Nutzung von Fernsehen und Radio entfiel. Alle audiovisuellen Medien gemeinsam stehen für fast 80 Prozent der täglichen Mediennutzung.
Pro Tag sah die deutsche Bevölkerung (ab 3 Jahren) 2015 im Durchschnitt 3 Stunden und 43 Minuten fern, in der Zielgruppe der über 14-Jährigen nahezu vier Stunden (237 Minuten). Mit Radiohören verbrachten die Deutschen (ab 10 Jahren) 2015 werktäglich 3 Stunden und 10 Minuten. Im durchschnittlichen Tagesverlauf ist Radio von morgens bis in die frühen Abendstunden das meist genutzte Medium, das Fernsehen hat seine höchste Reichweite am Abend. Relativ stabil ist die Internetnutzung im Tagesverlauf.
Im letzten Jahr schauten 92,2 Prozent der Deutschen fern und 92,1 Prozent der Bevölkerung hörten Radio. Die Tagesreichweiten erreichten im Fernsehen 69,1 Prozent und im Radio 77,4 Prozent.
Auch die Online- und Mobile-Nutzung etabliert sich weiter: 74,6 Prozent der Deutschen ab 14 Jahre sind monatlich online, 54,6 Prozent gehen mobil ins Internet. Die mediale Nutzung des Internets beträgt täglich rund eine Stunde. Davon entfallen 10 Prozent auf Onlinevideos und 8 Prozent auf Musikstreaming. Die privaten Radio- und Audio- sowie TV- und Videoportale in Deutschland erzielten im durchschnittlichen Monat eine gemeinsame Nettoreichweite von 36,71 Millionen Menschen in Deutschland. Damit erreichten sie 53 Prozent aller Onliner ab 10 Jahren in Deutschland.
Frank Giersberg, als Mitglied der Geschäftsleitung für den Bereich Markt- und Geschäftsentwicklung im VPRT verantwortlich: „Die audiovisuellen Medien prägen mehr denn je den Lebensalltag der Menschen. Sieben Stunden täglich verbringen die Deutschen allein mit Fernsehen und Radio. Die steigende Nutzung von Audio- und Video-on-Demand nicht mit eingerechnet. Gleichzeitig fragmentiert die Mediennutzung mit immer mehr Angeboten auf immer mehr Plattformen.“
Claus Grewenig, Geschäftsführer des VPRT: „Lineare Angebote sind lebendiger denn je, aber die Konvergenz schreitet schnell voran. Um die unternehmerischen Chancen für eine positive Entwicklung zu erhalten, brauchen wir eine konvergente Medienordnung für alle Angebote. Wir setzen dazu große Hoffnungen in die laufenden Beratungen der Bund-Länder-Kommission.“
See more about media in Germany here
The EBU has welcomed the decision of the European Commission to engage in a structured dialogue with Poland to assess if there is a threat to the rule of law in the country. This assessment will include the latest changes to the media law.
Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of the EBU said “As Vice-president Timmermans has pointed out, there is a clear link between rule of law, democracy, and freedom of the media. As it stands, the recent Polish media law goes against basic principles and established standards of public service media governance throughout Europe.”
Deltenre added: “At the same time, the EBU believes that the launch of such a procedure needs full backing of the EU Member States and support by the European Parliament in order to be fully effective.”
On 31 December, the Polish Senate rushed through the first phase of the media law reform which allowed the government to immediately replace the members of the Management and Supervisory Boards of EBU Members TVP (Telewizja Polska ) and PR (Polskie Radio), and to appoint new members of its own choice, without the safeguards for an open and transparent procedure. At the same time, the newly appointed Directors General and board members are dependent on the government, as they can be dismissed at any moment. The existing “buffers” between the government and the media organisations were abolished to reduce the editorial independence of the broadcasters.
The EU Commission has therefore requested information on the impact of changes in the law on Poland's public service broadcasters, as well as to the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. The European Commission College held a first debate today on these recent developments in Poland, following a presentation of the matter by First Vice-President Timmermans (responsible for the rule of law framework), as well as Commissioner Oettinger (responsible for media policy) and Commissioner Jourova (responsible for justice).
The EBU is aware that these changes mark only the beginning of a more fundamental reform of Polish Public Media. We remain committed to providing advice and expertise to ensure a proper legal framework follows which safeguards the sustainability, independence and relevance of public service media in Poland.
Telewizja Polska (TVP) and Polskie Radio remain full EBU members and their status as well as their involvement in EBU activities, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, is not under question whatsoever. The EBU is nevertheless very concerned about Poland's new media law and will continue to campaign to protect pluralism and freedom of the media in the country.
See more about media in Poland here
Previous News From You
News From You: Week ending January 16, 2016
News From You: Week ending January 9, 2016
News From You: Week ending January 2, 2016
News From You: Week ending December 19, 2015
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