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Week ending April 28, 2006

WAN- Latest Products and Services for Newspapers on Display in Moscow - April 26, 2006

from Larry Kilman WAN

Delegates to the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Moscow, Russia, will have an opportunity to see the latest products and services for newspapers at Info Services Expo 2006, the annual exhibition that plays a central role in the conference venue.

The Expo brings together suppliers to the industry with at least 1,500 publishers, CEOs, managing directors, senior editors and other newspaper executives who will attend the global meetings of the world's press, to be held from 4 to 7 June. Delegates have already registered from a record number of countries, 91, and the number of participants is also on a record pace -- 50 percent ahead of any previous event.

Full details of all the events can be found at http://www.moscow2006.com

Thirty companies are already registered for the Expo and will be displaying innovative products and services for both print and digital newspapers -- everything from content to marketing to technology. (Attention suppliers: there is still time to register! Full Expo details at http://www.moscow2006.com/eng/info_services_expo/ ).

The Expo, which also hosts the annual World Press Photos exhibition, will be opened on the afternoon of Monday, 5 June, with a cocktail reception hosted by the Reuters news agency.

Gregory Pasche, Global Head of Marketing for the Media division of Reuters, says the Expo, which the company has sponsored for three consecutive years, provides a "high quality audience of editors and publishers" interested in exploring the value of multimedia news services.

Many suppliers return to the Expo year after year for the unique interaction it provides with decision-makers in the industry.

"Year in and year out, Info Services Expo is the best place in the world for us to meet clients and market our various syndicated products," says Kerry Slagle, President of Atlantic Syndication, a division of Universal Press Syndicate.

The Expo is also the place to learn about the latest developments from the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, which analyses and promotes all major operational and strategic developments and opportunities for the press industry. The principal objective is to deliver essential planning and information tools to newspaper publishers, editors and managers world-wide (http://www.futureofthenewspaper.com ).

EASA - Dutch self-regulatory organisation scoops industry prize - April 25, 2006

from Katie Carroll EASA

The Dutch advertising self-regulatory organisation (SRO), Stichting Reclame Code (SRC), has been awarded the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) 2006 Best Practice Award for its ongoing strategy to transform from a complaints handling body into an enhanced service-oriented organisation, thereby becoming a vibrant force in maintaining advertising standards in the Netherlands.

EASA Director General, Dr Oliver Gray, on presenting the award, praised the Dutch organisation for its strategy over the last year:  “We were particularly impressed by the Dutch entry because it showed how initiatives to change the funding structure are providing the SRC with the means to shift from a reactive to a proactive advertising self-regulatory body.” Dr Gray, on behalf of the jury, also drew attention to the commendable entries made by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) for conducting its first open code consultation and the Jury d'Ethique Publicitaire, Belgium (JEP) for its improvements in system funding and independence.

SRC is the first SRO outside the UK and Ireland to courageously move towards introducing a levy system.  In 2005 it began changing from a membership to a levy funding system and is currently in a transition phase. The new funding structure has facilitated the implementation of an ambitious plan to increase its recognition, visibility and professionalism and forge better relations with the advertising industry and consumers in the Dutch market.  The SRC’s recent initiatives include, among others, continuous monitoring of advertising compliance and a new communications drive to raise awareness and understanding of advertising self-regulation.

EASA presented the award to the SRC Managing Director, Prisca Ancion-Kors, at a ceremony in London’s Globe Theatre on Thursday April 20th prior to the EASA Annual General Meeting on Friday April 21st, attended by representatives of SROs from 23 countries across Europe and beyond (including Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil) as well as 13 advertising industry organisations representing advertisers, agencies and the various forms of media.

Accepting the award on behalf of the SRC, Mrs Prisca Ancion-Kors stated proudly: “Over the past few years our SRO has worked hard to reposition itself as a pro-active, service- oriented organisation.  We are still in a transition phase and must continue to work hard to achieve levy funding support from the advertising industry and to receive recognition and status from the statutory authorities.  Winning the EASA Best Practice Award 2006 is an acknowledgement of this hard work, an expression of support for our endeavour and a challenge for us to continue to perform and follow our chosen strategy.”

WSJ - WSJ Names Michael Williams New Editor of European Edition - April 25, 2006

from Melanie Spencer Dow Jones

Mr. Williams, 43, will succeed Raju Narisetti, 39, who is moving to a new role with the Hindustan Times Media group in India.  A 14-year veteran of the Journal, Mr. Williams is currently The Wall Street Journal’s Southern Europe bureau chief in Paris -- a role he has held for the past three years.  Mr. Williams, who will be responsible for coverage of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for all editions of the Journal, will report to Paul Steiger, managing editor, The Wall Street Journal.  He will also continue to lead the Journal’s global energy coverage.

“Mike’s proven leadership skills and extensive international journalistic experience makes him ideally suited to the editor’s role”, said Mr. Steiger.  “His mission will be to produce the best coverage possible of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for our readers everywhere. As one of the key architects of the major format changes we made to the international editions late last year, Raju was instrumental in making the Journal Europe a more relevant, accessible publication to suit the changing needs of our busy, mobile readers.  I’m confident Mike will continue the role with the same enterprise and initiative.”

A Harvard graduate, Mr. Williams joined The Wall Street Journal’s Tokyo bureau in 1992 as news editor and later became Japanese economy and political correspondent.  In 1996, he moved to New York as assistant foreign editor for The Wall Street Journal, returning to Japan as the Journal’s Tokyo bureau chief in 1999.

Prior to joining Dow Jones, Mr. Williams worked as a copy editor for the Japan Times and the Asahi News Service in Tokyo.  He was a senior editor for Business Tokyo magazine in New York in 1991 and 1992.

In 1997 Mr. Williams was a member of a team of Journal reporters who received the Overseas Press Club’s Bob Considine Award for best interpretation of foreign affairs.  The team’s articles examined the failure of Japan’s bureaucracy to deal with key crises in the country. 

Mr. Williams will be replaced in his current role by Alessandra Galloni, currently deputy chief of The Wall Street Journal’s Southern Europe bureau.   Ms. Galloni (32) will be responsible for leading the paper’s coverage of French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese business, politics and the economy and will have additional responsibility for guiding pan-European coverage of the luxury goods and technology industries.  Ms. Galloni was previously based in Rome, where she covered the European luxury sector and Italian business and politics.  She led the paper’s coverage of the Parmalat corporate scandal, which received an Overseas Press Club award in 2004 and a Business Journalist of the Year award in the U.K. in 2005.

This Friday (April 28) The Wall Street Journal Europe will launch ‘Style Journal’, a glossy lifestyle and fashion quarterly produced by British publishing house Show Media. The Journal Europe also recently started printing operations in the Republic of Ireland.  These initiatives follow the highly successful launch of a compact, online-integrated format of the newspaper last October.

RNW- “Night Watch” Radio Drama Reaches Millions Around the World - April 25, 2006

from Marjolein Klaassen-Hulst RNW

Radio Netherlands is broadcasting its radio drama “The Edges of the Night Watch” around the globe in Dutch, English, Spanish and Indonesian from 19 May. The three-part play will be heard around the world directly and through Radio Netherlands’ partner stations. It is also being broadcast by RAI Tre and Radio Suisse Romande in Italian and French. In the Netherlands, the KRO programme Dolce Vita will broadcast “The Edges of the Night Watch”. It will also be available on DVD.

The radio drama was produced by Radio Netherlands as part of the Rembrandt Year 400 celebrations and is set in the modern day. The main story is of a worldwide search for the missing pieces of Rembrandt’s best-known painting “The Night Watch”. When the painting was moved to the Palace on the Dam in 1715 it proved too big and two strips were cut off. The action includes flashbacks to the life of the master painter in the 17th century, Holland’s Golden Age.

Radio Netherlands has also produced a DVD of the play. This includes all four language versions of the radio drama, an interactive quest based on the play, extra visual material and background information. The DVD is being distributed around the world, partly through Dutch embassies. Deputy Foreign Minister Atzo Nicolai explains: “Rembrandt is an important Dutch painter and part of global history. The DVD shows you a great deal about him. About Rembrandt himself and about the Golden Age. The Dutch government regards it as important to have this seen in as many places as possible, particularly abroad.” Within the Netherlands the DVD will be available through the Rijksmuseum.

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the painter’s birth, 2006 has been declared Rembrandt Year 400. Countless exhibitions and events will be taking place in the Netherlands, which are expected to draw around one and half million visitors. One-third of these will be from abroad.  In its role as ambassador of Dutch Culture, Radio Netherlands is offering the Rembrandt Year an international, multimedia platform on radio, television and the internet. This will bring tens of millions of people around the world into contact with an icon of Dutch culture: Rembrandt van Rijn.

WAN - Trends in Newsrooms 2006: A practical guide for cutting-edge editors - April 25, 2006

from Larry Kilman WAN

What are the latest developments in citizen journalism? How can newspapers reconnect with their readers? What threats do Internet companies pose to the traditional press?

Trends in Newsrooms 2006, the second annual report by the World Editors Forum, studies these and more of the most pressing issues facing newspaper editorial staff in the digital age (http://www.trends-in-newsrooms.com ).

The 150-page report (print and PDF versions) is based on the best articles from the Editors Weblog (http:// www.editorsweblog.org ), an online publication of the World Editors Forum that tracks and analyzes the major stories affecting newsrooms around the world.

In addition to the articles taken from the Weblog, Trends in Newsrooms 2006 includes original essays, articles and commentary from media experts:

- In the reports introduction, the author of The Vanishing Newspaper, Philip Meyer, and Daily Telegraph columnist, Roy Greenslade, square off in a debate about the uncertain future of newspapers. Will print still exist in 10 years?

- In his article, Bad News for News, Columbia University professor Eli Noam argues that newspapers will transform into news aggregators on the Internet, but emphasizes that there will be a lot of competition.

- For the chapter Will All News be Free, free newspaper specialist and University of Amsterdam journalism professor, Piet Bakker, compares how free Internet news and freesheets are affecting the newspaper industry.

- As more newspapers invite readers to participate in the news process, citizen journalism pioneer Dan Gillmor summarizes the movements brief history and gives ideas to newsrooms looking to integrate their public.

- French journalist and media consultant Jean-Pierre Tailleur, provides case studies of three local papers in Western Europe that have increased their circulations by "reconnecting" with their communities.

- Reuters managing director Monique Villa protects the right of news outlets to freely cover sporting events in light of the dispute between FIFA and news organizations in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup.

- The CEO and co-founder of the local news aggregator Topix.net, Rich Skrenta, discusses online strategies such as adding RSS feeds and making content easily searchable for newspapers looking to boost website traffic.

- For newsrooms struggling with multimedia integration, newspaper design guru and new media consultant Robb Montgomery has some innovative answers and examples of best practices;

- The Editor of elmundo.es, Gumersindo Lafuente, discusses the dilemma that editors and journalists face when struggling between the pressures of corporate profits and service to their readers.

- Not only are new media transforming the newsroom, but also the job of editors. New media columnist and blogger for PBS, Mark Glaser explains what editors need to do to thrive during the transition of news to the Internet.

- In the reports conclusion, the Editor of the UK daily The Times, Robert Thomson, asks What Now? for newsrooms and describes how content is changing in the digital age.

CIRCOM - PRIX CIRCOM REGIONAL PROGRAM AWARD 2006 WINNERS ANNOUNCED – April 24, 2006

From CIRCOM

The winning programs in Europe’s richest awards for television productions were announced on Saturday 22 April after the judging session in Maribor, Slovenia. 

The Polish public service broadcaster TVP3 has won all the awards for television programs – in the categories for Documentary, News Report, Sport and Television Across Europe. The Swedish broadcaster SVT has won the other award – for Web. 

A team of 14 program makers from 14 different countries meeting over three days decided seven awards, including three for documentaries. There were 149 entries from 22 different countries. 

The Grand Prix for Documentary is won by TVP3 Poznan with a 25-minute program on how distressed mothers cope with the loss of children at or just after birth. The producer was Artur Polanski and the director Monika Gorska. The station wins the specially designed trophy and prize money of 5000 euros. The director wins travel and accommodation to the Circom Regional conference, hosted by Danish regional broadcaster TVSyd, in Kolding, Denmark, 25-27 May. 

All the awards will be presented at a gala night attended by the executives of most of the European regional and national public service broadcasters and politicians in the historic castle of Kolding on 26 May.  

David Lowen, Chairman of the Prix Circom Regional Awards, announced the awards on Saturday at RTV SLO regional centre in Maribor. 

Piotr Borys, Deputy Director, Programing Office TVP, said after the announcement: "TVP is delighted that such experienced international judges have recognized the quality of Polish television production in such a prestigious award. We are delighted for our channel, for our regional stations, for our staff, and of course for our viewers with whom we are very close - and who, we hope, enjoy our programs as much as the judges."  

The cash value of the awards is 24,000 euros – plus a trophy, trip to the Circom Regional Annual Conference for the winning producer or director or station representative and the prestige and publicity which goes with winning one of the most sought after prizes in European television. 

The Prix for News Report is won by TVP3 Krakow. The short news report, on what happened when some very honest children found and returned a wallet lost in the street, was made by reporter Wojciech Brzezinski. The producer was Pawel Mrozek. The station wins a trophy and prize money of 3,000 euros. The reporter is also invited to the conference and award ceremony. 

The winner of the Television Across Award, sponsored by the European organization the Committee of the Regions, is The Eastern Border Talks from TVP3 Lublin. This is a 22minute documentary on the lifestyle at the border between Poland and Ukraine. The directors and presenters are Grzegorz Michalec and Malgorzata Siennicka. The award is worth 4,000 euros. This program is part of a magazine series produced on both sides of the border by Polish and Ukrainian journalists in Wolyn. 

The winner of the Sports Program Award is The Masters from TVP3 Bialystok. This program tells the story of three very old amateur swimmers and how their interest in sport keeps them active and together as friends. The award is sponsored by ERT3 Thessaloniki in Greece and is worth 3,000 euros. The director is Beata Hyzy-Czolpinska and the producer is Ryszard Urbaniak.   SVT Vaxjo won the newly created category for Web Site. Leonard Wallentin is the editor of the site and the cheque for 3000 euros and the trophy will be collected on behalf of SVT by Christina Agren. The category was created to encourage stations to support their programming through the web by offering an extra service to viewers. The category is sponsored by SVT, ironically the first winners! 

There are two further documentary awards. 

The first award is for the quality of journalistic investigation. The winner of the France 3 Award is Evil From Out The Shadows from SVT Sydnytt in Malmo. This was a program on how the killer of a young girl was tracked down more than 15 years later with the help of medical advances in DNA testing. It was produced by Per Lärka. The award is worth 3,000 euros. 

The second award gives special consideration to the quality of post-production editing. The winner of the Avid Award is We Weren’t Just Becassines from France 3 Ouest in Rennes.  This was a program about how young girls used to be dispatched to Paris to work as domestic servants – perhaps as many as 200,000. The program was directed by Thierry Compain and produced for France 3 Ouest by Saint Louis Productions. Jean Michel Le Guennec, head of programs for France 3 Ouest, will collect the award. The award is worth 3,000 euros and this is a new sponsorship.

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Week ending April 14, 2006

Week ending April 7, 2006

Week ending March 31, 2006