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 News From You
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Week ending July 31, 2010
One of London’s original digital-only radio stations PASSION for the PLANET, which launched in 2002, will be ceasing its transmissions on the London 3 DAB multiplex and refocusing its operations online.
“DAB is a great medium for radio but squabbling within the industry and a lack of clarity and direction from Ofcom leaves us worried that radio may well have missed a great opportunity” said PASSION for the PLANET’s Managing Director Chantal Cooke.
“I believe London has too many stations, and the signal on the London3 multiplex has always been, and continues to be, very poor. The lack of a robust signal has hampered independent services from the start, yet neither the mux operators nor Ofcom has taken the problem seriously. Passion for the Planet has spent a small fortune broadcasting on London 3 because we believed in the platform, but while there are still so many issues to be rectified, further investment in DAB in London has become increasingly difficult to support” explained Cooke.
The station will cease broadcasting on the London 3 multiplex on 2nd August 2010 and will continue to stream, nationwide via the Internet at www.passionfortheplanet.com. In addition PASSION for the PLANET will continue to broadcast on regional DAB muxs in Peterborough, Bristol, Devon and Essex.
“While Ofcom has allowed the capital to be swamped, the regions are underserved. Historically our regional stations have accounted for the vast majority of our audience, so we’re keen to continue on DAB in these areas” explains Cooke.
As part of the new focus for the business, PASSION for the PLANET recently launched an on-demand service via their website to enable listeners to access many of the 6,000 interviews that have been recorded and broadcast over the last eight years.
“We have a high speech content and an audience thirsty for knowledge. We have thousands of expert interviews to help our listeners make ethical and sustainable choices, and providing that content when they want it and how they want, is the way to grow that audience. We’re more than a radio station, we’re a content provider for 21st century consumers” said PASSION for the PLANET’s Programme Director Kenny Stevens.
Two new websites have been launched alongside http://www.passionfortheplanet.com; PASSION for FRESH IDEAS www.passionforfreshideas.com allows listeners to access past and current interviews and PASSION for INSPIRATION www.pasionforinspiration.com offers a range of articles and blogs from experts in the fields of health, the environment, personal and business development. New and topical content is added to both websites on a daily basis.
“The Internet allows us to interact with our audience and give them the content in a variety of ways. We are not, and never have been, just a background music station so it’s important for us to empower our listeners, give them the information they want and enable them to interact with us and our guests” commented Cooke.
PASSION for the PLANET was one of the very first DAB stations to launch in London and was part of the winning London 3 multiplex bid from the Digital Radio Group London Ltd. The station launched in September 2002 as the UK’s very first ethically focused radio station playing a mix of interviews and features with adult contemporary and world music.
“We believe DAB could be great for the radio industry, but some sections of the industry, including the regulator Ofcom, have made a number of decisions that seem to us to range from poorly-thought-through to out and out Gerald-Ratner-Bonkers” said Cooke. “Their batty behaviour has lead to mass confusion among consumers and journalists – which in turn has slowed the take up of DAB. It’s a great shame as DAB offers so much.”
A new brand image and logo will soon be unveiled by PASSION for the PLANET after they appointed creative agency Creative Orchestra to overhaul the company’s visual image.
A Serbian journalist and RFE/RL contributor known for his strong stance against nationalism and sports hooliganism was attacked on Saturday night in Belgrade.
Teofil Pancic, a reporter for the weekly news magazine "Vreme" and columnist for RFE/RL's Balkan Service, was beaten late on July 24 by unknown assailants while riding a bus.
"We are shocked by the violence and barbarity of this attack on one of the country's most respected journalists," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement today.
Police said they were looking for two assailants who fled the scene after leaving a metal bar at a bus stop.
Pancic was hospitalized with a concussion and injuries to his arm but has since been released. He said the attack "was no robbery, but a personally targeted assault."
"During the beating, it was clear that I was specifically targeted. I think I was being followed before I got on the bus."
RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin calls Pancic a "trusted colleague who has been a fixture on the Serbian political scene for more than a decade."
"We hope local authorities will investigate this attack swiftly and thoroughly," he said.
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