ITV

Tag: Radio Programming

  • BBC Swahili launches website that ‘speaks boldly’ about sex

    MUMBAI: BBC Swahili and the BBC’s international charity, BBC World Service Trust, have launched a Swahili language website. It aims to break down taboos and myths around sex and sexuality and reach a wider, younger audience. It is available at bbcswahili.com.

    The site called Kimasomaso, which means “speak boldly”, is named after the award winning BBC Swahili magazine radio programme and features the latest edition of the radio programme together with in-depth features, personal stories and advice.

    At the heart of Kimasomaso are the voices of young diarists who share their personal experiences through their audio diaries which are also available online. Visitors can take a journey with a pregnant teenager or a young person going through the process of having an HIV test to discover how they cope with their everyday lives, how they come to the decisions they make and how they see their future.

    Other topics range from violence against women and the influence of rap music on young people to how to use a condom and how communities are preparing young girls for marriage. A glossary on sexual and reproductive health for young people can also be found on the site.

    The BBC commissioned African illustrator Tayo Fatunla to give Kimasomaso online a young, contemporary feel. He is an experienced artist with a portfolio of work for national newspapers and magazines in Africa and the UK.

    BBC Swahili Service head Tido Mhando said,”By uniting our radio programme with the trust’s online site we can further widen our access to young audiences. Talking openly about sexual health remains a taboo in East Africa but this way we hope to help young people make sensible life decisions.”

    BBC World Service Trust projects manager Keith Ricketts added, “Kimasomaso online is the perfect medium for reaching young people in East Africa who cannot tune into the radio programme but need and want this vital, potentially life-saving information. Now they can hear the programme and read the accompanying features in their own time and, most importantly, in their own language.”

    Kimasomaso was awarded a silver medal at the New York Festivals Radio Programming and Promotion competition in 2004. The programme was judged on its production values, organisation, presentation of information, creativity and use of the medium.

  • BBC World Service, InCableNet reach deal for radio programming

    BBC World Service, InCableNet reach deal for radio programming

    BBC World Service and IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd announced toady a partnership to provide BBC radio programmes 24 hours a day on INCableNet, in Mumbai.

    BBC radio programmes will now be available live from London via satellite in digital sound on INCableNet’s network in Mumbai. INCableNet had been running a test feed for some days prior to the formal announcement.

     

    INCableNet president
    Rajiv vyas
    On hand to explain the strategy were Head of BBC World Service for Asia and Pacific region Elizabeth Wright and president INCableNet Rajiv Vyas.

    Wright said that the aim of the broadcaster was to reach a larger audience. She pointed out that in addition to English programmes, viewers will also get four hours of Hindi programmes every day and half an hour of Tamil programmes. Hindi programming is at 6:30 am, 8:00 am, 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm and Tamil programmes are beamed at 8:45 pm daily.

    INCableNet has put BBC on S Band, which gives them convenient access to the MSO’s subscriber base, Vyas said. INCableNet claims to cover 60-70 per cent of the city.

    Explaining the thinking behind launching the radio feed on Incable Net, Wright said: “Radio has something to offer that television cannot. It allows one to do other chores while catching up with news, listening to a sports broadcast or listening to music.”

    “As the most dynamic region of the world, the Asia and the Pacific area present tremendous challenges and opportunities for broadcasters” Wright said.

    “Actually, the idea is not so strange in the era of convergence – we

    Head of BBC World Service for Asia and Pacific region
    Elizabeth Wright
    already have a similar, but not so comprehensive, deal with RPG in Calcutta. The great advantage is that the BBC World Service will be available to at least 1.5 million households in Mumbai in perfect sound quality, where in thepast they would have had to struggle with short wave. We fully accept that this will only appeal to a niche audience, but it provides added value for us and for InCableNet. There is now a real resurgence of interest in radio in Mumbai, but at present this is almost exclusively music. We are there for people who want news and information in depth,” Wright said. 

    Regarding the service on RPG in Kolkata, Wright said the Bengali programmes had proved popular with women in the afternoon. BBC was also running technology trials in conjunction with Siticable in a bid to expand its presence in other areas of the country, she added. The BBC’s ability to produce world class radio programmes in different languages will enable it to establish the brand in different markets, she asserted. 

    Vyas said that this new initiative is in keeping with the MSO’s strategy of providing value added services to subscribers. It fits in with the operators’ convergence initiatives. The television in the near future will be a single utility point where one can surf the net, listen to radio and make telephone calls, Vyas said. Talking about other initiatives that were in the pipeline, Vyas said InCable would be introducing VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services in the immediate future that would allow subscribers to make calls abroad at cheaper rates. The company’s Internet arm, In2cable.com already has an all-India ISP license, Vyas said. According to him, it currently has a presence in nine cities with a subscriber base of over 30,000.

    Currently, the service with BBC is available only in Mumbai and depending on the feedback, the MSO could extend the facility to other cities where it has a presence, Vyas said.