22 November 2003

BBC and Web in Latin America I think this approach is more effective that BBC's flirtation with mobile services..... The BBC has forged a deal with internet group Terra Lycos to provide news content on sites across Latin America. From 18 November, the network of Terra sites will feature content from the BBC Latin America and BBC Brasilian services, based at www.bbc.mundo.com and www.bbcbrasil.com. Terra operates 17 Spanish-language portals including services for Argentina, Peru, Mexico and the Hispanic US. Terra Lycos has around 26 million users in Latin America - the largest web audience in the region - and the partnership will give considerable exposure to the BBC's Spanish-language services. Julie Zapata, head of the BBC Latin American Service, said that the regional radio service has an audience of 5 million, while bbcmundo.com and bbcbrasil.com record around 10 million page impressions each month. Both sites allow audiences to download audio and participate in online debates. "It is clear from these figures that we are providing a service our audience wants," she said. "We have developed this partnership to ensure that still more Latin Americans can access BBC news: impartial, independent and free from commercial pressures." Terra users will also be able to listen to the BBC's Spanish and Portuguese language radio services for real time programmes and headlines. The web and radio services will provide a wide range of content including news, technology and entertainment, as well as English language learning tools. 8:26:37 AM    comment [] Critical Distance - The Motion Picture. I'm working on a short film - perhaps best described as Media Network Television. Filmed Victor Goonetilleke at his home (and school) in Sri Lanka and it puts a lot of international broadcasting in a very different perspective. I'll post the results on the website soon, and maybe Andy's will take it up too. 8:24:48 AM    comment [] Saving Time while Networking I'm pleased with a device called Cardscan (www.cardscan.com) - small scanner designed to read business cards and store the results in a database. Its more accurate than I expected. I think the software for updating Outlook's contacts is 6/10, whereas Plaxo gets a 7. 8:22:26 AM    comment [] Internal Disputes at Al Jazeera? Interesting....not many Arabic newspapers are unionized. Likewise, many international broadcasters (e.g. BBC) have challenges when staff speak the same tongue, but come from vastly different backgrounds. From Asia Times: The future of the English-language version of Al-Jazeera appears uncertain following the recent firing of prominent journalist, Yvonne Ridley. A former journalist for the United Kingdom’s Express, Ridley converted to Islam and took a position at Al-Jazeera following a brief confinement by the Taliban, just prior to the United States’ attack on Afghanistan. She managed to sign-up most of her co-workers in her unionizing efforts at Al-Jazeera, leaving many to believe she was fired for her labor intiatives. Al-Jazeera’s press spokesman, Jihad Ballout, denies the allegation but said, “I tend to believe that different views are not conducive to good business” and that the firing was a result of “conflicting points of view.” Before Ridley joined the organization, the staff worked 12-hour shifts six days a week. Ridley's firing has put a strain on the relationship between management and journalists. - Pamela Wight, Staff Writer 8:20:14 AM    comment []

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