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[Monday at NAB]
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Recognizing Achievements Around the World
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by Anne-Marie Smith,
~ April 14, 2008
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RADIO WORLD
Three broadcasters who could not be further apart geographically will be recognized at the NAB Show for similar achievements in serving their audiences and surrounding communities.
For the 14th year, NAB will award its International Broadcast Excellence (IBE) Awards to international broadcast members who have demonstrated exceptional innovation or outreach in their business ventures.
Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS), NDTV in India, and Canada’s 106.1 FM, “The Goat,” have been named the winners of the 2008 IBE Awards. The three will be honored at the NAB Show State of the Industry Address this morning, 9 a.m. The opening session is sponsored by Accenture.
LOCAL SERVICE
TBS has worked to draw local and national attention to global warming. The broadcaster’s comprehensive recycling center recycled 75 percent of the company’s waste in 2006, setting an example for businesses throughout the community. TBS also ran an on-air “Lighting Down Campaign,” which encouraged listeners to switch off their lights for two hours during the summer solstice. “Lighting Down” generated so much interest within the community that TBS is working on expanding the project to other countries.
As the host broadcaster for the 2007 World Athletics, which was held in Osaka last September, TBS drew international attention to its environmental initiatives. During the eight-day event, TBS provided 80 hours of broadcast and international signal production with “green” energy. Using energy generated by natural resources has allowed TBS to offset an estimated 190 tons of carbon dioxide.
TBS Radio & Communications, a division of TBS, was one of the first radio stations in Japan to address environmental issues, launching the TBS Environmental Project in 2002 under the slogan “a small step to a better tomorrow.” The station continues to use special broadcasts and events to raise awareness of global green issues.
In India, NDTV engineers developed a system that allows broadcasters to deliver high-quality graphics at a lower cost and with less effort than other graphic delivery systems. As an operator of five national TV channels, NDTV has a constant need for new graphic delivery systems. The stationary graphics and animations delivered in everyday broadcasting and breaking news scenarios are expensive and often require skilled workers to maintain the system.
NDTV addressed this problem by writing its own software to deliver real-time graphics. Using off-the-shelf Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects programs, NDTV engineers developed software to store, organize, maintain and deliver graphics. The system is designed with familiar technology that is user-friendly and less expensive to maintain than traditional systems. The software has saved NDTV alone more than $300,000, and earned the company the CBA-IBC Award for Innovative Engineering at the Commonwealth Broadcasting Asso-ciation general conference in January.
NDTV is currently working on other low-cost graphics delivery systems in the provision satellite services and systems integration areas.
Five years ago, CKLM “Border Rock 106.1 FM The Goat” became the first privately held broadcaster in Canada to be awarded an NAB International Broadcasting Excellence Award. Since then, “The Goat” in Lloydminster, Alberta, has continued to maintain strong bonds with the community through participation in local projects and charities.
Every year, the station’s annual Christmas Convoy has provided enough donations to pack the shelves of every food bank in the broadcast region. Since 2006, its “No Hair Extraordinaire” program raised more than $15,000 for breast cancer research, and its Brown Bag Challenge, featuring a lively hockey showdown, raised hundreds of dollars for several local charities.
From contributing to student programs to promoting the local Rotary Club, “The Goat” remains closely connected to its listeners and its community.
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