Friday 06 September 2013, PM
DTG :: News :: Comux selects Ericsson for delivery of local TV services in the UK
A further 30 licenses for local TV are under consideration for launch in 2014/15. After a thorough evaluation of a number of compression platforms, carried out jointly with our systems integrator Techex, the Ericsson AVP 4000 solution delivered the performance and support package that best meets our needs. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.ukhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/bbc-trusts-lord-patten-responds-to-mark-thompsons-accusations-that-he-m
Mr Byford departed with a total payout of 949,000 and Ms Baylay's settlement was worth 394,638. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukAriel - Daly is proudest of Rough Justice case
White was jailed in 2002 for the murder, while his friend Keith Hyatt was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Their two-year inquiry resulted in a 2005 film that discredited the prosecution's claims - based on the views of a forensic expert - that it was likely that Manning's body had been transported in Hyatt's van. 'No greater honour' The pair were subsequently freed by the Court of Appeal in 2007. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC payoffs: written evidence to MPs - full text - Media - theguardian.com
- www.theguardian.comBBC HR chief corrects evidence to MPs on executive's £1m payoff - Media - theguardian.com
In a letter made public on Friday, Adams said it was not clear which document the committee was referring to at the time. The BBC Trust has since claimed not to have been fully briefed on these redundancy deals. In one email exchange, Adams is asked to give advice on changes to the briefing note requested by the BBC Trust. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comFriday 06 September 2013, AM
BBC News - Ex-BBC chief Thompson accuses BBC Trust of misleading MPs
Mark Thompson says he has emails which show that trust members, including the chairman Lord Patten and a senior BBC boss, approved the payments. The BBC has been criticised for paying 2m more than contracts necessitated. The BBC Trust says the claims are bizarre and it denied MPs were misled. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukLord Patten, Mark Thompson and BBC payoffs: what you need to know - Media - theguardian.com
Earlier this week, the National Audit Office revealed that the BBC paid out a total of 2.9m to former bosses that went beyond contractual entitlement between 2006 and 2012. Lord Patten has been chairman of the BBC Trust since 1 May 2011. Anthony Fry is a member of the BBC Trust. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comBBC Trust: Mark Thompson s claims are bizarre - ITV News
33 minutes ago 130 vehicles in 'biggest fog accident' in the UK The New Sheppey Crossing bridge has re-opened after the largest ever fog-related crash in Britain. - itv.comwww.itv.comChris Patten 'misled parliament over BBC payoffs' - Media - The Guardian
Thompson said that Patten knew in 2011 that both had received settlements of more than they were contractually entitled to, and their formal notice of departure was delayed. The public spending watchdog revealed this year that the BBC paid 25m to 150 departing bosses between 2009 and 2012. This week after further scrutiny of the BBC accounts, the NAO said the broadcaster paid out a total of 2.9m in payments that went beyond contractual entitlement between 2006 and 2012. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comThursday 05 September 2013, PM
Simple.TV partners with SiliconDust: new hardware, 2.0 software update on the way - IFA - CNET Reviews
The new box ditches the curvy, white look of the original Simple.TV, opting for a somewhat smaller footprint and more conventional, black set-top box design. The big hardware upgrade is dual-tuner support, which opens up a lot of convenient functionality, such as the ability to record two shows at once or watch one live show while another is recording. A significant software update is also on the way, dubbed Version 2.0, which will be available on the new box and the existing Simple.TV hardware. - reviews.cnet.comreviews.cnet.comBBC was in 'total chaos' over payoffs, says leading MP - Media - theguardian.com
Margaret Hodge the public accounts committee chair will question current and former BBC executives about payoffs on Monday. The former deputy director general received just over 1m when he left in 2011, although Thompson at the time feared it could be as much as 2.5m. To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comBBC - Blogs - Internet blog - BBC iPlayer Video Downloads for Android
One of these was to deliver mobile video downloads to these devices. This is because these devices are able to provide the appropriate level of protection for our programmes. Our figures show this will mean 70 of Android app users with compatible devices will be able to use this functionality from today and over the coming months we will be extending this to include new Android devices as well as some older ones. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukThursday 05 September 2013, AM
Media Talk podcast: Spotify, the Sun, ITV News, MediaGuardian 100
download.guardian.co.ukSony betting big on 4K, launches Video Unlimited 4K download service Tech News and Analysis
Technology is a fickle mistress and no-company knows it better than Sony. There was a time when its television sets were a fixture in every upwardly mobile household. Sony game consoles were on every teenage boys Christmas wish-list and many of us grew up plugging into the Sony Walkman. - gigaom.comgigaom.comWednesday 04 September 2013, PM
Media: BBC severance pay; reporting the Scottish referendum; political interviewing
downloads.bbc.co.ukBBC agreed to fund £687k payoff after executive's move to commercial arm - Media - theguardian.com
Jana Bennett 687,333 redundancy payment was funded by the BBC, but later repaid by its Worldwide arm. BBC Worldwide later repaid the 687,333 redundancy money to the corporation's licence fee-funded public service arm. Jana Bennett, the executive in question, was unaware her redundancy payoff was initially funded by the licence fee. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comLocal TV steps up activity ahead of launch - Media - theguardian.com
This was far in excess of the tiny budgets most of the smaller operators were planning, and other local TV pioneers in the room looked shocked. Local TV might be a way to try out new acts. Estuary TV has grown out of a community TV station that has been operated since 2001 by the Grimsby Institute, which uses it to train its media students. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comDTG :: News :: HDMI Forum releases Version 2.0 of HDMI Specification
The HDMI Forum currently has a membership of 88 companies. DTG Staff 04.09.2013 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.ukTuesday 03 September 2013, PM
Ofcom - Radio Broadcast Update August 2013
Yorkshire Addition of Reading 107 a locally-oriented, broad music and information station for 25-54 year olds in the Reading area. a service devoted to playing rock music with attitude designed to appeal to 15-34 year olds. Birmingham Addition of Heart - a melodic adult contemporary music-led service for 25-44 year old West Midlanders, supplemented with news, information and entertainment. - licensing.ofcom.org.uklicensing.ofcom.org.ukOfcom - Television Broadcast Licensing Update August 2013
Television services that have ceased to be licensed handed back or revoked in this period The following services are no longer licensed. The relevant licence is either no longer required by the licensee so has been handed back, or the service has been removed from a licence covering multiple services, or revoked as a matter of routine usually for non-payment of the annual licence fee. Licence transfers The following licences have been transferred to a new company who is now the legal licensee. - licensing.ofcom.org.uklicensing.ofcom.org.ukTelevision woes for thousands of people - News - North Devon Gazette
Bideford television repairman Andrew Harding, who owns FixIt in Bideford, said he had received more than 400 calls about the problem from disgruntled Freeview viewers in the last month. Television repairman Andrew Harding, who owns FixIt in Bideford, said he has been losing sleep over the amount of calls he has received. He said I must have had in excess of around 400 calls about the problem from disgruntled television viewers in the last month. - northdevongazette.co.ukwww.northdevongazette.co.ukAriel - BBC brings in redundancy cap for all
3 September 2013 Last updated at 1404 Redundancy payments for all staff will be capped at 150,000 from next month. Employees will be entitled to redundancy of one month's pay for each year of service up to a maximum of 24 months' salary or 12 for those who joined after January 1 2013 or 150,000 - whichever is lower. The BBC had previously proposed to limit accrual to 12 years' service and to freeze it for those who had been at the BBC longer than 12 years. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukGeoff Hill appointed editor of ITV News - Media - theguardian.com
Hill returns to the network news bulletin he left in 2007 and takes to the editor's chair in place of Deborah Turness, the former boss who took over NBC News last month. He went on to launch and run the 24-hour sports news channel Setanta Sports News as editor-in-chief. He is an inspiring, creative leader who news teams love working for. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comThe Deal That Makes No Sense - stratēchery by Ben Thompson
Early this morning Microsoft acquired Nokia for 3.79 billion plus 1.65 billion for patents. It is far better to form an alliance or partnership most of the benefits, none of the costs. A partnership similar, in fact, to the one formed just two years ago between Microsoft and Nokia. - stratechery.comstratechery.comTuesday 03 September 2013, AM
Microsoft to buy Nokias devices, services unit for $7.2B - ZDNet
The deal is set to go ahead for about 5 billion 3.79bn, with an additional 2.17 billion 1.65bn to be spent on licensing Nokia's patents. The boards of both companies agreed to the transaction, which will see the Redmond, Washington-based software giant purchase the Espoo, Finland-based company's phone making unit and patents, and license and use its mapping services. The news comes a few weeks after a Wall Street Journal report claimed that Microsoft was looking to buy Nokia, but discussions broke down. - zdnet.comwww.zdnet.comCBS and Time Warner Cable reach deal, finally end month-long blackout - The Verge
- www.theverge.comBBC Newsnight should brace for change as Ian Katz takes over - Media - theguardian.com
Ian Katz, the new editor of Newsnight, takes over a show still recovering from the Jimmy Savile scandal. Which probably tells you more about the Guardian and the BBC than it does about Katz. He edited the Guardian's G2 features supplement with its uniquely angled approach to big issues and stories during what many colleagues regard as a golden period. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMonday 02 September 2013, PM
DTG :: News :: Sky conducts ultra-HD test broadcast
The broadcast also demonstrated the capability of our satellite platform, which is ideally placed to continue supporting high-bandwidth video. That said, we've still much more to learn, particularly about how to make full use of UHD from a live production perspective. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.ukSaturday 31 August 2013, PM
Radio Today - Feature: Radio news comparison 1998-2013
In 1998, as part of his A-level English coursework, then-budding broadcast journalist Stuart Clarkson recorded and analysed news bulletins from 8 different radio stations. As the 15th anniversary of his recordings approached, he dug them out for Radio Today and has recorded the same stations again, 15 years to the minute later. Its approaching 5pm on Friday 28th August 1998 and in every room of the house where I grew up theres a radio-cassette machine on record-pause, ready to spring into life. - radiotoday.co.ukradiotoday.co.ukAriel - Britton to be Somerset breakfast host
The current mid-morning presenter, who joined the station in 2003, will move to the earlier slot from September 9. Her appointment comes a week after Tony Hall's announcement that he wants 50 of local stations to have female breakfast show presenters - either solo or as part of a team - by the end of next year. Seven other women are part of double-headed teams. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC - Blogs - Internet blog - What’s on BBC Red Button 31 August – 7 September
Get your dancing shoes on for a busy week on Red Button Theres something for everyone as we take you behind the scenes at the launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2013 as Lisa Riley interviews this years participating celebrities. Well have the latest news on an exciting football transfer deadline day and relive a summer of live music with BBC Asian Network. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukThursday 29 August 2013, PM
Ariel - Trust suggests rethink on Twitter
Later, it became apparent that the statement - which Davies said was based on information from Gaza health officials - was not true, prompting a complaint first to the BBC and then to the trust. Better to attribute source The trustees judged that while the health officials were an 'appropriate' source for journalists, the tweet had gone beyond their assessment that 'more than half' of the Palestinians who had been killed were civilians. They also believed it would have been 'good practice' to attribute the claim, although they accepted that this could be difficult within Twitter's 140 character constraint. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: VuTV pay streaming service coming to Freeview HD
VuTV, a new subscription service, will launch this autumn giving internet-connected Freeview HD viewers access to a range of premium channels. Unlike traditional pay-TV providers, VuTV aims to offer premium channels for a low, monthly subscription, with no long-term contract. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.ukRadio Today - Double-blow for Kerrang! Radio listeners
Listeners in parts of the West Midlands are expressing their anger at Kerrang Radio being removed from their radios for a second time. However, with the removal of the regional MXR, Kerrang moved to the local Birmingham multiplex, which doesnt cover the entire region. - radiotoday.co.ukradiotoday.co.ukSky+ HD Boxes With WiFi and 2TB of Storage Now Available
Existing customers that havent previously used the On Demand service can get a free connector sent out allowing them to set it up for the first time. Sky says that customers with an HD subscription package or an Entertainment Extra package can get a new box for free. A Sky spokeswoman told The Next Web that all new Sky customers will receive the new boxes and that existing customers could get the new boxes from 49. - thenextweb.comthenextweb.comhttp://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/radio-research/Software-DAB-Research.pdf
- stakeholders.ofcom.org.ukstakeholders.ofcom.org.ukThursday 29 August 2013, AM
Media Talk podcast: can Lord Hall nudge the BBC to gender equality?
download.guardian.co.ukHall promises end of BBC finger pointing - News - Broadcast
Tony Hall is bidding to end the BBC’s internal blame game and boost the confidence of programme- makers to give it back its “creative bounceâ€. The director general used his surprise appearance at the Edinburgh International Television Festival to preface his plans for improving the BBC’s culture following a series of scandals. - broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukI was, uh, wrong: Chromecast does what Google claims
Now that I have my own Chromecast and have been playing with it for a few days I have to admit I was wrong. Chromecast appears to be every bit as good as Google claims. Thats not to say its perfect more below but pretty darned good. - betanews.combetanews.comWednesday 28 August 2013, PM
Media: Women on Breakfast
downloads.bbc.co.ukDavid Blunkett accuses broadcasters of failing deaf and blind people - Politics - The Guardian
Labour's former home secretary David Blunkett, who has criticised broadcasters. Photograph Ian West/PA David Blunkett believes broadcasters are failing deaf and blind people by using garbled subtitles and by being reluctant to dub foreign programmes. He also complained that blind people were left frustrated when foreign dramas and documentaries were not dubbed. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comBBC expenses fall, but key members of top brass still get plenty of free rides - Media - theguardian.com
No free lunches external hospitality at the BBC was down 47 quarter on quarter. There was bad news for those looking for a free lunch from the Beeb, with external hospitality down 47 quarter on quarter to 13,396. However, staff looking for a free beer from their boss did a little better, with internal hospitality spend up 10 to 7,764. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comBBC News - BBC director general Tony Hall to cut bureaucracy
Lord Hall also said he wanted to see more women on screen and in senior roles. He also pledged to recruit more people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukRadio Today - Regional DAB turned off in West Midlands
The MXR regional digital radio multiplex for the West Midlands is being turned off today, after 12 years on-air. The Bromsgrove transmitter frequency block will transfer over to MuxCo Herefordshire and Worcestershire from September 2013. Listener choice will be significantly reduced once again, following recent switch-offs in South Wales and the North East. - radiotoday.co.ukradiotoday.co.ukMonday 26 August 2013, PM
How the Time Warner Cable, CBS Standoff Could Set the TV Standard - The Hollywood Reporter
As the fall season approaches, CBS leverage grows. When cable and satellite distributors start losing customers, they have a history of caving in. In its view, CBS already has a financial buffer because it can use the free government-provided spectrum to reach audiences who dont subscribe to cable. - hollywoodreporter.comwww.hollywoodreporter.comBroadcasters Up Their Attack on Aereo-Like FilmOnX - TheWrap TV
In the D.C. suit, set for a hearing Sept. 20, both FilmOnX and the broadcasters have cited favorable court rulings. FilmOnX engages in copyright infringement, said the filing. Neither system pays the retransmission fees that cable systems pay to offer broadcast channels on their systems. - thewrap.comwww.thewrap.comKevin Spacey Delivers the Definitive Wake Up Call to Anti-Tech TV Execs
The House of Cards star had plenty of ammunition to demonstrate definitively that the anti-tech approach will eventually result in the old guard's demise, unless viewers are allowed to determine the means of consumption. - gawker.comgawker.comKevin Spacey's MacTaggart lecture prompts defence of traditional TV - Media - theguardian.com
Those millions of soap fans could be forgiven for thinking the technological revolution espoused by the Hollywood star had passed them by when in fact, it is just beginning. There was no shortage of warmth in Edinburgh for Spacey's sentiments. Figures released the following day revealed that mobile viewing on iPads, smartphones and laptops still has only niche appeal, accounting for an average of three minutes and 30 seconds a day, compared with the four hours we still spend in front of a TV set. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMonday 26 August 2013, AM
Media Monkey's Edinburgh diary: Tony Hall, Peter Fincham and Club X - Media - The Guardian
Hall had not officially been due to attend the festival at all, but waited backstage before making his Surprise Surprise entrance about 20 minutes before the session's end. He added that Club X producer Charlie Parsons revelled in the bedlam and later tweaked the concept for another live late-night show The Word. Do I protect my life or my modesty - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comTony Hall should look back 40 years if he wants to restore the BBC's ethos - Media - The Guardian
As scandal after scandal about pay and rations rocks the BBC, and the grandest of its mandarins are humbled before the public accounts committee, it is hard to recognise the institution as it was 40 years ago. Then though far from perfect, especially if you were female its faults were not those of luxury and excess in pay and perks. Staff knew we'd earn more if we took the commercial broadcasting shilling, but there were other rewards. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.compick a page