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Friday 02 August 2013, AM

Media Talk podcast: how to succeed in podcasting

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Sky's roving reporter tries to down BT Sport in whirl of rotor blades - Rob Bagchi - Football - The Guardian

She paid for her selflessness and gallantry with her life but her sacrifice ensured that the 20 million people listening to the Ambridge conflagration on the Light Programme were not watching Independent Television's launch. Sky Sports News gave itself an 11-hour start on the broadcaster's new rival with White opening proceedings at 7am in radiant sunshine on a balcony at company HQ in west London, the presenter seemingly more enthusiastic than ever. If at times this seemed to involve frequent strolls down vibrantly painted brick corridors, thrumming commercial-scale drying machines and displays of formation lawn-mowing there was the occasional scoop, none bigger than Doncaster Rovers' signing of One Direction's Louis Tomlinson on non-contract terms. - theguardian.com

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http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-is-it-identity-of-the-next-time-lord-to-be-revealed-o

The grand ceremony at Elstree Studios, near London, will be broadcast simultaneously to the United States. The Doctor, who famously has the ability to travel through time, also possesses the means to bring the nation to a standstill, the BBC believes. Since William Hartnell made his debut as the first Doctor in 1963 the character has grown to become the most famous science fiction role in television. - independent.co.uk

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Dish Hit With 53-Station Blackout in Fight With Raycom - Variety

Satcaster claims Raycom is demanding a fourfold increase in retrans payments over their previous deal, which expired at midnight Eastern on July 31. The Montgomery, Ala.-based broadcaster has said it is asking Dish for retrans fees comparable to what other pay-TV providers pay it. We are ready to listen to a fair proposal from Raycom to bring this impasse to a swift end, Sruta Vootukuru, Dish director of programming, said in a statement released early Thursday morning. - variety.com

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Review: Sky's ten-quid NOW TV box

It's an interesting time for people who want a little more from their television. It's smaller than a few CD cases stacked on top of one another, and bright white. Plug it in, and after a few tedious minutes connecting it to my wifi using an on-screen keyboard, it downloaded its software, rebooted, and then insisted I sign in with a NOW TV account. - mediauk.com

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Thursday 01 August 2013, PM

BT Sport to launch at 6pm today with Jake Humphrey, Clare Balding and more! - Sports Broadcasting - TV Newsroom

The action starts at 6pm tonight with a first night special live show featuring most of the channels new presenters, experts, commentators and special guests. The show will take place in BT Sports brand new studios, giving viewers a taste of what is to come from BT Sport. There will also be 30 exclusively live football Conference matches from the Skrill Premier including the play offs and the Promotion final at Wembley. - tvnewsroom.co.uk

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DTG :: News :: Digital Radio crosses 50% listening barrier

RAJAR, the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK, released new figures for the consumption of digital radio. For three months to the end of March digital penetration was up from 49.6 to 52.5 in the last quarter. However, the platform accounted for fewer than 37 of the 1bn hours of radio consumed over the period. - dtg.org.uk

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Digital radio listening breaks 50% barrier - News - Broadcast

Rajar: The last three months have seen more than half of the UK’s adult population listen to radio via digital platforms for the first time, as 28m tuned in. Digital penetration was up from 49.6% for the three months to the end of March, to 52.5% in the last quarter. But the platform accounted for just under 37% of the 1bn hours consumed over the period. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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Ariel - BBC Four controller role scrapped

This means the channel will no longer commission original UK drama or history programmes for the foreseeable future. Factual output will focus on specialist subjects, and the channel will continue to show new comedies and foreign language dramas. - bbc.co.uk

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Ofcom - The Communications Market Report: United Kingdom

Huge growth in take-up of smartphones and tablets is creating a nation of media multi-taskers, transforming the traditionalliving room of our parents and grandparents into a digital media hub. However, an increasing array of digital media are now vying for their attention. People are streaming videos, firing off instant messages and updating their social media status - all while watching more TV than before. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

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Sky in PSB talks over retransmission fees - News - Broadcast

BSkyB is hoping to hammer out commercial agreements with each of the public service broadcasters in a bid to defuse the row over retransmission fees. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) this week said it “does not expect” Sky to “charge the PSBs any costs associated with transmission” and threatened to change broadcasting legislation if the matter is not resolved. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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A 'nation of media multi-taskers': The latest Ofcom communications results - News - theguardian.com

Four in five parents said their children used a tablet computer at least weekly, in the latest Ofcom communications report. More and more of us are regularly engaging in media multi-tasking' according to the latest Ofcom communications market report, with more than half of UK adults regularly using other media whilst watching TV. In fact, live TV accounted for 90 of all viewing in 2012, with the average time spent watching TV increasing to just over four hours per person. - theguardian.com

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Thursday 01 August 2013, AM

Mobile networks hand small fortune to shareholders – but little to taxpayers - Business - The Guardian

On 27 April 2000, after seven tense weeks, the British government's largest ever auction of a national asset came to a spectacular end. In the dizzy days of the dotcom boom, five mobile phone networks had offered to pay a total of 22.5bn for the right to operate the 3G licences that would bring the internet to mobile phones. However, while the ability of networks to invest in the masts needed to broadcast 3G around the country was undoubtedly hampered, 13 years later it is the British taxpayer rather than the industry that is counting the cost. - theguardian.com

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Tax breaks used by mobile phone networks face scrutiny - Business - The Guardian

Parliament is to open a new front in the corporation tax war by asking auditors to lift the lid on the tax breaks exploited by multinationals in sectors ranging from the internet to infrastructure. She is asking government accountants to investigate whether the vast array of reliefs offered by the taxman are being misused. Her comments were in response to a Guardian investigation published on Wednesday, which reveals that three of the UK's four networks are paying little or no corporation tax while sharing billions in dividends, management fees and royalties with their multinational owners. - theguardian.com

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RAJAR - radio's new listening figures, with graphs back to 1999

Discovering the real stories behind the latest RAJAR figures couldn't be easier. Get a simple overview Get the best and simplest overview on our radio data pages. See stations ranked by audience, hours or share or see the winners and losers this time around. - mediauk.com

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BBC News - Living room TV is making a comeback, says Ofcom

Communications regulator Ofcom said 91 of adults watched their main TV set once a week - up from 88 in 2002 - but their attention may be distracted. Most family members now multi-tasked while sitting in front of the TV, the survey of 3,700 over 16s found. Family members are being brought together just as they were in the 1950s when a TV was likely to be a home's only screen. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC News - O2 4G mobile network launch date announced for the UK

The service - offering higher mobile data speeds than 3G - will initially be available in London, Leeds and Bradford. O2 said it planned to extend the service to a further 10 cities by the year's end. It will compete against EE, which is already offering 4G data to 15 cities and has a cheaper basic tariff than O2's lowest-cost option. - bbc.co.uk

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Digital Radio listening continues to rise : Radio Today

RAJAR figures for Quarter 2, 2013 show 91 of the adult population are listening to the radio, with 1.5 million more since this time last year. Average hours remains static at 21.3 per week, and the share of all radio listening via digital radio now stands at 36.8 compared with 34.3 last quarter. The share of analogue listening in the UK is now at its lowest ever, at 58.6 of listening hours, including in-car listening. - radiotoday.co.uk

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The living room makes a comeback, and it has technology to thank - Technology - The Guardian

With an array of smaller screens on hand, the average home has more than three types of internet device. A study by the communications watchdog Ofcom has found families are once again gathering around the main television set, but they are bringing their tablets and smartphones with them. Viewing has been steadily rising, and we now spend an average of four hours a day watching television, 18 minutes more than in 2004. - theguardian.com

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BT Sport’s opening night free on Freeview and Sky - Recombu

Coverage kicks off at 6pm on August 1, on Freeview channel 57, Sky channel 413, BT Vision channel 945 and online, with free coverage until 12.45am. We have some tremendously talented presenters and experts who are passionate about sport. The customers are the ones that matter and now they will be able to see the programmes for themselves. - recombu.com

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Wednesday 31 July 2013, PM

Media: Sun+, BT Sport, Twitter row

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Channel 4 rapped for airing alcohol ads when kids were likely to be watching - Media - theguardian.com

The Big Bang Theory Channel 4 was criticised for running alcohol ads during the hit show. Other broadcasters including Discovery and Comedy Central have also fallen foul of rules on alcohol advertising to children. The Advertising Standards Authority found seven cases of broadcasters breaking the rules relating to alcohol advertising which bans ads in or around programmes targeted or likely to appeal to under-18s after acting on research from an Ofcom investigation. - theguardian.com

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Microsoft forced to rename SkyDrive following trademark case with broadcaster - The Verge

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the name change to The Verge. Although the case never made it to court, German company Metro AG took issue with Microsoft's use of the word Metro throughout its marketing and branding. - theverge.com

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BBC News - Google Chromecast takes on streaming content to TV

Google's Chromecast is a device which plugs into your television, allowing users to stream content like web video and music wirelessly from a mobile device or laptop. The dongle was released last week at an aggressive price of 35 23, and represents yet another foray for the firm into television hardware, having previously struggled to make much impact with its separate Google TV project. The device currently only works with a few mobile apps, but many more are expected to come on stream shortly. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC iPlayer - Help - Can I use BBC iPlayer with Android 4.3?

If you have both the apps installed before upgrading to Android 4.3 from Android 4.2 iPlayer should continue to work. If you don't have the apps installed the apps will not be visible in the Google Play store until the next updates. As such, be aware that if you have Android 4.3 and iPlayer is working, uninstalling any of the apps will cause problems. - iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk

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Wednesday 31 July 2013, AM

BBC gets green light for pre-watershed 'shagging' - Media Monkey - Media - theguardian.com

- theguardian.com

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Connectivity, Content and Consumers Britain’s digital platform for growth

It can, at times, be hard to remember what life was like before smartphones, social networking and catch-up television. The internet has transformed our lives and, as well as changing the way we interact with each other, new technologies like these – and the digital infrastructure upon which they rely – underpin the UK’s economic ambitions for the future. The UK has built strong digital foundations, and we are reaping the benefits, but in the face of rapid change, we cannot afford to be complacent. Following a two year review of the media and telecommunications sectors, this paper identifies four areas for action: - www.gov.uk

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Ofcom approves South Wales DAB extension : Radio Today

Now Digitals request to extend the coverage area and change the frequency of its local DAB multiplex for Cardiff Newport has been approved. Two responses were made to the consultation by Ofcom, both of which were in support of the request. This move is part of a wider expansion of DAB digital radio coverage across Wales during the next year. - radiotoday.co.uk

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DCMS to abolish retransmission fees - News - Broadcast

The government plans to abolish retransmission fees and has set out plans to preserve the prominence of PSB broadcasters in a wide-ranging policy paper. The 46-page report, titled Connectivity, Content and Consumers, sets out a number of changes the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) wants to make to the 2003 Communications Act. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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BBC News - UK completes digital switchover for 4G mobile networks

Engineers are expected to sign off on work in the north-east of Scotland and the Western Isles, paving the way for more 4G super-fast mobile networks. More than 270 transmitters have had their signals realigned. Despite the achievement, most of the UK's networks have yet to set a date for the launch of their 4G services. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC News - Plan to tackle UK rural mobile black spots revealed

30 July 2013 Last updated at 1103 ET The government has published details of its plan to provide mobile coverage to 60,000 homes and businesses currently in black spots before the end of 2015. It has named which parts of the country will share cash set aside for the project, and the order in which they will receive this investment. The Scottish Highlands are among areas where the work will be completed last. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC - Blogs - Internet blog - BBC R D in session: IP based future in broadcasting

We started this at the end of 2012, with a day looking at broadcasting in 2020 - where the industry is headed and what the pitfalls are along the way. Last week, we held the second event - focusing on the move to an IP based future in broadcasting, looking at content creation, consumption, and distribution. The event was chaired by BBC News senior correspondent Nick Higham. - bbc.co.uk

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Ariel - Countryfile breached guidelines on product prominence

In editions on 18 November and 9 December, both presenters wore items from the outdoor gear company Rab. Extra measures were taken to avoid undue prominence when the problem emerged in the final stages of editing. Countryfile, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last Sunday, is one of the BBC's most popular factual programmes and draws an average of six million viewers. - bbc.co.uk

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Newspapers cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, say readers

Newspapers that are vehemently opposed to a Parliament-approved royal charter on press regulation are at odds with the views of their own readers, a YouGov survey has found. Among readers of The Times and the Telegraph, there was backing of more than three-to-one in favour of Parliaments charter 62 per cent to 18 per cent. Among tabloid newspapers, support for the politicians charter was almost as great, with 48 per cent of Daily Mail readers favouring the Parliament model compared to 17 per cent for the press industry charter, and similar splits among readers of the Mirror 48-16 per cent and The Sun 38-17 per cent. - independent.co.uk

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Tuesday 30 July 2013, PM

BBC - BBC Trust - Trust to examine BBC's participation in YouView

The approval was given subject to a number of conditions which would be reviewed 12 months after launch, to ensure that BBC participation remains consistent with the terms of the Trust's approval. - bbc.co.uk

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Arqiva to provide local TV distribution

Comux has selected Arqiva to provide transmission services for the UKs new network of local TV stations. The first 19 channels are being launched between the end of the year and the start of 2014. They have been allocated Freeview Channel 8 in England and Wales. - broadbandtvnews.com

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Tuesday 30 July 2013, AM

VCR's Past Is Guiding Television's Future - NYTimes.com

The last few weeks have been a rugged legal stretch for incumbent television companies. First, an appeals court declined to rehear a case in which broadcasters sought to close down Aereo, a company that allows users to record and play back broadcast television over the Internet. The cases are far from settled, but the stakes could not be bigger. - nytimes.com

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Twitter / CNBC: BREAKING: Time Warner Cable ...

- twitter.com

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Demand 5 comes to Roku in Britain

Roku is on a bit of a roll lately, with the release of the brand new version 3 hardware, and the continuous addition of new channels and content. Now it brings Demand 5 to British customers, adding to the plethora of content already available on thelittle system. This brings the total to more than 450 channels -- and that is just within Great Britain. - betanews.com

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Monday 29 July 2013, PM

DCMS aims to protect PSB content on digital platforms - News - Broadcast

The DCMS will set out measures to protect the prominence of PSBs on new content platforms in the long-awaited Communications Act strategy paper this week. The Department for Culture Media & Sport will publish its plans on Tuesday in a paper titled "Connectivity, Content and Consumers". - broadcastnow.co.uk

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D Love: Share the Love - Digital Radio Promo - YouTube

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BT Sport set to strike Virgin Media carriage deal - News - Broadcast

Virgin Media is poised to close a deal to carry BT Sport’s three sports channels on its cable TV platform, making them available to a further 4m potential customers. The two companies have been in negotiations for a number of months but both have been keen to strike a deal ahead of BT Sport’s launch on Thursday 1 August. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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Monday 29 July 2013, AM

BBC News - BT online archive: Talking to each other through the ages

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. - bbc.co.uk

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Regional DAB signals commence shut-down : Radio Today

The Yorkshire multiplex will continue for another couple of years, closing in 2015, but the regional multiplex in Scotland will continue as this is owned by Switch Digital. More local multiplexes are being launched and existing ones extended to make up for the loss of regional slots, using frequencies previously used by MXR. Tags dab, featured, full-image, mxr Category Digital Radio News, Industry News - radiotoday.co.uk

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It's the end of the world – and ITV is smiling

ITV is expected to confirm that an advertising recovery is boosting profit when the Broadchurch broadcaster reports half-year results on Tuesday. Every 1 per cent rise in ITV's ad revenues is worth 15m in profit. - independent.co.uk

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Friday 26 July 2013, PM

Digital One arrives in Northern Ireland : Radio Today

One of the stations, Premier Christian Radio will also broadcast its breakfast show live from Belfast all next week to mark the occasion. - radiotoday.co.uk

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Now TV box is cheap alternative to Apple TV for UK viewers, but with a catch

Like the idea of Apple TV but feel the hardware is a little expensive This is significantly cheaper than Apple's flagship streaming device, and even manages to undercut Google's Chromecast. There's also the option of using apps such as Spotify and Facebook to transform a regular TV into a smart TV. - betanews.com

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Google Chromecast -- greatness in its infancy [Review]

There are too many devices on the market that do similar things but in different ways. When Google announced the Chromecast, I was a bit skeptical -- surely I didn't need yet another device. However, the low price of the product 35 and the fear of it selling out caused me to order it anyway. - betanews.com

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BBC - Blogs - Internet blog - What's on BBC Red Button 28 July - 3 August

From butterflies to crime dramas with plenty of sports action sprinkled on top, the BBC Red Button has something for everyone this week. Make sure you dont miss the best of the action with this weeks Red Button highlights. As the BBC's Summer of Wildlife continues, discover why it has never been more important to give them a helping hand and how it's possible for all of us to create a butterfly-friendly haven, even in the smallest of back gardens. - bbc.co.uk

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Ofcom - UHF and VHF spectrum planning - Call for inputs to Ofcom’s plans for the potential procurement of models, tool

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