EUROPE

• EUROPEAN UNION
  The new President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, from Poland, has said he wants to “deepen dialogue with the continent’s Christian churches “. Mr Buzek is a Lutheran; was Poland’s Prime Minister from 1997-2001; and is the first President of the European Parliament from a post-communist eastern European country. He said, “ The principles associated with the tradition, culture and, above all, faith of Christianity have fundamental importance for me, as well as for Europe’s future identity and development. A debate with churches and other religions on our continent’s problems is essential. Christian values should be very important at an individual level for each politician and leader, but also collectively since they define and show the key ways a politician can act.”
  Source: National Secular Society

• UK
  TV viewers should be able to watch Channel 5’s programmes in High Definition (HD) via an aerial, after OFCOM announced that it has made a provisional decision to reserve capacity in principle to the Broadcaster, to provide new HD services on Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) from 2010. OFCOM’s decision to award an HD Licence to Channel 5 is subject to it resolving certain key criteria related to its application. It will mean that Channel 5 will join the other Public Service Broadcasters in launching four HD services on DTT.
  Visit www.ofcom.org.uk

• ROMANIA
  The Bucharest Christian Centre has opened a Christian Bookstore – stocked with books, magazines, dictionaries, CDs and DVDs. The objective is to help develop Christian character and strengthen new believers. The Centre was founded in 1992 as an interdenominational hub to serve churches and Christian organisations.
  Contact: mmceuta@yahoo.com
• UK
  Media Regulator OFCOM is consulting on whether to allow Non-Governmental Organisations to fund public service programming. Debate lines are emerging between pro- and anti-NGO factions. BBC Storyville editor Nick Fraser said, “The dangers are self-evident. You’d get a lot of biased films “. OFCOM is proposing a list of safeguards – such as requiring that programmes be in the public interest and funding arrangements be made transparent to audiences.
  Source: C21Media.net
• SWEDEN
  The Swedish music streaming service, Spotify, will make its first mobile application within weeks. The company has submitted the application to Apple’s iTunes App Store for approval. If given clearance, Spotify’s service will then be available to download onto iPhones. Spotify has been called an “iTunes killer ” because it is easy to use and has a comprehensive, free library of millions of songs. It is also seen as a possible saviour for the music industry, in its bid to offer alternatives to piracy. Spotify has said the application will be free, but will require a premium subscription to use, which will give Spotify on computers without adverts.
  Source: BBC News
• GERMANY
  The “European Journalism Fellowships ” at Freie Universitat, Berlin, is a programme for mid-career journalists, designed to give participants the opportunity to take a two-semester leave from their professional positions and spend a sabbatical year in Berlin to work on a major research project. Journalists from European countries and the USA are invited to apply for a fellowship. The closing date for applications is 1 November 2009.
  Contact: ejf@zedat.fu-berlin.de
• POLAND
  The websites “Looking for God” and “WhyJesus?” in Polish are part of Radio CCM, who are celebrating the first year of this ministry. Radio CCM is targeted at people who are indifferent or antagonistic to religion and introduces them to Christ through “Looking for God“. Then, with “WhyJesus?” and Odkryj Radio, Internet spoken word Channels and personal contact through email, they connect individuals with courses and churches to help them towards spiritual growth. They have had 22,250 unique visitors and 3,507 decisions.
  Visit: www.deorec.com.pl
• EUROPEAN COMMISSION
  The European Commission wants Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to sign up to a voluntary agreement to tackle illegal internet downloading. It is backing its invitation with the threat of legislation. The agreements would cover creative content including films, books and music. The Commission envisages commitments by copyright holders to support new legal downloading services and commitments by ISPs to tackle piracy. Four Consultation meetings are planned before the end of the year. The Commission envisages that developing the agreements will take around a year.
  Source: European Voice
• UK
  The BBC has denied criticism from Conservative politicians that it is increasing its spend on imported shows at the expense of children’s and homegrown content. A BBC spokeswoman said the Public Service Broadcaster is not reducing its programming spend to allow it to import more acquired content, but to deliver value for money. She added that in terms of children’s content, the BBC is investing the same amount as last year, £125m (US$206m). “We are showing more new drama, comedy, entertainment and factual programmes than before, and we have concentrated our children’s investment on producing fewer but higher quality original programmes, such as the Sarah Jane Adventures and Waybuloo.”
  Source: C21Media.net
• NORWAY
  The Dutch broadcaster Evangelische Omroep (EO) and French Internet ministry TopChretien, together with the Norwegian ministry Indremisjonsforbundet, are working on launching a Norwegian version of the “Looking for God” and “WhyJesus?” websites. They plan to launch these websites in December 2009.
  Contact: arjo.de.vroome@eo.nl
• CROATIA
  Vladimir Psenko reports that “Christian Radio” in Croatia now includes 12 Radio Stations in total. Six are supported by “Good News” Funds (Varazdin Radio; Cakovec Radio; RVG Velika Goria Radio; Samobor Radio; Bljesak Okucani Radio and Tirana Radio) and seven by “Valley of Blessings” Funds (Martin Radio; Samobor Radio; BBR Bjelovar Radio; Osijek City Radio; Zupanja Radio; Djakovo Radio and Vukovar Radio). Samobor Radio is financed by both Funds and this year has expanded its programming.
  Contact: vpsenko@gmail.com
• CYPRUS
  SAT-7’s annual Networking Conference will be held in Cyprus in November, for supporters and staff to meet and bring up-to-date information of the ministry’s plans and achievements. In SAT-7’s recent Mount Toubkal Challenge, participants trekked to the summit of the mountain in Morocco, the highest in North Africa at 4,167m. So far almost £9,000 has been raised for the SAT-7 ministry.
  Contact: admin@sat7trust.org
• UK
  UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB is to launch “the UK’s first 3D Channel” next year, 2010, for subscribers to its current generation of Sky+HD set-top boxes. The channel is expected to include movies, entertainment and sport, and will use the satcaster’s existing HD infrastructure. Sky+HD now has some 1.3 million subscribers. To watch the 3D channel, customers will also require a 3D-ready TV, which Sky expects to be on sale in the UK next year.
  Source: C21Media.net
• TURKEY
  CBN recently broadcast a programme about Radio Shema, with scenes from Turkey, including Istanbul and Ankara, and introduced Radio Shema to the public. A few miles from Turkey’s capital city, Ankara, Radio Shema FM 98 is doing something that is rarely allowed in a Muslim country. “We openly talk about Jesus Christ and read the Bible every day,” Soner Tufan, Radio Shema’s General Manager, said. Tufan explained that the Radio Station has become a powerful tool in changing people’s perception of Christianity. “People here have deep suspicions about Christianity – they view it as a form of imperialism and a faith that belongs to Westerners,” he said. But Tufan said music, especially Christian music, has been a key to reaching Turks with the Gospel. “They really love the worship songs we play, and we are able to communicate important truths about God and his love for mankind. This is helping change people’s ideas about Jesus.”
  Contact: sonertufan@gmail.com
• EUROPE
  Parts of Europe that were formerly major missionary sending countries, around the world, are now themselves the largest mission fields. Places like Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, England and France, most with less than 2% evangelicals, are now considered “unreached“. Creative strategists are using Internet, podcasts and short edgy spots on commercial radio stations to speak to their post-Christian culture. In Sweden, a creative think-tank is producing a virtual “Second Life” environment where Millenials from around the world can gather in this virtual community to connect with HCJB Global.
  Contact: wpeders@aol.com

AFRICA

• SOUTH AFRICA
  The Association of Christian Broadcasters (ACB) in Southern Africa is offering training in Sales & Marketing at the TWR training facility in Croydon, Johannesburg, 9-10 September 2009. Radio Tygerberg is a well known Christian Radio Station in South Africa – and Station Manager Hardus Zevenster will share the concepts used. ACB has also scheduled a one-week Radio Production Training Course from September 28 – October 2, led by Paul van Egdom.
  Contact: djhotchkiss@telkomsa.net

• NORTH AFRICA
  HCJB Global is installing portable studios and training local believers to develop their own radio projects in areas that are less than 1% Evangelical. Shortwave and direct satellite broadcasts are providing access to the Gospel where there are barriers to its proclamation. In the Gulf region, with a population of 30 milliion, there are between 300 and 1000 believers, but media ministries are regularly listened to by 45,000 households.
  Contact: Wpeders@aol.com

• SOUTH AFRICA
  Go-Tell Communications has announced that a documentary is being shot in South Africa called “Sex in our Cities“. It deals with the proposed legislation to decriminalise prostitution in South Africa, and features interviews with an ex-policeman, a former prostitute and a Christian group formed to educate people about the dangers of such decriminalisation. Go-Tell has also launched a new website www.go-tell.org which is interactive and user-friendly.
  Contact: keith.strugnell@go-tell.org or admin@go-tell.org
  

• WEST AFRICA
  OneStory is partnering with TWR to bring the gospel to unreached people groups in West Africa through a practical series of orality programmes. More than 65% of people living in West Africa are illiterate and considered to be oral learners. The goal of chronological Bible story telling is to spread Bible stories using indigenous methods so that an oral Bible can be made accessible to everybody. Several OneStory teams based in West Africa have recorded sets of chronological Bible stories for groups in their first languages and preferred communication styles. The programmes will be in the Fulani, Senoufo Supyire, Senoufo Synera and Tuareg languages, reaching people in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Niger.
  Source: TWR Africa Newsletter

• SOUTH AFRICA
  The Prison Broadcasting Network in South Africa is 10 years old. Over 100 offenders have been trained in skills ranging from radio, television and music production; to computer literacy and sound engineering. Alongside their training they also received personal ministry and counselling. PBN radio broadcasts were heard by an estimated 22,000 individuals behind bars. During the broadcasts many gave their lives to Christ and received prayer. The next PBN project is establishing a dedicated prison TV channel, requiring prayer, staff, financial backing and favour from Correctional Services.
  Visit: www.prisonbroadcast.org.za

• MOZAMBIQUE
  Good News Media is currently running 21 bush schools with 26 teachers and 2,840 children in Mozambique. According to legislation, the children must be educated in Portuguese. Most of them hear Portuguese for the first time when they go to school, so they have to learn it as a second language. Good News Media are allowed to teach the children about religion. Their main goal is to help the children with reading skills. The methods used are narrative (storytelling) and a lot of repetition and coaching. In an oral environment, these methods are the most effective.
  Visit: www.biblemedia.co.za
  

ASIA

• FEBA IS 50 YEARS OLD
  In 1959, a small British group of supporters of the Far East Broadcasting Company, an American missionary radio organisation, took up the fund-raising challenge of broadcasting to India from the Seychelles. Taking on the project as FEBA (Far East Broadcasting Associates), Douglas Malton, now President, John Wheatley and Malcolm Fidge led the funding and construction of the new radio station. Studios and offices were built on a mountain side, with the transmitter on the beach at Anse Etoile. The engineers erected antenna masts and aerials around a coral reef 4,000 ft offshore. Tapes of evangelical messages were sent by sea from the UK and Australia to FEBA’s Seychelles’ studios to be broadcast from Britain’s first missionary radio station, until 2003, when short wave broadcasts were transferred to other stations. After 50 years, FEBA’s radio ministry continues to reach audiences throughout Asia.
  Visit: www.feba.org.uk

• ASIA
  Radio Stations in Australia, along with local Radio Announcers, get reactions from people they talk to locally, as to how their programmes are being received. It is more difficult for International Christian Radio Stations broadcasting from Australia. So, CVC has built 3 new programme production studios throughout Asia. For the Chinese service, studios and programme content comes from Singapore; the English service has some of its programmes coming from India - and the Indonesian service also has local people preparing programmes. CVC has also expanded its news correspondents in several other countries around the world.
  Source: CMA Squawk

• ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
  The Asia-Pacific region has 3.5 billion people – 60% of the world’s population, with 80% of unreached people. Shortwave radio is an effective means of reaching the vast expanses of China, India and Bangladesh. Culturally relevant programmes addressing social issues and current events prepared in those countries in 20 languages, are helping people with the challenges of day-to-day living. The mobile phone industry is focused on developing these highly populated global regions with mobile devices that will in the future enable HCJB’s media to reach some of these previously unreached regions.
  Contact: wpeders@aol.com

• CHINA
  China’s population is currently estimated at approximately 1.3 billion and about 700,000 of them are living with HIV. HIV/AIDS was also the country’s leading cause of death last year among infectious diseases, killing about 7,000 in the first 9 months of 2008. One of the major causes of these infections is through the illegal sale and collection of blood in some villages. The situation is made worse as proper hygiene and medical procedures are not strictly adhered to. To help meet the immediate needs of China’s HIV/AIDS victims, TWR-Asia has established on-the-ground ministries to educate people about HIV/AIDS and communicate the love and hope found in Jesus Christ.
  Visit: www.twr.org/asia

AUSTRALIA

• UCB
  UCB, in association with Rhema Broadcasting Group NZ, Hope 103.2 Sydney, 1WAY FM Canberra and Rhema FM Geelong, has completed a series of events featuring Bible Teacher Dr Chuck Missier, speaking on current events and prophecy. Almost 10,000 people attended the 15 meetings across Australia and New Zealand. Dr Missier’s “66/40″ Radio programme is heard daily on UCB’s Vision Radio Network. UCB has released a DVD recording of one of the events through www.ucbdirect.com.au
  Source: CMA Squawk
  

GLOBAL

• INTERNET
  With the ever-increasing utility of the Internet in the 21st Century, TWR’s ministry has expanded from radio to the World Wide Web. Today, programmes in 40 language areas are streamed through Webcasts, with more on the way. Since people around the globe have Internet access it has become a major source of effective ministry.
  Visit www.twr.org

  
  

• SIGNIS
  In 2007, Faith Satellite Radio and SIGNIS collaborated in an effort to reduce the digital divide by providing faith organisations in Africa with a new and innovative way of broadcasting. Now in 2009, they have entered a new phase to expand services by offering data and multicasting services to developing countries around the world. FSR’s services will no longer be limited to Africa; but now will be able to include the parts of the world unreachable without Digital Services. SIGNIS supports a number of projects aimed at the development of Radio Broadcasting. For many people in Africa, Latin America and Asia, radio is still the easiest and most direct means of communication available.
  Contact: info@signis.net
  

LATIN AMERICA

• SEMILLA
  A Global framework has emerged among Christian leaders for addressing the need to equip and launch Christians out of the church and into the culture. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade and Loren Cunningham of YWAM agreed in 1975 that God showed 7 Spheres of influence: Family, Church, Government, Education, Business, Arts and Media. ”Semilla”, which previously focussed just on Latin America, believes that the time has come to partner with Global Leadership Networks through Transform World to foster more effectively the building of nations around the “7 Spheres Vision“.
  Visit www.semilla.org
  

MIDDLE EAST

• ARAB CHRISTIAN TV
  A grant of £15,000 (US$24,000; €17,500) to an Arab Christian TV ministry has been used to help make a range of programmes, broadcast by various Christian channels in the Middle East and North Africa. One of these is a series called “What Christians Really Believe”, which tackles some of the issues that are recurring points of criticism against Christians. The programmes correct misconceptions that many Muslims have about Christianity, and also equip Christians to respond when they are challenged by others. An Egyptian viewer writes: “The facts and information I acquired from this episode (about the forgery called the Gospel of Barnabas) allowed me to answer many accusations and questions I would not have been able to answer before. God bless you.”
  Source: Barnabas Aid

• EGYPT
  

  Official Country Name	Arab Republic of Egypt
  Region	Africa
  Population	69,536,644
  Languages	Arabic, English and French
  Literacy Rate	51.4%
  Size	1,001,450 sq. km
  GDP	98,725 (US$ millions)
  Number of TV Stations	98
  Number of TV sets	7,700,000
  TV Sets per 1,000	110.7
  Number of Radio Stations	59
  Number of Radio receivers	20,500,000
  Radio Receivers per 1,000	294.8
  Number of individuals with computers	1,400,000
  Number of individuals with Internet access	450,000
  Internet access per 1,000	6.5

  
  

NORTH AMERICA

• USA
  US regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FFC) is to begin a full enquiry into the state of the country’s children’s programming. FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, said that the inquiry would reassess the availability and quality of children’s programming and the technologies that allow parents to filter TV. Genachowski also said that one of the commission’s immediate priorities would be to ban interactive links to commercial products from children’s shows. “Video content for our nation’s children should treat them as more than little consumers,” he said at a Senate hearing. “We will conduct an inquiry on how the agency can best protect children.”
  Source: C21Media.net

• USA
  Marketplace Ministries celebrated 25 years of work through “Chaplains in the Marketplace” in Dallas this month. Founded by former Billy Graham Team Member Gil Stricklin, Marketplace Ministries has over 2400 Chaplains serving Business and Industry in the United States. In 2008, National Committees in the UK, Mexico and Canada also established “Marketplace Chaplains” in national businesses.
  

DIARY DATES

• SOUTH AFRICA: The African Enterprise Leadership Training Centre is to lead a Conference in Pietermaritzburg, from 19-21 October 2009, to introduce the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation, Cape Town 2010. It is being organised under the auspices of the Lausanne Movement, TEASA, African Enterprise, WENSA (World Evangelisation Network of South Africa) and Operation Mobilisation and is for Church Leaders, Missiologists, Teachers, Theologians and Leaders of parachurch and Mission Organisations. Contact: registrar@ae.org.za




• MALAYSIA: The Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Broadcasting and Space (APSCC) 12th Annual Conference & Exhibition will take place from 29 September – 1 October 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Mutiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Themed “Connectivity, Convergence, Communication“, the APSCC 2009 Conference will focus on the growing Asian satellite market and identify new business breakthroughs ahead of the industry, with leading speakers drawn from the Asia-Pacific region.
  Visit: www.apscc.or.kr/event/apscc2009.asp/

• FRANCE : The Radio Gospel Paris Organisation fundraising event has been moved to September 26, following prayer and discussion. Two French Christian artists, Marcel Boungou and Pierre-Nicholas, will give a concert on September 26. It is hoped that the event will contribute to the funds required to initiate an application for a temporary FM Licence in Paris.
  Contact: contact@radiogospel.fr

• UK: The Christian Broadcasting Council (CBC) Conference will be held at the De Vere Latimer Place Conference Centre, Chesham, Buckinghamshire on Friday 27 November 2009, entitled “Successful Strategy for God’s Voice in the Media“. Speakers will include: Charlynne Boddie, Dennis Wrigley, Heads of Independent Christian Media, Andrea Minichiello Williams, Rev George Hargreaves and Prof William Wagner.
  Contact: info@cbc.org.uk www.cbc.org.uk Tel: +44 870 209 6105