• NEPAL
  Two FM Stations led by HCJB and local Partners went on air in Nepal in 2009. Partners have requested three more stations.
  Source: HCJB Global Voice & Hands

• CENTRAL ASIA
  Turkish and Azeri Programmes on TV channel Kanal Hayat are being produced by IBRA to be broadcast in the Turkmen language at the beginning of 2010. Turkmen is spoken by approximately 5.5 million people in Turkmenistan as well as Turkey and Iran.
  Contact info@ibra.se

• INDONESIA
  The Far Eastern Broadcasting Company (FEBC) has established a Media Training Centre to train Christian Broadcasters in Jakarta, Indonesia, following a good response to FEBC programmes including their new Mandarin programme, launched for the large Chinese population living in Indonesia.
  Visit www.febc.org
  

AUSTRALASIA

• Gold Coast’s 107.3FM recently relocated to new Main Beach Studios. The move doubles its floorspace and gains an extra studio. Broadcasting across the road from one of Australia’s best beaches is also proving to have benefits for the Staff!!
  Source: SQUAWK Christian Media Australia

• Sydney’s Hope103.2 has launched its brand new online radio station “Christmas Hope” and a new iphone application which will enable listeners to stream any one of their four online radio stations. “Christmas Hope” will be online at www.christmashope.com.au until December 31st.
  Contact Andrew Morris: Andrew.morris@hope1032.com.au

• 99.9 Live FM in Townsville held “A New Day” on 30th November. The station asked listeners to give the gift of A NEW DAY of Hope by becoming a ministry partner, funding one day of Radio Ministry a month.
  Source: SQUAWK Christian Media Australia

EUROPE

• NORWAY
  Norway’s King has honoured Aage Nevland. Former Secretary General of Family & Media in Norway, and Founding Board Member of FEB, Aage Nevland, has been awarded the King’s Medal of Merit in Silver. Aage is a Radio Mission Pioneer. He entered Christian radio work in 1957 and was part of the pioneer phase of Norea Radio. In 1979 he became Secretary General of Family & Media, a position he held for 22 years. Since 2001 he has been in active retirement. He is still active in the P7 Kristen Riksradio and has produced 2600 programmes in the series “Through the Bible” in Norwegian. The Medal was presented by Dagfinn Hoybraten, MP and Leader of the Christian Democratic Party.
  Contact: Geir Magnus Nyborg gmn@fom.no

• ITALY
  Italian Mobile TV usage will expand rapidly over the next five years, delivering expected revenue of US$685m by 2010, according to new research. Italy is one of the most advanced Mobile TV markets in Europe, with the DVB-H broadcast Mobile TV standard already accounting for 1.2 million users. It is estimated that this number will double to 2.5 million by 2015, by which time the total number of users will be 5.1 million, according to a report from Coda Research Consultancy.
  Source: C21Media.net

• UK
  United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) has begun broadcasting nationally in the UK on DAB Digital Radio. UCB follows Premier Radio into the UK National Christian Radio scene. UCB UK was previously available on digital radio in some areas but can now be heard across the whole UK, including Northern Ireland.
  Contact Paula Cummings: pcummings@ucb.co.uk

• SPAIN
  Spanish Telecoms giant Telefonica has agreed a €470m (US$707.7m) deal with media group Prisa to buy 21% of Spain’s largest satellite platform, Digital+. Telefonica will pay Prisa €240m and cancel out €230m of debt. Reports last year suggested that Prisa had received initial offers from BSkyB and Vivendi. Telefonica will have the right to appoint two members to the board of Digital+. The two companies have also agreed to explore collaboration in developing other Audiovisual ventures in Spain.
  Source: C21Media.net

• UK
  Marketplace Chaplains Europe is now working in England and Scotland. They contract with Businesses to provide Chaplain Care Teams. Teams include a man and a woman and represent the different language groups of the Business. Chaplain Care Teams are permanently on call, in addition to worksite visits. In its first year of service, over 50% of Clients’ staff or families had access to the Chaplains. Business Leaders report that they see a reduction in staff absenteeism, and improvements in staff team work and morale.
  Contact Jonathan Martin, Marketplace Chaplains Europe: jonathanmartin@mchap.co.uk www.mchap.co.uk

• FRANCE
  French Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) channels are increasing production of original programming and upping their acquisitions. As a result, reality television is making a comeback, although DTT operators don’t have the same budgets as the big terrestrials. This autumn has seen W9 launching 15 weekly episodes of the French version of mainstream format The X Factor, produced by FremantleMedia France. Endemol France has picked up Temptation Island – a series cancelled by TF1 – with a Virgin 17 Commission. Adventure Line Productions has created a new reality TV show in the vein of The Bachelor for TMC. All French DTT channels claim to have increased their original programming because original content is seen as vital in building their identities and enlarging their Audiences in a highly competitive market.
  Source: C21Media.net

• UK
  British Christian Media has a new programme on Satellite TV and the Internet. “Out of the Box” is a 10 minute programme with testimonies, original songs and special events, showing the wide scope of Christianity in the UK.
  Contact: admin@britishchristian.tv

• EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
  As part of the new EU Telecoms Directive, MEPs have agreed to set up a European body bringing together all 27 National Regulators – the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) – to be established in Spring 2010. They also plan to turn the Citizens’ Rights Directive into national legislation in the 27 Member States by 26 April 2011.
  Source: European Parliament Press Office

• NORTHERN IRELAND
  According to Trevor Birney, Managing Director of a Belfast Production Company, and formerly Editor for Current Affairs at Ulster Television, Belfast has been left out of the “Digital Britain” Public Service Broadcasting Review and will not receive seriously needed funding into local news and current affairs. “Scotland, England and Wales will all get a multi-million pound project to experiment with new and innovative digital newsgathering models. Northern Ireland will get a packet of crisps!” said Birney. Local Culture Minister, Nelson McCausland has asked for firm proposals on how Northern Ireland will be included in Digital Britain.
  Source: Broadcast

• UK
  According to the Digital Radio Development Bureau, (DRDB), sales of digital radios in the UK have broken the 10 million barrier ahead of the peak Christmas sales period. It took 8 years to reach the first 5 million sales in 2007 but the second 5 milliion has been achieved in just 30 months. DRDB CEO Tony Moretta said, “This is a significant moment for everyone in the digital radio industry: broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers. 10 million sales is an incredible achievement for any technology, and it proves that digital radio is here to stay.”
  Source: Radio Magazine

• NORWAY
  The Norwegian versions of the websites “LookingForGod” and “WhyJesus?” were launched on December 1st 2009. They hope to use the internet to lead searching people step by step to God and to local Churches. On the first day 500 people visited the websites and 20 people emailed their commitment to Christ. The Norwegians brought together several Christian organisations and TopMission and Agape NL presented the plan. “LookingForGod” is a website which explains who God is, and how someone can choose to become a follower of Jesus. “ConnaitreDieu” was the first website created by the French organisation TopMission. “WhyJesus?” is an internet course for people who want to take their journey forward and get to know Jesus better. The course was developed by the Evangelical Broadcasting Organisation (EO) in the Netherlands and handed over to Agape Netherlands this year.
  Email Jan-Willem Bosman jwbosman@agape.nl

• UK
  BBC Radio 4’s “Thought for the Day” will remain closed to atheists and humanists, after the BBC Trust rejected accusations that the Radio 4 Today agenda-setting programme is in breach of editorial guidelines. The Regulator said it was a matter of discretion for the Director General and the BBC Executive to decide whether to keep the religious slot as it is, or to change it to include non-religious perspectives. The ruling followed complaints from lobby groups, who said the policy of only allowing speakers from mainstream faiths amounted to discrimination. Average Daily Audience is over 5 million.
  Source: Broadcast

• EUROPEAN COUNCIL
  Herman van Rompuy took up his post as the new permanent President of the European Council on 1st December. He is the Christian Democrat Prime Minister of Belgium and has experience as a reconciler between different cultural and linguistic groups in Belgium. The UK Labour Party’s Baroness Catherine Ashton has been appointed as the new High Representative for Foreign and Security affairs. She was the UK European Commissioner responsible for International Trade.
  Source: Care for Europe

• UK
  Regulator OFCOM reports that complaints about TV programmes have more than doubled in the last four years. Chief Executive Ed Richards told the UK Parliamentary Culture Committee that “there has been a steady increase, even after ‘major incidents’ had been stripped out of the figures.”
  Source: Broadcast

GLOBAL

• TRANS WORLD RADIO BECOMES “TWR”
  Trans World Radio has announced an official change of name to TWR. The ministry will also adopt the global positioning statement, “Speaking Hope to the World” to fortify their new identity. CEO Lauren Libby explained that while their commitment to Radio broadcasting remains, the name Trans World Radio no longer fully conveys the wide scope of the organisation. TWR is a multi-faceted media ministry which will maintain radio as a keystone communication component, but will also employ a strategic integration of new media platforms, and seek to enlarge its broadcasting footprint.
  Visit www.twr.org

• GOOGLE TO DOMINATE ONLINE ADS?
  According to Michael Comish, CEO of Blinkbox, Google is aiming to dominate the market for online Video Advertising. Recent events, including a deal to show Channel 4 Programmes on YouTube and Google’s announcement of an auction-based video ad platform, demonstrate this strategy. Four factors determine success in online advertising: the Size of the audience (reach), Technology, the strength of Relationships with the advertisers and Inventory. As Google’s dominance grows in each of these areas the company will gain more advertising revenue. Google has recently completed a deal with Twitter to integrate real time data into its products.
  Source: Broadcast

LATIN AMERICA

• ECUADOR
  HCJB’s 56 years of shortwave broadcasting from Pifo, Ecuador, has ended but the mission has refocused its efforts on satellite networks, local radio and internet, production and distribution, radio planting and radio training. Shortwave continues from other locations.
  Visit www.hcjb.org

• BOLIVIA
  
  

  Official Country Name	Republic of Bolivia
  Region	South America
  Population	8,300,463
  Languages	Spanish, Quechua, Aymara
  Literacy Rate	83.1%
  Size	1,098,480 sq. km
  GDP	8,281 (US$ millions)
  Number of TV Stations	48
  Number of TV sets	86,500,000
  TV Sets per 1,000	108.4
  Number of Radio Stations	321
  Number of Radio receivers	5,250,000
  Radio Receivers per 1,000	632.5
  Number of individuals with computers	140,000
  Number of individuals with Internet access	120,000
  Internet access per 1,000	14.5

  
  

MIDDLE EAST

• SAT-7
  SAT-7, the satellite television network for the Middle East and North Africa, has been honoured by the UK’s Christian Broadcasting Council with a Gold Exploits Award in recognition of their pioneering work since 1995 in giving the Church of the Middle East and North Africa a voice and a visible presence through its broadcasts. This award was particularly directed at SAT-7’s founder and CEO, Terence Ascott. Roy Kemp, SAT-7 International Treasurer and Chair of the UK Board, received the award in front of many of the founders and pioneers of Christian Broadcasting. Olave Snelling, Chair of CBC commented: “We wanted to say thank you to the pioneers of Christian Media who have gone out into the UK and the world, for the remarkable work they are doing.”
  Email: catherinerawlings@sat7trust.org

• HCJB
  Paid airtime on two shortwave transmitters is now delivering a powerful signal across North Africa with programming in Arabic, Tachelhit, Hassaniya and Pulaar. HCJB Global staff helped to train radio production teams in the region. An estimated 1 million households tune in weekly to broadcasts sent via satellite, shortwave, local stations and online.
  Source: HCJB Global Voice & Hands

NORTH AMERICA

• USA
  North American IPTV start-up TV2Moro has launched a subscription pay-TV service to serve Arabic communities in the US and Canada. The service is available through a set-top box and includes channels such as Al-Jazeera English, Al Hayat 1 and 2, and Orbit Al Yawm. A further 10 channels will be added in the near future.
  Source: C21Media.net

• USA
  Dave Jones, Vice President of the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association has just completed 31 years with the Organisation. FEB joins friends from around the world in saying, “Congratulations Dave – and thanks!”
  Visit www.palau.org

• USA
  The National Religious Broadcasters’ Convention will be held from February 27 to March 2nd 2010, at the Gaylord Convention Centre in Nashville, Tennessee. Speakers include Chuck Colson, author and Founder of Prison Fellowship; Kay Arthur, Founder and CEO of Precept Ministries International and Del Tackett, President of Focus on the Family Leadership Institute. There will be “Bootcamps” and Workshops including one on Internet Evangelism.
  Visit www.nrbconvention.org
  

DIARY DATES

• 
  

SLOVENIA: The next FEB Conference will be 11-14 November 2010 at the City Hotel, Ljubljana, Slovenia with the Theme “Getting Connected?” David Shearman, Senior Pastor at the Nottingham Christian Centre will be the Bible Teacher. Register online at www.feb.org

• SOUTH AFRICA: The Association of Christian Broadcasters (ACB) Conference will be held at the Ocean View Hotel, Strand Cape from 9-11 March 2010. The Theme is “Raising your Game” and Registration Forms are now available.
  Contact: djhotchkiss@telkomsa.net

• UK: The “World Changers” Conference will be held on Saturday 20th February 2010 at the Faith Life Church in Cambridge, UK. Speakers will include Andrea Minichiello Williams from Christian Concern for our Nation (CCFON).
  Contact Dr Lisa Nolland: ls.n@talktalk.net