WorldView
Your WorldViewOn Friday 5 August, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association presented “The Digital Revolution” – a TV panel discussion recording featuring leading media experts at the Louis Leakey Auditorium – National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya.
With the media currently engaging with the process of going digital and as the impact of social media continues to be felt everywhere – what opportunities and challenges does the digital transition present? What does the digital revolution mean for the audience or users, the media industry and other stake holders?’
The former BBC Africa Editor, Joseph Warungu discussed these issues with a panel of distinguished media industry professionals from the region:
- Maria Sarungi
Chair, Tanzania Independent Producers Association - Julie Gichuru
Group Digital Business Manager & TV Host, Royal Media Services - Salim Amin
Chairman, A24 Media - Rachel Mugarura-Mutana
Journalist and former head of Ugandan Online radio news agency - Monicah Waceke
TV Programmes Manager, KBC - Churchill Otieno
Online Editor, Nation Media Group - Vivien Marles
Managing Director, InterMedia (Africa)
The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) staged a 3 day event in Nairobi from June 20th – 22nd. Titled “CBA: Live in Nairobi” hosting workshops, master-classes, technical demonstrations, screenings and much lively discussion exploring digital migration and what this means for East Africa culminating in a panel and audience discussion for TV and Radio to be broadcast by CBA’s members across East Africa.
June 20 to 22 2011
Supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, Elizabeth R Broadcasting Fund, Unesco Nairobi and Nation TV.
Peter Nash and Peter Leslie Wild, Monty Funk team, produced a podcast whilst in Nairobi for the workshop. The programme explores the event, the activities, practitioners and attendees that brought together technical experts and creative journalists, along with the stakeholders for digitising the airwaves of East Africa…
Wednesday 22 June
CBA is now live in Nairobi with senior managers from a wide range of East Africa’s broadcast media. We’re debating the digital revolution and what it means for mediamakers and audiences. Coming soon to TV and radio across East Africa in next few weeks, watch out for it!
Akim and Tira getting the show underway
Tuesday 21 June
Over 200 people are here for the afternoon session, broadcasters, media and mass communication students. There will be mid seminars on audiences, digital awareness, demonstrations of satellite technology, post production, digital terrestrial…
Some heard about it yesterday and caught overnight buses to be here with films they want to be shown at this evening’s screenings. Last night was a brilliant creative session with a real buzz. Live in Nairobi is being commended for being ‘highly relevant and very needed; thankyou CBA for bringing us together’.
CoveritLive is a web-based service for blogging events in real time, or ‘liveblogging’
Thanks to Albert Gachiri for the CoverItLive widget that followed the Tuesday 21st day.
Building Capacity For The Digital Revolution
Many broadcasters in Commonwealth East Africa are currently in the process of digital transition. CBA supports broadcasters through training to enable them to provide and build public value via their services. During a period of global digital transition, CBA aims to provide media managers, practitioners and journalists with the new skills they require to use internet communication technology. This workshop will give journalists in East Africa the skills to respond effectively and creatively to their changing media environment. It will support good governance and democracy by training journalists how to increase civic involvement through interactive programming and using new media.
This workshop will be repeated over three days giving access to as many media practitioners to attend.
Building Capacity For The Digital Revolution will provide media managers, practitioners and journalists with the new skills they require to use internet communication technology and respond effectively and creatively to their changing media environment. It will support good governance and democracy by training journalists how to increase civic involvement through interactive programming and using new media.
The lead trainer for this workshop is Tira Shubart who has produced news, Drama and documentaries for British; American & Canadian networks over twenty years in more than 40 countries. She has been training TV craft skills learned from her own experience for the past decade. Tira has designed and delivered workshops on television journalism in the UK, Africa, the Middle East and Russia. Tira speaks Swahili and has close links to East Africa. She has worked for the CBA on a number of projects over the past few years and has led the CBA distance learning courses in TV Production in a Digital world.
Supported by:
“It’s a Digital World”
In parallel with workshops for Journalists and production staff under the theme “Building Capacity For The Digital Revolution” the CBA will also be running workshops for Engineers, IT Practitioners and Technologists and for Engineering Managers and other Senior Managers with a Technology or Operational brief. The workshops theme is “It’s a Digital World” and it will be led by engineering consultant Alan Downie.
Alan will be leading the Going Digital technical workshops. Alan Downie is an international TV consultant, specialising in digital and high definition broadcasting. He is a former senior manager in broadcast engineering for BBC Scotland. As a consultant, he works closely with the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and has travelled widely, lecturing and advising on modern broadcast technology. He has worked for many years with the CBA in communication and media skills training.
Technical Demonstrations
Supported by PrismSound, the manufacturers of the world-leading craft editor
Peter Leslie Wild / Pete Nash (Monty Funk Productions) will be leading demonstrations of production techniques and post-production software, giving advice to programme-makers and adding to the afternoon discussions, Peter Wild is a seriously experienced radio producer and Peter Nash likewise from a technical perspective. Together they are Monty Funk Productions and are fanatical about creative & engaging audio production, sound design and web audio development. They are also producers for the BBC, being both facility providers and independent suppliers to BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3 and the BBC World Service.
Supported by Indigo Telecom, a satellite service provider with a global reach
Discussion /Debate
Joseph Warungu – anchoring the TV discussion and lead adviser on how we get best results from the 3 days, Joseph is the former editor of BBC’s Network Africa and Focus on Africa and comes with a wealth of experience with television and radio. Before that he was East African Editor for the BBC African Services based in Nairobi. Joseph is very well respected by his peers and is an all-round superstar, well known to audiences across Africa.
Abdu Simba – panellist on the TV discussion, Abdu is a Tanzanian author, playwright, film producer and director. He is a partner of Serengeti Advisers Limited, a Tanzanian Business Advisory Services firm, where he specializes in Media Analysis and Communication Strategies advice. He is also a founding trustee of The Flame Tree Media Trust, a non-profit organization created to support and promote creativity in the Tanzanian visual arts and media industries
Daniel Obam – panellist on the TV discussion, Mr Obam is chairman of the Digital Television Committee that will co-ordinate the migration from analogue to digital television broadcasting in Kenya. Mr Obam is a Communications Radio Technology Expert, National Communications Secretariat.
Supported by: 
Screenings
The evenings of 20th and 21st June will be a celebration of the best of cutting edge, challenging and thought provoking audio/visual content from around the world. Come and join us for this mini-festival, come and celebrate the very best of East Africa, you will be most welcome.
Masterclass
Vivien Marles – leading afternoon sessions on “audiences in the digital age”, Vivien is Managing Director of InterMedia Africa which has just opened an office in Nairobi. Vivien is a distinguished research professional with deep experience in Africa, she was formerly with Synovate Pan-Africa (formerly, The Steadman Group) in Nairobi, where she was Research Director since 2006. She was also founder and director of The Steadman Center of Applied Research, a unique capacity-building initiative run in partnership with Strathmore Business School in Nairobi.
Shujaaz – Launched in Kenya in February 2010, Shujaaz is a youth communication initiative that includes a monthly comic book designed to entertain young Kenyans whilst providing them with positive messages and ideas to improve their lives. Shujaaz means ‘hero’ in Sheng, a mixture of Swahili and English widely spoken by young Kenyans and the language in which the comic is written. The comic book is accompanied by daily FM radio programmes, TV animations, text messaging, and a website. The comic is produced by Nairobi-based Well Told Story (WTS) and supported by a range of commercial sponsors and development agencies. It is distributed by The Saturday Nation newspaper and in rural areas through Safaricom’s M-Pesa (money transfer) agents.
SUPPORTED BY: