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Tuesday 03 March 2009, AM

BT emerges as suitor to merge with cash-strapped Channel 4 - TV Radio, Media - The Independen

BT is set to emerge as a likely candidate to merge with Channel 4 after the broadcaster's chairman said he would welcome talks that could offer a solution to its 150m funding shortfall. The need for a partner for Channel 4 is becoming more apparent, with the Government keen for a solution to what will become a 150m annual funding shortfall by 2012. A deal with BT would have other obvious benefits for Channel 4, not least the ability to transmit its programmes on BT lines into homes and offices. - independent.co.uk

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ITV needs radical action| Reuters

Caught by both cyclical and structural change, the home to talent show the X-Factor and soap opera Coronation Street may have to suspend its dividend, increase cost savings and consider a rights issue if it is to protect its programming budget and retain advertisers. It may also be forced into non-core asset sales as it confronts the rapid downturn in advertising. Such an approach may even find favour with investors. - uk.reuters.com

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DTG News: Microsoft and NXP to showcase Windows Media Centre for DVB-T2

Leaps in technology innovation are made possible when companies can combine their expertise, and we are particularly happy to have joined forces with Microsoft to support DVB-T2. DVB-T2 is an upcoming terrestrial transmission format which will start a new era of multimedia enjoyment, enabling superior quality of broadcast video on the Windows PC. OEMs will facilitate network operators to expand their range of coverage with cost effective hardware for PC tuner solutions. - dtg.org.uk

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On The Radio: Sky News To Launch New Service

Sky News is available in more places than ever before - it has become the sole supplier of news to all of the UK's commercial radio stations. Sky News Radio is now supplying the 267 client stations of Independent Radio News, in addition to the 80 stations which have already signed up to the service. It means a total of more than 300 stations - reaching around 31 million listeners across the country - are receiving live bulletins as well as a 24-hour feed of scripts and audio material. - tinyurl.com

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Monday 02 March 2009, AM

Emma Scott: All set to broadcast bad news to rivals - Times Online

- business.timesonline.co.uk

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BT signals Channel 4 merger ambition - Telegraph

BT is wading into the debate about the future of Britain's commercial broadcasting industry by signalling that it could merge its television subsidiary with Channel 4. A merger between Channel 4 and BT Vision is being seriously considered as one option for the future funding of the state-owned broadcaster. It is believed that the Government also sees logic in such a tie-up, although a tie-up with BBC Worldwide still remains high on its agenda. - telegraph.co.uk

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informitv - BBC Canvas opinion on next generation video project

The BBC Trust has published details of the proposed Project Canvas to bring broadband and broadcast services together in hybrid receivers. This follows another joint venture initiative known as Project Kangaroo to provide video on demand over broadband. That was blocked by the Competition Commission because it was deemed to limit competition. - informitv.com

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Five and ITV expected to lose up to 600 jobs this week - TV Radio, Media - The Independent

Five, the terrestrial television channel, is expected to make about a third of its workforce redundant this week. A source close to the company said that around 100 of the 350 staff would lose their jobs as part of a restructuring of the business to be announced on Thursday. Earlier, ITV is expected to axe up to 500 jobs when it announces its annual results. - independent.co.uk

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Radio industry news: childrens hours |Media |The Guardian

I was listening to Just a Minute the other day while having lunch with my eight-year-old daughter, and, to my surprise, she got quite involved. She did not understand all the jokes, but enjoyed listening out for repetition, deviation, and so on, and it struck me as a real shame there is very little like it designed for her age group. Making a plea for children's radio is rather like lamenting the passing of leaf tea, or asking why it is impossible to get a decent pair of spats these days. - guardian.co.uk

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ITV plans cant hide its many failures |Media |The Guardian

For what feels like the first time in living memory, ITV is wrestling with a problem not of its own making. They also allow continuing mismanagement to shelter behind general economic gloom. Either create one new commercial broadcaster by merging ITV, Channel 4 and Five or take C4 out of the commercial market altogether and fund it entirely from the licence fee. - guardian.co.uk

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Sunday 01 March 2009, PM

BBC HD: Nyquist Limit

Editor's note - Andy Quested was going to add this as a comment responding to tagmclaren's question about frequency gatings but as you can't put pictures in comments I thought it would be better to publish it as a new post Dear tagmclaren Thanks for the comment. What you are seeing unfortunately is an alias that's folded back at around 26MHz. Here is your picture with the original 25 and 30MHz gratings added - if you look at the off-air and original 25MHz grating you can see they line up but the 30MHz original does not match the off-air grating. - bbc.co.uk

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HDTV UK: BT, BBC, ITV collaborate for on-demand TV via broadband initiative

I am pleased that the BBC is working with industry partners such as device manufacturers, ISPs and other content providers on proposals which will bring real benefits for consumers. It will also future-proof our free-to-air platforms, Freeview and Freesat. Together they can offer live TV along with an unrivalled choice of on demand content and interactive services. - hdtvuk.tv

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Channel 4 angles for second HD channel

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Digital UK gives switchover aerial advice for Isle of Man

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UPDATED with pics! May launch for Panasonic's Freesat+ HD Blu-ray PVRs

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Five new developments for iPlayer

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BBC HD Update: DOG Patrol - BBC Internet Blog

Hello Everyone, I'm sorry that you've been concerned about my demise. There is a lot happening, and I will have quite a few developments for you in the next couple of weeks My time over the last month has been spent working on the future of the channel, our programming, and also on an interesting trip to the US to talk to broadcasters there who are further down the HD road. It is really useful to understand where we might be headed and obviously we want to make sure that the plans we make are likely to fit with where you - our existing, and I hope future audience - might want us to go. - bbc.co.uk

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Friday 27 February 2009, PM

Net TV plans get Trust scrutiny | BBC NEWS | Technology

Setting up such services rests on getting approval from the BBC Trust. This situation would only worsen as the internet became the main way that TV programmes are distributed to viewers. The initial devices are expected to be set-top boxes, with a net connection, that could cost up to 200. - news.bbc.co.uk

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Friday 27 February 2009, AM

BBC Media Show: 25 February 2009

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Media Talk: Alexander Lebedev on politics, power and the press

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Friday 20 February 2009, AM

BBC Media Show: 18 February 2009

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Media Talk: To live and die in the public eye

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Saturday 14 February 2009, PM

ITV staff braced for hundreds more job cuts as |Media |guardian.co.uk

ITV is expected to cut several hundred more jobs and prune its 1bn-a-year programming budget to cut costs as the broadcaster looks to tackle its onerous 2.6bn pension fund and manage debt in the worst advertising recession for more than a decade. Senior management at the UK's biggest advertiser-funded commercial broadcaster, which employees about 4,500 staff, are finalising a wide-ranging package of cost-cutting measures designed to help the ailing broadcaster weather the unprecedented market conditions. The cuts are expected to be announced when ITV unveils its full-year results for 2008 on 4 March. - guardian.co.uk

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Radio station people on Twitter - Media UK

Media UK runs a variety of services on Twitter too - not least, mediauk - follow us - mediauk.com

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BBC now testing AAC/AAC+ Internet radio streams at higher quality than DAB

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Friday 13 February 2009, AM

FCC tells 25% of requesting TV stations they cant switch on 2/17 | Betanews

Claiming that certain areas of the country are less ready than others for the switch to digital broadcast television, the FCC denied 123 termination notices from a list of 491. Obama yesterday, left in a clause that lets TV stations terminate their analog service anytime between 2/17 and the new switch date of June 12. However, those stations that wished to switch early had to provide their reasons in writing to the FCC by early this week. - betanews.com

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CES 2009: Windows Media Center on Windows 7 with Touch | Max Zuckerman | Channel 10

Were sorry, but we couldnt find what you asked for. If you got here by clicking a link on our site, please Contact Us and let us know about the problem. You could try to Browse to what you are seeking. - on10.net

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Thursday 12 February 2009, PM

Where can I find the Real and Windows Media streams for listen live?

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. - iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk

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No 'serious problems' with Digital Switch scams

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Sky looking at regional news

BSkyB has never openly expressed a wish to supply regional television programming but recently, as the traditional channels fight over who is going to provide public service broadcasting and where the financing is going to come from, it seems that this may have offered BSkyB an opportunity on plate. However, it would seem that BSkyBs idea of providing regional programming involves taking the online route, rather than fitting it into the schedules. Sky News is already used by Five and some radio stations as their new provider, which offers another outlet for regional television programmes if BSkyB is interested in taking it up. - techwatch.co.uk

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Wednesday 11 February 2009, PM

Elgato launches Diversity for Mac

Hot on the heels of its Mac-specific TV tuner, Elgato has announced the release of another TV-oriented device. Designed to pick up DVB-T or Freeview, as its known signals in areas with low reception or when on the move, this device features twin tuners which allow the user to watch one channel and record another, or even record two simultaneously. - cclonline.com

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BBC Media Show: 11 February 2009

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Avoid the 'great digital rip-off'

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Tuesday 10 February 2009, PM

DTG News: Ofcom opts for AVC 4.0 for UK HD DTT

Ofcom said they expected that this decision would continue for at least the medium term, and that they would include it as their recommended option when they formally consult on the Reference Parameters later in the year when there is greater certainty on the choice of transmission mode. DTG Staff 10.02.2009 Links open in a new window. The DTG is not responsible for the content of other web sites. - dtg.org.uk

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BBC mulls kids radio station

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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BBC Post adds second 5.1 suite

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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Monday 09 February 2009, PM

BBC NEWS | Technology | We want information, here and now

The information superhighway has a few intersections at country borders Old agreements on content distribution no longer work, says Bill Thompson. I'm old enough to have watched it the first time around and remember the shock we all felt at the last episode, so I was looking forward to revisiting a few episodes without having to make the effort to borrow the full DVD box set from somewhere. I would happily have watched online and let AMC advertise to me in return, but sadly it was not to be. - news.bbc.co.uk

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informitv - Sky comes down on Ofcom for interventionist regulation

British Sky Broadcasting has sharply criticised the communications regulator Ofcom in response to its latest review of the pay television sector. Criticising the imposition of highly interventionist regulation the satellite broadcaster says It is time for Ofcom to take a step back and avoid being led into a misadventure which threatens to push Ofcom far outside the bounds of mainstream regulatory thinking. Sky has successfully bid to retain the rights to the majority of Premier League football coverage through until 2013, regaining five of the six match packages on offerthe most it is now allowedat the cost of over 1.6 billion. - informitv.com

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Friday 06 February 2009, PM

Media Talk: Carol Thatcher dumped by the BBC

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Friday 06 February 2009, AM

DTG News: Freeview chosen for Switchover Help Scheme in Granada

Almost seven million people around the country will be eligible for help under the Help Scheme, according to eaga who manage the scheme. The ITV Granada region will be the most populated so far to switch to digital at the end of this year. The help also includes a demonstration of how to use the equipment, an aerial check and upgrade if necessary for those that own their own aerials, and a Help Line to ring for advice while they get used to it. - dtg.org.uk

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10 Luxuries You Can Get For Less - 06/02/2009

- fool.co.uk

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Thursday 05 February 2009, PM

MEN wins auction to launch Channel M on Freeview - Press Gazette

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ITV apologises for big match adverts own goal - TV Radio, Media - The Independent

ITV has apologised to football fans for showing adverts during the only goal in the Merseyside derby. Some just managed to catch the goal after a number of ITV regions and digital channels returned to the game seconds before Gosling's strike. The system is not designed for live events such as football games which can over-run and delay the schedule. - independent.co.uk

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House votes to delay DTV transition, President likely to sign | Betanews

At one point, Walden and other House Republicans invoked the name of R. Obama's transition team, implying that there may have been a conflict of interest that went uncontested. I look forward to joining my two colleagues, Acting Chairman Copps and Commissioner Adelstein, in quickly implementing the will of the Congress. - betanews.com

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Wednesday 04 February 2009, PM

Now we are 20 | Broadband TV News

It is difficult to imagine that in the first year of its existence the Luxembourg Socit Europenne des Satellites, the operator of the Astra satellites, had difficulty filling all 16 transponders on its first satellite. In 1982, the then Prime Minister Pierre Werner mooted the idea of a Luxembourg based television satellite. Also, each of these satellites only had capacity for five TV channels. - broadbandtvnews.com

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BBC Media Show: 4 February 2009

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ITV to reveal more cuts on 4 March

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

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Wednesday 04 February 2009, AM

Watchdog vetoes video-on-demand plan - TV Radio, Media - The Independent

The service, called Project Kangaroo, had been expected to launch last autumn with thousands of hours of TV. Plans for the service had included it containing some free and some paid-for programmes, launching online and eventually on TV sets. - independent.co.uk

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Doctor Who goes HD!

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Broadcasters Kangaroo tied down | BBC NEWS | Entertainment

The Competition Commission had made similar provisional findings in December, but had said changes could be made to allay fears from other broadcasters that they would not be able to compete with Kangaroo. - news.bbc.co.uk

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