Global Indigenous TV Network Inaugural Meeting

PUBLICITY RELEASE
WEDNESDAY JUNE 18 2008

Global Indigenous TV Network Convenes Inaugural Meeting

A global network of indigenous television broadcasters will convene its first interim council meeting in Ireland in August.

The development of an international alliance was a major outcome of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference – WITBC ’08 – hosted by New Zealand’s national indigenous broadcaster, Maori Television, in Auckland in March this year.

The three-day conference gave delegates a forum to discuss the need, benefits, scope and nature of a World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) which will promote indigenous broadcasting at the highest levels internationally and foster closer relationships between broadcasters.

Maori Television chief executive Jim Mather says broadcasters from Australia, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Taiwan and Wales indicated their interest at WITBC ’08 in participating in an interim council to carry forward the idea of formalising a network.

Maori Television was then tasked to develop a draft planning document for the establishment of WITBN which is now available online on the website www.witbc.org.

The first meeting of the interim meeting will be hosted by Irish language television channel TG4 in Galway, Ireland, on Tuesday August 5 and Wednesday August 6.

Agenda items include the network and council structure, proposed activities, capacity and capability building opportunities, the establishment of a WITBN website and the schedule and action plan for future meetings.

“The draft planning document provides a framework to establish WITBN in its simplest form, whilst still fulfilling the objectives and intent of a global network of indigenous television broadcasters and other stakeholders, working together to achieve common goals,” Mr Mather says.

Taiwan Indigenous Television – supported by the Public Television Service – will host the next World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference in 2010 followed by S4C in Wales in 2012 and APTN in Canada in 2014.

ENDS

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