GEN rates Voice of Nigeria high among equals

ITRealms:

The Global Editors Network (GEN), a cross-platform community of more than 1000 Editors-in-Chief, has rated the Voice of Nigeria (VON) high among equals at it emerged the best 3 media organizations in the Nigeria Editors Lab competition 2014, reports ITRealms.

This ranking according to information made available to ITRealms by an Assistant Director, News at VON, Mr. Tony Ekata, came in the wake of the competition which ended in Lagos recently.

According to Ekata, VON emerged as first runner-up to the winning team, Vanguard Newspapers of Nigeria in the 2-day contest, displacing the University of Lagos Mass Communication Department, which came 2nd last year, to 3rd position.

He noted that Vanguard won with a prototype called Ebola Go; an information app which gives the users relevant information on Ebola such as news, write ups, photos, videos, data etc.

The Vanguard project, ITRealms gathered is web, mobile and SMS based.

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+Remmy Nweke +Tony Ekata #HackAgainstEbola

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Juwah tasks MTN Ambassadors to be exemplary to youths

ITRealms:

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah has tasked MTN Ambassadors to be of exemplary to the youths, especially in Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

Juwah who played host to MTN Ambassadors who are mainly musicians at his office in Abuja recently, said the musicians themselves have become a standard for the youth of the country.

“You have made the country proud by your creativity, you have shaped the entertainment industry” declared, stressing that through effective oversight of the Commission, the industry has been able to engage the youth through the promotion of the entertainment industry by way of talent shows which have seen the emergence of artists who now become role models for the teeming youth.

“… Your shows have enriched lives significantly” he told his visitors, urging them to remain steadfast.

ITRealms also gathered from a press statement endorsed by the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, who quoted Dr. Juwah as recalling that the telecommunications sector has been variously described as the first genuine platform to take over virtually every aspect of human development since the revolution began with the Digital Mobile Licences 2001.

He equally told his guests that Nigerian entertainment industry has gone beyond this shores, citing an instance of his visit to Atlanta, Georgia, USA recently with some Nollywood producers and actors to attend a seminar where Professors and other experts from the USA and Canada came specifically to understudy, analyse and talk about the growing entertainment industry in Nigeria and the influence on other sectors and cultures.

Juwah further revealed to ITRealms that recently the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in collaboration with George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and Howard University hosted the seminar with a view to providing global best practice in marketing and distribution of movies, training on digital movie production and editing among others.

The NCC, he said, is in the vanguard of doing the best for the entertainment industry including Nollywood, just as a studio is being built at DBI Cappa-Oshodi campus in Lagos to cushion the practice of Nigerian entertainers.

Also speaking, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Mr. Okechukwu Itanyi also told the visitors that the telecom industry is a platform for propagating the ideals of entertainment through video streaming, SMS and caller tunes to mention but a few.

“The industry has ensured the success of these platforms, it has empowered Nigerians and the NCC is looking forward to the emergence of more stars who will reach out to the younger generation and show good example through mentorship” Mr. Itanyi said.
For the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, until his appearance on a radio programme recently to explain the link between telecoms and the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), many people did not know that the ATMs were linked to telecoms networks.

Ojobo said the entertainment industry has made Nigerians both home and in the diaspora proud.

He cited the advent of Project Fame as part of the telecoms industry’s intervention to improve the standard of the entertainment industry and empower the youth.

Mr. Ojobo cited his encounter at an event in JFK Arts Centre in Washington DC where youth of all nationalities came specifically to savour Nigerian artists and learn about the culture of the people of Nigeria displayed through music, drama and the arts.

The visiting MTN ambassadors including Sir Shina Peters, Chidinma, KCee, Praize and Nyanya equally called on some other Directors of the Commission including Ms Josephine Amuwa (Director, Policy Competition & Economic Analysis), Mrs Maryam Bayi (Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau) and Ms Ayo Sofolahan (Director, Projects).

+Remmy Nweke +MTN NIGERIA +MTN Uganda +MTN South Africa +Tony Ojobo  +NgComCommission 

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ACTV debuts with Pidgin channel, promises value to subscribers

DigitalSENSE Business News:

The African Cable Television (ACTV), a Direct-to-home service in Nigeria has made its debut with exclusive entertainment channel on Pidgin English tagged Area TV, just as the operator promises value to subscribers on its platform, DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion reports.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director, ACTV, Mr. Godfrey Orkeh, told DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion at Ibis Hotel venue of the product launch that they offer world class content that is both local and international. 

“Our desire to give quality TV entertainment at affordable price has led us to this day and we are glad to give millions of Nigerians what they have longed for over the year,” he said.

ACTV, according to him, is poised to offer to subscribers an enhanced consumer TV experience, providing them easy access to high definition channels featuring movies, music, sports, lifestyle, fashion, children entertainment, religion and whole lots more.

In addition, he told DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion “we have our own channels - Rana for house entertainment programming, Ibile for Yoruba entertainment programming, Oji for Igbo entertainment programming, GAT TV for Gospel music, and for the first time in Africa, an exclusive pidgin channel, Area TV.” 

Also he promises that they have something for everyone, hence they would declare to our customers, “it’s your world”, stressing they have no doubt subscribers will be delighted with the mix.

“Our vision is to be a Direct- to- Home TV operator that’s renowned for offering quality entertainment content and a broad spectrum of choice offering to our customers. With the launch of Africa Cable Television (ACTV) today, we are saying to Nigerians that we are committed to ensuring that we provide value to everyone and that we keep delivering value now and in the future,” Orkeh assured.

The Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Joseph Chitanta also told DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion that ACTV was incorporated in 2013 and ever since the team has been working very hard to see this day come to light

“A day, were we could announce to you distinguished gentlemen of the press the launch of a world-class digital TV satellite operator serving customers in Nigeria with multimedia entertainment that we undoubtedly believe our viewers in Nigeria will love,” he said.

From the onset of ACTV operations, he said, focuses on offering customers with quality content that is of a highest relevance to them

“We strongly believe that by providing our customers with exceptional customer service, decoders that integrate state-of-the-art technologies including high definition TV, PVR and pause- TV coupled with TV programming will not only increase their entertainment experience, but also significantly save them time by providing them with programs that address their needs,” Chitanta said.   

+Uju Nweke +Naija AgroNet +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 

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L-R: Miss Akpo Gordon, Director Media and Brand, Ken Hutton, Consultant, Godfrey Orken, CEO/MD ACTV, Jide Lawrence, Director of Content Development, Joseph Chitanta, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at a media launch of ACTV PayTV in Lagos.

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Vanguard wins @HackAgainstEbola Editor's lab

PR@ITRealms:

The team from Vanguard, has won #HackAgainstEbola, organised by the Global Editors Network, Pan-Atlantic University and OSIWA (Open Society Initiative for West Africa) in partnership with ICFJ (International Center for Journalists) and sponsored by Google. 

Each team was composed of a journalist, a designer and a developer, and they had two days to build a prototype on a specific theme: ‘How to better cover and prevent Ebola’. It is part of a global programme called Editors Lab; a series of international hackdays.

The competition was won by the team from Vanguard, with a prototype called Ebola Go, information apps which gives the users all relevant information need on Ebola. Such information as news, write ups, photos, videos, data among others, which is web, mobile and SMS based. There is also a short code for Phone users where there is no internet. 

It also connects the users to doctors and doctors to users as well as hospitals. The apps 'draws information from all relevant site that have things to do with Ebola and other health issues.’

As one of the jury Evangeline de Bourgeoning explains ‘It is an extremely simple and efficient

system : without any internet connection and in just a few clicks the users have access to the

most important info about Ebola. This quick and cheap platform has the potential to become a

broadly used tool in West-African countries.’

The 2nd prize was given to Voice of Nigeria, with Hack Against Ebola and the 3rd prize to Unilag with Ebola Shield.

The audience choice went to Ebola Yarn, by TVC. The other teams participating were: The Nation Newspaper, News Agency of Nigeria, Channels Television, Yes International! Magazine, TELL Magazine, DigitalSENSE BusinessNews, Nigerian NewsDirect.

You can see all the projects on the GEN Community. Pictures of the event are available on our

Flickr account.

The winning team will be invited to participate in the Editors Lab Final, held in Barcelona during

the GEN Summit 2015, next June. They will compete against the other winners from the Editors

Lab.

The Jury was composed of Babatunde Akpeji, Knight International Journalism Fellow, ICFJ;  Mikang Longjan, Program Coordinator, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA); and Evangéline de Bourgoing, Programme Manager, Global Editors Network.

The next #HackAgainstEbola will be held in Dakar, mid-January.

 
+Remmy Nweke #HackAgainstEbola +VanguardNews 
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