US-based WorldSpace Corporation, developer of direct satellite delivery for digital audio radio services (DARS), announced its Government Sales Unit has submitted a proposal in partnership with nine other companies and institutions to rebuild Iraq's news media institutions.
The Iraqi Media Network operates the country's national television and FM radio networks and Al-Sabbah newspaper.
Scheduled to begin January 1, 2004, the $98 million, one-year Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) contract to reconstruct the Iraqi Media Network also has two six-month extension options.
The main objective of the contract is to ensure the Iraqi network is brought up to professional standards in media. This will include the refurbishment and repair of infrastructure, the provision of programming, the expansion of the national newspaper network and the training of a local workforce. The final component is to develop an exit strategy by privatizing the media network and turning the control back to the Iraqi nation of over 24 million people.
WorldSpace's radio service has been broadcasting into Iraq and the Middle East since 1999. The company broadcasts entertainment, news, music and educational programming to a global service area that includes more than four billion people and targets its programming to consumers, governments, and other organizations.
The company leverages its two geo- stationary satellites, AfriStar and AsiaStar, and its ownership of broad-spectrum licenses to deliver more than 100 digital quality audio channels per satellite as well as multimedia content directly to portable receivers. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
