News of the FIAT/IFTA Award

The saying goes: "All good things come in threes!" In this sense the FIAT/IFTA AWARD 1997 has done its task twice, because the competition has now even 6 novelties!

1. For the first time in the Award's history the competition rules have not been restricted to the use of television archival material. - Treasures from all archives now have the chance to take their place in the FIAT/IFTA Award!
2. The FIAT/IFTA AWARD has opened its eyes also to non-members. - Being 4 years the Award has finally become a real worldwide competition!
3. The Internet has been second only to the traditional AWARD folder being an important source of information, as - for the first time - the nomination documents could be called up. - The FIAT/IFTA AWARD on internet!
4. For the first time we have nominations from all continents!
5. .Unfortunately, we have to refuse several nominations each year for not complying with the rules. - But anyway, the nominations complying with the rules exceeded 30 this year!
6. Save the best for last! This year, the FIAT/IFTA will be able to present for the first time the FIAT/IFTA INNOVATION AWARD which will be sponsored with DM 7.500 by digital. This Award especially recognises the idea of supporting the creative and innovative use of archival material. - The FIAT/IFTA Television Archive Award has a son!

Dr. Dirk Heuser, Director of the Strategic Technology & Research Department of the European Applied Research Center of the Digital Equipment GmbH, about the new award:

"The CEC Karlsruhe, as digital's European Applied Research Center, is active in the area of digital radio and television storage. One of its tasks is to develop professionell multimedia applications. By supporting the FIAT/IFTA Innovation Award digital would like to provide an appropriate setting for the central importance of radio and television archives."

Anyway - what would the FIAT/IFTA AWARD be without its sponsors? digital immediately committed themselves for three years. G€rtlerIntermedia and Tecmath sponsored the Award from its very start and will continue to do so beyond 1997. Apart from the Award, all three sponsors are closely connected to the FIAT/IFTA and its members. The FIAT/IFTA Award has created much confidential and successful cooperation!

We do not want to rest on our laurels! The Programming & Production Commission has founded its own press group for the Award. Sue Malden (BBC), Birgitte Rathsach (DR), G˛sta Johansson (Administrative Secretary of FIAT/IFTA) and Karl Maier (SWF), will try to promote the AWARD even more and to increase its role. Our FIAT/IFTA Vice-President Dominique Saintville (INA) will support us with the French speaking part. We already have concrete projects in mind and surely will report the details in Budapest!

First the Programming & Production Commission has to select the three shortlisted programmes for the 4th FIAT/IFTA Television Archive Award. Then the P&P Commission members will have the task of choosing the first winner of the FIAT/IFTA Innovation Award. No easy task, considering the continually increasing quality of the nominations!

By the way: the Award presentations and the following farewell dinner on the 11th of September 1997 promise to be a great event during our annual FIAT/IFTA conference. This is not only because of the quality of nominations but especially the spectacular setting of the ceremony and the excellent organization team led by Aniko Josza, Agnes Forgacs and Lazlo Kugler. A piano player with the typical Hungarian name Peter Paul Schmidt will also join us ... .

Come to Budapest! We are very much looking forward to seeing you all there!

SWF + SDR = SWR

Südwestfunk and Süddeutscher Rundfunk are merging.

FIAT/IFTA will lose two members in 1998 and potentially win a new one: The German FIAT/IFTA members SWF and SDR, public broadcasters, will become one single public broadcaster in 1998. On the 1st of October 1998 the new SWR will start its new TV and radio programmes. SWR will then be the second largest regional broadcasting corporation under public law in Germany! A potential member for FIAT/IFTA in the future.