WHO IS WHO IN FIAT/IFTA?

New members of the Executive Council, the Commissions or any other office of FIAT/IFTA will here be presented. That also goes for New members of FIAT/IFTA. Questions are formulated by Katharina Robertsson Reimer, the Administrative Co-ordinator of the organization.

Dr. Branko Bubenik, Chair of the Training Commission in FIAT/IFTA. Head of the INDOK Archive at the Hrvatska Television in Zagreb, Croatia. Prisavlje 3 HR-1000 ZAGREB, CROATIA Phone: +385 1 616 3068/616 3366 2632 Fax: +385 1 616 3025 E-mail: b.bubenik@hrt.hr List of Education: Technical Chemical School (graduated 1959). Bio Technologic Faculty (1962) Academy for Film & Television (graduated 1974) M.A. of Informatics (1984) Doctor of Informatics (1997)

Mr Bubenik, could you please tell us about yourself?
I was born in 1940. As a secondary school boy I was interested in amateur film in "Kino Klub Zagreb", one of the oldest and most famous film clubs in Europe. After achieving the reward for the best documentary film "From the Archive of Village Photographer" 1962, I was invited to work on Television Zagreb. I started my career as the assistant to a film director and for 15 years I worked as a film reporter. In 1974 I was promoted chief of the TV documentation departement working with five people in two small rooms. From this group arose the actual Independent departement INDOK, the modern multimedia logistic part of television programme, providing the house with archivistic, documentalistic and librarian issues. Today it has 50 employees and 20 outside workers.

Are you able to use your knowledge from the academical world being a PhD, in your work as the head of archive?
All my life I learn and transfer my knowledge to the others. Besides my archive work I have founded the secondary school for TV & Film studies in Zagreb where I have lectured "The Elementary of Photography" and "The Suggestive Issues of Film and Television". Since 1989, I also give lectures at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb, Section of Informatology, which comprises archives, documentation, librarian and museology. At the INDOK I keep lectures on "Digital Multimedia Archiving". My doctorate "Archiving of Audiovisual Documents and Changes of TV technologies" (1997), has come out as the practical requirement to solve one of the biggest problems of AV-archivistics. It will also be published by UNESCO at the "International Institute for Archive Technologies". In my opinion my researches upon the loss at migration of contents at Betacam SP cassettes are of special importance. They prove that these losses are very small as well as the loss of magnetic remanence by passive aging in the archive vault. TV archives of mixed analogue-digital issues will be on the scene, specially in middle- and undeveloped countries for a long time.

Could you tell us about the INDOK Archive?
It is situated in one building linked by technical and programme departements by special lifts. Within an integral HRT Intranet of 1200 PC:s and terminals, INDOK dep. is using 60 machines. We are proud having a long tradition of computer usage in our archives. Twenty years ago we had a public presentation of our first data base. The conditions of keeping and protection of AV documents are optimal. We store since 20 years the film in refrigerated archives at a temperature of 2-5 degrees C. The digital technology is gradually introduced. Due to the two wars in Croatia this process is slowed down compared to the archives of western Europe.

You are recently nominated Chair of the Training Commission. What are you going to work for in the future?
I paid a great attention to select the commission members. Teamwork is, in my opinion, very important. This is the first commission of FIAT/IFTA having balanced territorial combination of western, middle and eastern Europe. For the first time colleagues from the countries in transition are the members, among those four doctors of science. The commission should be enlarged with members of other continents, so please all who are interested, let me know. For TV archives of countries in transition we have got plans to realize a seminar about film protection and preservation, that would take place in Sarajevo in October 1999.

What can we do to help the archives with special needs?
It is necessary to establish models of educational programme of TV archivists, specially for undeveloped and medium developed archives. It would enable a regional, cheaper and more efficient education of new archivists into regional educational centres. These would also include a permanent exchange of new professional knowledge between the TV archives of various standard. The best help to each TV archive is good advice, technical help and support. During the war period in Croatia in 1991 and 1992 the Austrian colleagues from ORF sent us reused tapes and U-Matic cassettes. From a financial point of view the help was trivial but morally it was of great importance. I do think that the most important task of every international organisation is to support the spirit of international solidarity and equality in their rights and duties.

The conference room, waiting for you    
Photo courtesy of the Carrera Hotel

Dr. Kyriaki Arseni, New Commission member of the Training Commission in FIAT/IFTA. Head of ERT Museum and Archive Direction since 1994. ELLINIKI RADIOPHONIA TILEORASSI S.A. Mourousi 16 10674 ATHENS, GREECE Phone: +30 1 724 9360/729 3840 ext.14 Fax: +30 1 722 4814 E-mail: karseni@ert.gr List of Education: Dr. ès lettres of Sorbonne, Historian (Diplomes d'étude litteraires, Licence d'Histoire de l'Art et Archeologie, Licence d'Histoire et Maitrise d'Histoire) Special studies: Paleography and texts edition, documentalist. Author of a book on "The Greek Painting of the 19th and early 20th century".

Mrs Arseni, would you please tell us about your background and your professional career at the ERT Archive?
Since 1984 I work for the Greek TV (ERT) in the field of historical documentaries and serials. In 1988 I continued as TV cultural counsellor and at the same time I was teaching History of Art at the Dramatic School and organising seminars for managers of cultural events (Ministry of Culture).

What are the main concerns for the ERT Archive? What does your daily work consist of?
For the restructuring of ERT archives we had a lot of problems to confront and mainly to change the managementâs mentality on archives as well as in the field of programme production and news. We had to train the staff, to create laboratories for film and video preservation and coordination of the ERT seven separate libraries. Thus, with a common system we started the cataloguing, documentation and the creation of collections.

The technical systems that you are using, do they belong to the newest standardized ones or have you, like several other companies, had any problems with them?
We participate in the European Unions new technology process to digitize our archive, for example with DIVAN and PANORAMA. We believe that in the year 2000 we will have obtained the technical structure. We started with a three-year plan in 1994 and after five years we still have a lot of things to cover.

What does FIAT/IFTA symbolize to you and your archive?
For us FIAT/IFTA is an organisation, which connects us with foreign archives and the "know-how" by meeting our colleagues. We still believe that the organisation should have a more cultural character and fight for the protection of the world's audiovisual heritage. We truly feel sorry that FIAT/IFTA has not denounced the destruction of Serbian TV Archives, one of the oldest in the Balkans.

Being a new member of the FIAT/IFTA Training Commission, what are your intentions and goals for the future? What are you going to work for?
At the Training Commission (TC) we will try with our colleagues to help the work that Mr Bubenik has undertaken, to get the best result. I believe that the TC should meet once or twice at the beginning of each year to plan next year's activity.

What are the most important questions that FIAT/IFTA stands for and how can we try to help the less situated archives to get better possibilities?
Personally, I give a great importance in regional archive training, since every region has its own problems. After the training, bonds and co-operation should be created between the archives. The need of common regional training was assessed at the 1st Meeting of the Balkan TV Archives that we organised with success last summer.

Dr. Anatoli Vystorobets, New member of the Training Commission of FIAT/IFTA  
GOSTELRADIOFOND
RUSSIA
Phone: +7 095 290 2730
Fax: +7 095 290 6966
E-mail: gtrf@cityline.ru


Mr Petar Kardjilov, New member of the Training Commission of FIAT/IFTA.
Head of Archive at the Televisionen Fond Archive
BULGARSKA NATIONALNA TELEVISIA (BNT)
29, San Stefano Str.
SOFIA 1504, BULGARIA
Phone: +359 2 443 421
Fax: +359 2 463 538
E-mail: kardjilov@bnt.bg


Mrs Jacqui Gupta, New member of the Training Commission of FIAT/IFTA,
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Broadcasting House, Whiteladies Rd.
BS8 2LR BRISTOL, UK
Phone: +44 1179 742305
Fax: +44 1179 238879
E-mail: jacqui.gupta@bbc.co.uk


Mr Johannes Kraus, New member of the Technical Commission of FIAT/IFTA,
Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, Documentation & Archives (ORF)
Wuerzburgg. 30
A-1136 Wien, AUSTRIA
Phone: +43 1 87878 14175
fax: +43 1 87878 12739
E-mail: johannes.kraus@orf.at

Mirador Techniques Ltd., New Associate member of FIAT/IFTA.
Director: Mr Mike Cox.
Line of Business: Consultancy & Project Management to the Broadcast Industries
Berrynarbor, Cadley, Collingbourne Ducis
Marlborough, SN8 3EA, UK
Phone: +44 1264 850360
Fax: +44 1264 850895
E-mail: mirador_techniques@csi.com

Mirador Techniques is a small company whose principal activity is providing Consultancy and Project Management, primarily to the Broadcast Industry. It was set up in 1997 by the current Director, Mike Cox, who previously worked for the BBC as a Manager at both the regional News station in Southampton and the Network production Centre in Bristol. It was during this time with the BBC that Mr Cox became interested in the work of the Archives and the role of the Information Scientist in Broadcasting.

The Company draws on experience of Digital and Server systems gained since the early 1990s when Mr Cox was responsible for the introduction of Radio and TV systems incorporating Servers for daily use at BBC Bristol. Recently, it has been involved with major Digital projects such as the bringing into service of the BBC's Digital Transmission Area on the 4th floor at Television Centre, London, and ABC of America's European, Middle East and African News Bureau at Hammersmith in London.

Mirador Techniques is actively involved with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and Mr Cox sits on their Technical Committees. Currently, these committees are working on realising the aspirations of the joint EBU/SMPTE Task Force for Harmonised Standards for the Exchange of Programmes as Bitstreams, particularly with regard to Metadata, Wrappers and Unique Identification.

Current work includes working with the BBC's Media Data Group on the understanding and development of Information and Technical Architectures to support the new Digital Age and all its ramifications for Archiving, Media Management, Production and - not least - the end user, the Viewer and Listener.

Duna Television, Central Archive, New Full member.
Person to contact: Mr Miklðs Kenderessy.
Mõszíros utca, 48-54
H-1016 BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Phone: +36 1 457 1250
Fax: +36 1 375 7291
E-mail: kenderessy@dunatv.hu
Internet site: www.dunatv.hu


Greenpeace, New Associate - Organisational - member.
Line of Business: Environmental Campaigning Organization
Person to contact: Ms Molly Haig.
Keizersgracht 176
1016 DW AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Phone: +31 20 523 6249
Fax: +31 20 526 2000
E-mail: mhaig@ams.greenpeace.org
Internet site: www.greenpeace.org/gpimages/


Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen, Archivo Audiovisual, 
New Associate - Organisational - member.
Person to contact: Mr Carlos Henräquez Consalvi
05-209 San Salvador
EL SALVADOR 
Phone: +503 2740205
Fax: +503 2740205
E-mail: santiago@es.com.sv
Internet site: www.museo.com.sv


Stockholm University, The Institution for Film Sciences
New Associate - Organisational - member.
Person to contact: Ms Marianne Sigmond
Box 27062
S-102 51 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Phone: +46 8 162000
Fax: +46 8 665 0723
E-mail: marianne.sigmond@mail.film.su.se

Thanks:

Mr Luis Freitas Costas, Executive Council member, has retired from his duty at the RADIOTELEVISAO PORTUGUESA in Lisbon, Portugal. Mr Costas will no longer take part in the Executive Council work. He sends his warmest regards and expressions of gratitude to everyone within the FIAT/IFTA . Mr Costas can still be reached at his company through Mr Alfredo Tropa.

Correction:

In the last issue of the Newsletter RADIOTELEVISIO VALENCIANA (RTVV) was presented as a new member. It first became a member in 1991 but in 1998 the company renewed its membership. Mr Carlos Benito Amat is the Head of Archive and Mr Enric Bellveser is in charge of the teletext service and is also the person to contact within the FIAT/IFTA.