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News Xchange 2002: Session Transcripts
11 october 2002
Final Address:
Jim Gold, News Xchange
2002 has been one of the most challenging and exciting years the broadcast news industry has ever faced.
In the post September 11 world, we're more relevant and important than ever. Yet in the digital age, keeping audiences tuned into the evening news bulletins proves to be a continued uphill battle.
The depressed financial state of the media puts additional pressures and burdens upon most broadcast news organisations as well.
Yet in spite of impending war in Iraq, serious budget squeezes and a host of other problems we face, so many of the world's leading broadcasters took the time to participate in this first'-ever News Xchange.
As our first event, I hope you learned much. Personally, I discovered that we can choose a venue where Chris Cramer could end up sitting on a bus for an hour and I live to tell about it, albeit barely.
But I think we all learned even far more valuable lessons.
In this difficult time for broadcasters, I think we have all learned that this type of forum is crucial for our industry
 We have discussed and vigorously debated many of the critical issues we face today. We have also changed the face of how conferences should look. In the past 30 hours or so, we have seen dozens of top panelists here, but also brought in speakers from nine (10) cities from New York to Islamabad (Kabul) - giving us the opportunity to both interact with colleagues spontaneously and re-write the agenda up to the minute.
There are so many people responsible for making the News Xchange happen. If I list them all, most of us will miss our flights, but there are a number of special people I need to particularly thank.
Firstly, our sponsors, who took a chance on a new conference in an economically difficult time to help fund this event and give us the funding to turn this conference into a complicated outside broadcast. Particular thanks there to:
APTN (who also produced the compelling opening video and provided us with office space the past few months and provided the uplink from Islamabad yesterday).
Reuters TV, who also helped us produce the Middle East session and have been great supporters throughout the year.
CBS News: thanks to the London bureau for their support and, of course, to Nell Donovan who will buy us all we can drink from 6 to 8pm tonight.
Vizrt, who provided us with so much graphic and website support.
BT Broadcast Services: thanks Anne Campbell for your support now and in the future with the only platinum membership.
Medialink -- Teletrax and to my good friend and mentor Larry Moskowitz: for so much during the past 15 years.
CNN: thanks Maggie... And if we can avoid using the terms bus or coach in the same sentence with Chris Cramer, I would be ever so grateful. And of course, we are incredibly appreciative of their efforts today to arrange the two way with President Karzai in Kabul.
In addition to the sponsors, a special thanks to Gaby Rosenberg and Jerusalem Capital Studios for their help in organizing yesterday's Middle East session.
Additionally, a first rate job in a first rate venue by Miha Kovacic and his staff at the grand hotel union. Also, two people who produced amazing work up in the balcony, our interpreters.
A million thanks to our host broadcaster, RTV Slovenia who supported us in so many ways this year -- thank you Boris Bergant -- your team has been truly wonderful.
I am doing my best not to turn this into a dreadful Oscar acceptance speech, but if you can bear with me for a few more key thank you's -- I will be done soon:
Nic Jakob of Enex was also instrumental in ensuring this conference would be for all broadcasters. Many thanks to you and all your members who came and supported the News Xchange.
 Many of you are unaware of the technical scope of this production. But think about doing a live studio talk show with 20 guests with 20 microphones, six cameras, as well as four satellite links lasting three hours with only one break! And when I saw four simultaneous feeds from New York, Washington, London and Islamabad in the terrorism and patriotism session, I did become truly in awe of our 30'strong technical crew.
Many thanks to all from TV slovenia and the Geneva-based Actua crew. Additional thanks to Peter Heaps and JP Dean.
Nick Pollard and Andy Tilley from ky News have also been added to my favourites list for providing us with one of his finest talents and one of the most gifted directors I have ever worked with, Neil Hunter. And as if Neil wasn't enough, we got Sky Executive Producer Simon Bucks to produce our hypotethetical session yesterday morning and help out everywhere else. It's been a real treat working with Simon.
And finally to my core News Xchange team. Producer Edith Champagne who, over the past month, pulled sessions, producers, talent and tapes together in an amazing fashion.
Jim Akhurst, our co-ordinating producer, who remained steady and strong when all things technical and editorial seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. Thanks for keeping our heads screwed on straight and our satellite feeds coming in.
Cetty Zambrano, the conference manager, who is more talented than the world's best jugglers. Without Cetty and her team, you would all probably still be queuing for badges now. You are officially entitled to work less than 80 hours next week!
And John Owen, our Executive Producer. John was the man who put this agenda together and extinguished more fires than any emergency worker I know of. I'm pleased John was able to offer us three days a week, as we discussed back in May. And the fact I didn't tell him that he would be spending about 25 hours working per day did not bother him in the least. He handled everything we threw at him (and it was a lot) with professionalism and humour.
So to Edith, Jim, Cetty and John -- my most heartfelt and sincere thanks.
Finally, these are tough times to start a new venture such as the News Xchange -- but Jean Stock, Stefan Kuerten and Tony Naets, despite the inherent risks, believed in the concept and provided funding for this event.
And it is my distinct pleasure to let you know that the EBU has officially committed to underwriting News Xchange 2003 and 2004!!!
As this is a conference for broadcasters by broadcasters, we will look for greater input from all of you - for the agenda, for speakers, for dates and venue. You will all receive emails within the next few weeks to provide us with feedback for this year's event and offer suggestions for next year.
2002 was a great start for us. No doubt, with your help and support, 2003 will prove to be a bigger and better event.
I hope some of you will attend the radio session in the blue room which will now begin at 4:15.
And for those who get to stay on a bit here in Ljubljana I hope you enjoy what this beautiful city has to offer. And be sure to come back to the CBS News bar next door here to raise a toast for the News Xchange. The CBS party goes from 6 to 8pm .. Though no doubt the bar will remain a focal point all night long.
Thanks again to all of you for attending and supporting News Xchange 2002.
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