Support of Public-Benefit Activities
As a public service television, Czech Television supports cultural and public-benefit activities not only by producing and broadcasting programmes on relevant themes. One of the principal forms of support is media partnership in the framework of which it offers time slots for the broadcasting of educational and non-commercial spots and for the promotion of public collections. In 2002 Czech Television supported 52 educational, cultural and collection projects.
The projects supported by Czech Television in 2002 through the broadcasting of promotion spots include public collections (e.g. Floods SOS, Afghanistan SOS, Barriers), educational and preventive activities (Breast Cancer Prevention, the anti-racism campaign Music Beats Local Nazi, Volunteers – 30 days for the non-profit sector), but also many film projects (e.g. One World, Karlovy Vary IFF, Days of European Film, Febiofest, Ota Hofman Festival, Finále Pilsen, Academia Film Olomouc, Ecofilm), theatrical activities (e.g. Prague German Language Festival) and music festivals (e.g. Prague Spring and Khamoro) as well as other important cultural events (e.g. Czech Cultural Season in France). Detailed information on media partnership offered by Czech Television and on supported projects is available on the Czech Television website.
A very important activity was also the support of the Floods SOS public collection, organised by People in Need, the public-benefit organisation working under the auspices of Czech Television. Thanks to maximum media support and to the great trust of the citizens in the high-quality work of People in Need, this collection was the most successful of all collections whose purpose was to assist people afflicted by the catastrophic floods in August 2002 – it accumulated more than CZK 200 million. The solidarity campaign included also the great charity concert STARS ON THE VLTAVA RIVER which took place on 5 October 2002 and during which the stage, elevated above the recently raging waters, saw the performances of the most popular Czech singers, actors and moderators, all participating for a symbolic CZK 1 fee. The concert, broadcast live, brought almost CZK 8 million to the account.
Czech Television, however, does not act only as a media partner – together with the Foundation for the Development of Civic Society it is also the organiser of the long-term nationwide collection Help the Children! The purpose of the collection is to accumulate and distribute financial resources for timely and effective assistance to endangered and disadvantaged children and develop domestic traditions of donations and volunteer work.
On Easter Monday, 1 April 2002, the 4th year of this collection project inspired by the BBC programme Children in Need culminated on the Czech Television screen. On 15 May, a public tender for the distribution of the total sum, CZK 12,030,643, was invited and the money was subsequently distributed among 89 projects. All organisations received their share of the financial assistance in October 2002. The viewers may get more detailed information on the use of the money accumulated during the 4th year of the collection project in the programme series WHERE MONEY HELPS, broadcast by Czech Television as a rule before the start of the next year's collection campaign. In 2002, the 5th anniversary collection year was inaugurated.
On the International Scene
Since the second year of its existence – i.e. since 1993 – Czech Television has been an active member of international organisations of public service television broadcasters as well as an active participant or organiser of international conferences, festivals and symposiums.
In 2002 Czech Television was the member of the following international organisations:
European Broadcasting Union/Union Européene de Radiodiffusion (EBU/UER) – organisation founded in 1950; in 1993 it merged with the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT). EBU is the largest professional association of public (and partially also commercial) radio and television broadcasters. In 2002 it had 71 regular members in 52 countries of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East as well as 45 associated members in 28 other countries of the world.
In general, the aim of the EBU is to initiate and support cooperation between the member entities as well as between them and other production, broadcasting and distribution organisations all over the world and represent the membersí interests in programming, legal, technological and other matters. The concrete rights and advantages ensuing from membership manifest themselves in particular in the area of programme exchange, acquisition of broadcasting rights to major sports events, international co-productions, research and development of new production and distribution technologies, and legal matters. Czech Television became an active member of the EBU on 1 January 1993. In the framework of the EBU, Czech Television is also the member of the CEE Group, an association of Central and East European broadcasters.
DVB – Digital Video Broadcasting, international non-profit association of European television companies, TV broadcasting technology operators, producers of consumer electronics and IT companies. It is an opinion platform where individual members may share their experience with preparations for the launch of digital TV broadcasting. DVB works under the auspices of the EBU and has direct links to the European Union. DVB membership is subject to a fee. Czech Television has had its representatives in DVB since its foundation in 1993.
EGTA – European Group of Television Advertising, founded in 1974. In 2002, this organisation grouped together 31 advertising agencies or departments of broadcasters from 25 European countries. EGTA represents and supports interests of its members on the advertising market and helps promote the advantages and efficiency of TV advertising. The parent organisation to EGTA is the EBU. EGTA membership is subject to a fee. Czech Television has been a member since 1 January 1993.
EuroNews – the first pan-European satellite news channel, founded on 1 January 1993 on the initiative of the EBU. In 1997, British ITN became the 49% owner as well as operator of EuroNews; the remaining 51% belongs to 17 different broadcasters, all members of the EBU (including Czech Television). The main programme source for the EN schedule is the news exchange going on in the framework of Eurovision and the news service of the APTN and Reuters TV. EN broadcasting can be received via satellite, cable or terrestrial transmitters (as part of the national broadcastersí offer), in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian, depending on the respective region. Czech Television broadcasts EuroNews in English. EN membership is subject to a fee.
Eurosport – a multinational satellite sports channel broadcasting in 17 languages. It was founded in 1989 as a result of an EBU initiative aimed at optimising the use of rights to sports broadcasts and at offering the viewers as many hours of sports broadcasting as possible. The original owners of Eurosport were the EBU consortium (composed of 25 member TV stations) and the Sky Television company; in 1991 the share of Sky was transferred to TF1, which also took over the operation of the channel. In 1993 ESPN and Canal Plus became new Eurosport shareholders and, finally, in 2001 the ESPN share was bought out and divided between Canal Plus and TF1. The revenues of Eurosport come from distribution fees, advertising and sponsoring.
PBI (Public Broadcasting International) – a global association of public service broadcasters, founded in 1991 (till 1997 known as Public Broadcasters International). The main aim of this association is to co-ordinate the efforts of member organisations and the initiatives of other institutions which contribute to the preservation of public service television broadcasting. PBI cooperates with other unions and associations of public broadcasters as well as with international institutions such as the World Council for Radio and Television (WCRT) and represents the interests of public broadcasters in the UNESCO, Council of Europe and other supranational organisations. Czech Television has been a member of PBI since its inception in 1992.
SMPTE – Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, founded in 1916. Virtually all important television companies from 85 countries of the world, including Czech Television, are members of SMPTE. The organisation develops new television standards, supports education in the form of seminars, issues technical implementation documents and recommendations for the implementation of new television systems. SMPTE membership is subject to a fee.
IMZ – International Music Centre – association of world music producers, television organisations, publishers and independent companies; it focuses principally on classical music, jazz, ethnic music and dance programmes.
CIRCOM Regional – European association of regional television studios, founded in 1983. At present, CIRCOM Regional groups together 376 regional studios of both large and small public television companies from 38 countries of Europe. Its mission is to develop various forms of cooperation of regional television stations: programme exchange, co-productions (including multilateral), workshops, seminars and practical training of young programme makers. The membership in CR involves the payment of the membership fee. Since its inception, Czech Television is represented in CR by the Ostrava Television Studio.
In 2002 Czech Television organised the following international events:
39th Golden Prague International Television Festival, 8–12 May
In 2002, one of the oldest television festivals in Europe celebrated its ”10 years with theatre and music“ (i.e. it was already the 10th year since the festival narrowed its focus and began to specialise in music and dance programmes), but it had also a few ”first times“ – for the first time it took place in the Prague Municipal House, it had a new director, the opera and television director Tomáš Šimerda who became, as of May 2002, also the Chief Editor of Czech Television's new Centre for Theatre and Music in Prague, and, last but not least, the range of festival prizes was enlarged by one more award, donated by the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation.
The festival attracted 57 distribution companies from 27 countries all over the world, which entered a record number of 103 programmes in the four competition sections and 12 programmes in the non-competition section. From 8 to 12 May, Prague hosted 650 festival participants both from home and abroad. The festival programme included 9 presentations and workshops dedicated to important TV production companies and a closing round table discussion ďMusic in Public Service Television?. The official awards ceremony of the festival served also as a kind of prologue to the opening of the International Music Festival Prague Spring.
Prizes awarded at the 39th Golden Prague International Television Festival:
Grand Prix Golden Prague
DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY
Rhombus International Inc., Canada
Jury Prize
THE GARDEN OF JOY AND SORROW
Kultura, Russia
Student Prize
MARTHA ARGERICH – EVENING TALKS
Idéale Audience, France
Czech Crystal
Category 1: Music and Dance Programmes Made for Television
PREGNANT PRINCIPALS
Sveriges Television – SVT, Sweden
MOTION CONTROL
BBC Classical Music TV, United Kingdom
Category 2: Music and Dance Programmes Adapted for Television
The Jury decided not to award any prize in this category.
Category 3: Documentaries, i.e. portraits, masterclasses, ”the making of“, etc.
MARTHA ARGERICH – EVENING TALKS
Idéale Audience, France
BREAKING THE SILENCE: MUSIC IN AFGHANISTAN
Songlines Films / MWTV, United Kingdom
Category 4: Live recordings of concerts or performances (opera, operetta, ballet)
The Jury decided not to award a prize in this category.
Special mentions:
RAVI SHANKAR: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
ARTE France, France
A HEAVY HEART
VPRO, The Netherlands
SUBWAYS: FIVE VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY RILKE
Rhodopsin Productions Ltd., Canada
MAKING OF LA TRAVIATA A PARIS
Rada Film – RAI UNO, Italy
Public Award
PREGNANT PRINCIPALS
Sveriges Television – SVT, Sweden
Prize of the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation ďVision 97?
SUBWAYS: FIVE VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY RILKE
Rhodopsin Productions Ltd., Canada
Seminar on documentary production for television professionals, 23 and 24 August – this seminar, the first meeting of television professionals from Central Europe, was organised by the Documentary Film Institute under the auspices of Czech Television in its headquarters at Kavčí hory. The speakers were representatives of great Central European television stations and the topics discussed included: production and distribution of documentaries on the Western market, crisis in documentary production related to the influx of American programmes of the reality-show type and docu-soaps in the early nineties, the strategies for international co-production of documentaries attractive to viewers etc.
Religion 2002, 16–19 October was the 8th conference of religious programming workers and programme makers, traditionally organised by Czech Television under the auspices of the EBU. The conference was attended by 66 representatives of 47 companies from 21 countries.
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