2013-06-11
The development of a comprehensive new ITU-R Report on the long-standing, essential role of terrestrial radio and television broadcasting for rapid dissemination of emergency information to the public, was endorsed during the ITU-R Study Group 6 meeting on 26 April 2013 (to be undertaken by its Working Party 6A).
It also decided during this meeting to hold a half-day Workshop on Emergency Broadcasting, prior to its next meeting in November 2013 where a first version of this ITU-R Report should be presented.
With the increasing variety of natural disasters occurring, including tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, snowstorms, earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist violence, mass transportation accidents and industrial or technological catastrophes, it is absolutely essential that the public is provided the necessary information as rapidly as possible. In these critical situations, terrestrial television and radio broadcasters ensure the fastest and most effective means of providing information to the public (including visual advice on maps).
Terrestrial TV broadcast infrastructure is highly robust and regularly remains operational even when other communications technologies (such as two-way voice and data services) fail, through emergency plans and facilities that broadcasters have in order to keep their signal on the air and their newsgathering and studio environments powered and operational in disaster situations.
The ITU-R Report on the long-standing, essential role of terrestrial radio and television broadcasting for rapid dissemination of emergency information to the public (to be developed by two Co-Rapporteurs of ITU-R Working Party 6A) is expected to provide a valuable exchange of best practices between broadcasters and nations so that experiences can be shared for the improvement of emergency broadcasting throughout the world.
The Workshop on Emergency Broadcasting, to be held on 21 November 2013, will be open to media and the public and will focus on experiences made, lessons learnt and best practices.
Further information will be provided on the ITU Radiocommunication Sector home page:
www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/
|
