Macau : Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar was elected as the Vice President of Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). He was elected one among the three Vice Presidents of ABU which also has an elected President and their term will exist for a period of three years. The election was a part of the 51st ABU General Assembly and Associated meetings held at Macao from 22nd to 28th October.
The ABU, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014, has more than 255 member broadcasters large and small spread across the region’s 63 countries, from Turkey in the west to Samoa in the east, and from Russia in the north to New Zealand in the south.
Established in 1964 as a non-profit, non-government, professional association to assist the development of broadcasting in the region, the ABU promotes the collective interests of television and radio broadcasters and encourages regional and international co-operation between broadcasters.
The ABU Secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and is headed by a Secretary-General appointed by the General Assembly. It has over 30 staff, of whom more than a third are broadcast professionals recruited from among ABU members.
ABU works closely with the regional broadcasting unions in other parts of the world on matters of common concern, and with many other international organisations to exchange information on the latest developments in broadcasting, undertake activities to improve the skills and technologies of its members and encourage harmonisation of operating and technical broadcasting standards and systems in the region.
The ABU runs a wide range of activities, including the daily Asiavision satellite TV news exchange, co-production and program exchanges and technical, programming, legal and management consultancy services, as well as international frequency planning and coordination. It negotiates rights for major sports events and organises coverage for the region.
