Text of press release by VT Communications on 14 August
VT Communications, part of the support services and shipbuilding company VT Group, has been awarded a contract to broadcast a significant number of analogue and digital shortwave programmes for the German public broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.
VT Communications will broadcast an initial 90 hours per day of Deutsche Welle programmes, in 14 languages, from its network of UK and global transmission sites, targeting more than 108 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. The new arrangements will start from 1 January next year.
The five-year contract, which provides Deutsche Welle with a highly flexible and cost effective service, includes a significant potential increase in programme hours from May 2007.
Doug Umbers, managing director, VT Communications said: “We are delighted to be given the opportunity to play such a critical role in broadcasting a significant proportion of Deutsche Welle’s worldwide programmes. We are proud to be associated with such an internationally respected broadcaster and look forward to developing the partnership over the coming years”.
“We were able to respond to Deutsche Welle’s requirements in a technical and commercially creative way based on our extensive experience and understanding of the industry, and through our unique technical knowledge and capability.”
VT Communications, which already owns and operates shortwave and mediumwave transmitter sites worldwide, will make a multi-million pound investment in its sites in the UK and its partner site in Austria to facilitate Deutsche Welle’s analogue and digital broadcasts.
This will involve creating a newly re-engineered infrastructure to support the services required, including new transmitters, antennas and support infrastructure, demonstrating VT Communications’ commitment to providing state-of-the-art solutions for broadcasters in analogue and digital.
(Source: VT Communications website in English 14 Aug 06 via BBC Monitoring/R. Netherlands Media Network Weblog)