Posted by Simon Didszuweit on April 5, 2011 under Laos Info, Radio, TV, University, View all | 
DW-AKADEMIE recently introduced regional blogs covering DW-A projects worldwide. Future updates on our Laos projects will be published at DW-AKADEMIE Asia Blog, tagged “laos”.
Read more about
DW-AKADEMIE’s first workshop on journalism at the National University of Laos in Vientiane
Starting April 2011, we will stop maintaining this blog. You are welcome to contact us via twitter or facebook.
Thank you for your your interest so far. Looking forward to seeing you in Laos 
Posted by Simon Didszuweit on August 12, 2010 under TV, View all |
DW-AKADEMIE and the state-owned TV corporation Television Nationale Lao (TNL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. DW-AKADEMIE will be supporting TNL in creating programming more relevant to the Laotian public.
The initial project started under the memorandum aims to improve Television Nationale Lao’s audience share and ultimately its financial stability. It was jointly developed by DW-AKADEMIE and TNL to support TNL and its provincial partner stations in launching a daily information programme. It will be shown nationwide and start airing in approximately twelve months. The programme will feature information and current affairs items stemming from all provinces as well as the capital.
“Creating programmes that connect people in Laos through the media is a positive step and we welcome the opportunity to cooperate with TNL on this,” says DW-AKADEMIE Director, Gerda Meuer. “Creating programmes connecting people with each other and with the government will help the country in its development efforts and benefit the population as a whole.”
For TNL to gain market share both memorandum signatories agree it needs to collect more information and reports directly from viewers. The German media consultants will support their Lao colleagues in developing the necessary skills and methods. “The key is to go out and listen to what people have to say. If you don’t listen to your audience, why should they listen to you?” says DW-AKADEMIE’s Daniel Hirschler, Country Coordinator for projects in Laos.
Television Nationale Lao, Lao PDR’s government broadcaster, is under the direction of the Ministry of Information and Culture. Its role is to disseminate government policies, laws, regulations, rules, procedures and information to people across the country and to broadcast educational and entertainment programmes to local and international audiences.
However, Laos’ media market is under strong influx from competing Thai TV and radio channels that broadcast popular news and entertainment formats to Laos from across the Mekong River. So far, TNL and other Lao media have not been able to provide a successful response to this challenge. Laotians are thus left without their own mass media to cater to their specific needs and interests. A recent policy by the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party acknowledges the need for change and for Laotian mass media to become an effective means of two-way communication between the people and their government.
Laos is one of the focal points of DW-AKADEMIE’s long-term projects in Asia. It has held trainings and consultancies here since the mid-1990’s, and in 2009 conducted and evaluated an initial project with Lao National Radio, focussing on Savannakhet province. The project there continues. DW-AKADEMIE is also working with the National University of Laos, supporting the Department of Mass Communication in teaching journalism.
Posted by Simon Didszuweit on July 20, 2010 under TV, View all |
DW-AKADEMIE and Television Nationale de Lao (TNL) cooperate on the development of a new TV-News format featuring local information from all provinces in Laos. The project has successfully been developed and agreed upon in 2009.
TNL Stakeholder Conference 06.-08.04.2010
Representatives from both the departments of information and culture and the provincial TV-stations from 12 out of 16 provinces gathered around one table in Vientiane to discuss the visions, obstacles and needs of the committed partners. All partners have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), outlining the project design and responsibilities.
In an early stage, the new format is envisioned to be a 10 to 15 minutes show with local information pre-produced and contributed by the committed provincial stations on a daily basis. A network between the stations (to be established) shall enable them to share all content i.e. for rebroadcasting. Thus, the tasks ahead are:
1. set up production teams in both TNL-HQ in Vientiane and two pilot provinces
2. support the production team regarding all aspects of daily news-production and distribution
3. support the production team in Vientiane with processing and distributing the contributions from the provinces
4. establish a functioning network for content management and -sharing
All different aspects of the project will be discussed and decided upon by the “Steering Board”, a coordination team with executives from DW-AKADEMIE, TNL as well as Champassak and Luang Prabang province, who will represent the interests of all committed stations and were elected by the conference members.
Follow the project with our regular updates
Posted by Simon Didszuweit on July 8, 2009 under Laos Info, Radio, TV, View all |
Preface
As “Landlocked Least Developed Country” (LLDC) positioned between China and Myanmar in the north, Thailand in the west, Viet Nam in the east and Cambodia in the south, People’s Republic of Laos (Laos PDR) is one of the poorest countries in the region. Between 1990 and 2005 there were more than 27% of the population living with not more than 1$ per day. On UNDP Human Development Index Laos (with a scale of 0.608) ranks 133rd of 179. Laos still suffers from the results of massive bombardments during the so called “Secret War” and the war in Viet Nam: Today, some 78 million “Unexploded Ordinances” (‘UXO’) remain threatening everyday life troughout Laos. Laos is one of the key partners of German development co-operation in the region.
Background: The media situation in Laos PDR
Regarding freedom of the press, Laos media still undergo strict oversight by the centralist communist government, but currently begins opening up (mainly in terms of economic freedom). Yet, Laos ranks no. 164 of 173 on Reporters Without Borders’ “World Press Freedom Index” and is regarded as “not free” by Freedom House, who argue that the leading communist party were using media only “to link the people to the party, deliver party policy messages, and disseminate political ideology”. All major media is either owned or controlled by the government or the communist party, yet few examples are allowed in the entertainment sector. Until 2008, there has been no press- or media-law. According to freedomhouse, Laos media were suffering from self-censorship although the constitution grants Laos citizens freedom of speech and information and there is no official censorship.
Thai TV rendering Lao Radio useless
Radio has a lot of potential and could lead to promising developments: Laos’ radio receivers per-capita value is one of the highest in the region, but the audience would rather consume Thai media (due to similarities in language, many Laotians understand almost all Thai). The Laotian audience is simply turning away from what in their experience is mere ‘Protocol-News’ (This is the observation of a high ranking Lao media official, based on Audience surveys conducted by Lao National Radio, UNICEF and SIDA). Laotian people lose grip of ‘their news’ and ‘their stories’.
On the other hand, there is considerable economic growth (especially in transfer-areas like Savannakhet, where newly built roads and bridges connect Thailand in the west with Viet Nam in the east). Together with a relative independence of the provincial sector and accompanied by ‘beacon-projects’ carried out with support by UNESCO, UNDP, SIDA, DW-AKADEMIE and others, a development towards more audience-oriented community-radio formats has begun. The first media-law has recently been signed, raising hopes on a further consolidation of Laotian media.
Posted by Team Laos on June 17, 2009 under TV, View all |
* There is one current project in Vientiane, Laos *
News for all of Laos – Introducing a new television news format, together with our main national partner Lao National TV. (ongoing)
Read more:
* Project Description
* All Television Posts
* Backgound to Media Projects
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Project Status Television posts provide details on the current status of projects concerning television. For basic information please refer to Project Descriptions
