Worldfocus
Encyclopedia
Worldfocus was an American
newscast focused on international
news
and reporting. The newscast was originally anchored by Martin Savidge
and is now hosted by Daljit Dhaliwal
. It was produced by WNET New York
and distributed to U.S. public television
stations by American Public Television
. It ceased broadcasting on April 2, 2010.
schedule and did not air on all U.S. public TV stations. Worldfocus was a "testing ground", and "important laboratory" for new digital production techniques.
The program uses a number of producers and reporters from a variety of international media sources. News stories and video segments are used from: ABC
, Al Jazeera English, Asian News International
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
, Channel 2 (Israel)
, Channel 10 (Israel), the Christian Science Monitor
, Deutsche Welle
, ITN, LinkTV, NBC News
, The New York Times
, NHK
, and Rede Globo
.http://worldfocus.org/blog/2008/11/21/frequently-asked-questions/2869/
in the international television category.
On the August 28, 2009, program, host Martin Savidge announced that Daljit Dhaliwal would be taking over his role, while Savidge would still host one week a month and have an opportunity to "step out from behind the desk." Savidge is now a special correspondent (Dhaliwal's former role) for the show and Savidge will host occasionally on Worldfocus.
programs were blamed on spending for Worldfocus, although WNET CEO Neal Shapiro
denies this. Neal Shapiro said, "Given the economic environment we now face, it is not prudent to continue the broadcast at this time". Worldfocus failed to garner an audience above 300,000 people. WNET had planned Worldfocus to be the flagship program of an expensive new studio then under construction at Lincoln Center. The completed studio was later used for other programs. In April 2010 WNET started again airing BBC World News, the very program that Worldfocus had replaced in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newscast focused on international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
and reporting. The newscast was originally anchored by Martin Savidge
Martin Savidge
Martin Savidge is an Edward R. Murrow and Emmy Award-winning American television news correspondent for NBC News and special correspondent and former anchor for public television's Worldfocus nightly news program, where he is currently in the role of a special correspondent...
and is now hosted by Daljit Dhaliwal
Daljit Dhaliwal
Daljit Dhaliwal is a British newsreader and television presenter.Dhaliwal is currently one of the news presenters for the Al-Jazeera English news service and broadcasts from Washington DC. Previously, she was the anchor chair of Worldfocus on PBS, which aired its last broadcast on 2 April 2010...
. It was produced by WNET New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and distributed to U.S. public television
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
stations by American Public Television
American Public Television
American Public Television is the largest syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States.-History:...
. It ceased broadcasting on April 2, 2010.
History and operation
The program launched on October 6, 2008, in many cases replacing BBC World News, which continued to air on some public TV stations; following the cancellation of Worldfocus, many of the stations that had dropped the BBC program have since resumed carrying it. Worldfocus was not part of the national PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
schedule and did not air on all U.S. public TV stations. Worldfocus was a "testing ground", and "important laboratory" for new digital production techniques.
The program uses a number of producers and reporters from a variety of international media sources. News stories and video segments are used from: ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, Al Jazeera English, Asian News International
Asian News International
The Asian News International is a leading news agency based in Delhi, India. It provides multimedia news to 50 bureaus in India and also to other parts of Asia. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South...
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
, Channel 10 (Israel), the Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
, Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
, ITN, LinkTV, NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
, and Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
.http://worldfocus.org/blog/2008/11/21/frequently-asked-questions/2869/
Awards and changes to show
Worldfocus received Emmy nominations for the its broadcast series Crisis in Congo, as "Best story in a regularly scheduled newscast", and 21st Century Africa, as "Outstanding feature story in a regularly scheduled broadcast". Crisis in Congo also won the 2009 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism AwardRobert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
in the international television category.
On the August 28, 2009, program, host Martin Savidge announced that Daljit Dhaliwal would be taking over his role, while Savidge would still host one week a month and have an opportunity to "step out from behind the desk." Savidge is now a special correspondent (Dhaliwal's former role) for the show and Savidge will host occasionally on Worldfocus.
Cancellation
On March 8, 2010, Daljit Dhaliwal announced at the end of that night's program, that Worldfocus would cease programming on April 2, 2010. The Worldfocus official website cited "fundraising difficulties" as the reason for the program's demise. In fact Worldfocus was several million dollars off its fundraising goals. Overall Worldfocus was very expensive to produce, and did not bring in the crucial viewer donations as BBC World News had reliably done for years before. Cutbacks, dismissal of personnel, and cancellation of other WNETWNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
programs were blamed on spending for Worldfocus, although WNET CEO Neal Shapiro
Neal Shapiro
Neal B. Shapiro is the president of PBS station Thirteen/WNET New York City, installed in February 2007. He is the chief executive of the station's license holder, the Educational Broadcasting Corporation , which also operates the Long Island, New York, PBS outlet WLIW.- Life and Career :Shapiro...
denies this. Neal Shapiro said, "Given the economic environment we now face, it is not prudent to continue the broadcast at this time". Worldfocus failed to garner an audience above 300,000 people. WNET had planned Worldfocus to be the flagship program of an expensive new studio then under construction at Lincoln Center. The completed studio was later used for other programs. In April 2010 WNET started again airing BBC World News, the very program that Worldfocus had replaced in 2008.