Ostankino to Host "NM4NW":
East-West On-line Media Conference
Set for Moscow in late July
Seattle's Art Pattison Communications Exchange Program, in cooperation
with the Russian state radio/TV network Ostankino, will hold a conference on the theme "New Media for a New World" from July 27 to August 2 at the Ostankino Broadcast Center
in Moscow.
The event is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Eurasia Foundation, and sponsored by U S West. Additional contributors include Aldus Corp. and New Media Ventures Inc.
Aim of the conference
"New Media for a New World" (NM4NW) aims at bringing together those involved in creating new communications media in the United States and the Newly Independent States--from on-line media and telecom as well as print and video, from government as well as private think tanks and policy centers--to chart "the information frontier" and set a course for the future. In addressing this new frontier, NM4NW will look at three facets: the information marketplace, the global network and civil society.
The conference centers on the evolution of the global information network (�the Net�) and its connections to other media: print, broadcast and telecommunications. The Net is providing new tools for gathering and distributing information, and is developing as an information medium in its own right.
Russian perspectives
Russian media outlets are already demonstrating a great deal of entrepreneurship and talent for innovation:
- Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti is now transferring complete pages electronically for remote printing in Finland and is organizing a newspaper association for northwest Russia, to exchange information as well as advertising. The St. Petersburg newspaper also hopes to build a new printing plant completely independent from the local government, which currently controls newspaper production.
- Ostankino Broadcasting is an information provider for CompuServe and is eager to extend the computerization of its news operations.
- Relcom offers a wide range of Russian information sources on a commercial basis but is struggling to maintain its continent-spanning computer network.
- Sovam Teleport, which links East and West via satellite, is mastering the most advanced network tools. For years it has been seeking to branch out into wireless communication services.
- GlasNet, which was among the first to provide Internet connectivity in Russia, is wrestling with all the issues brought on by the commercialization of information. GlasNet also is investigating ways to offer its on-line information in an on-paper format.
All this just scratches the surface. "New Media for a New World" will provide an excellent opportunity for expanding upon such initiatives and helping post-Soviet republics develop communications technology that can assist with democratization a
nd economic liberalization.
Conference participants
Among conference participants will be:
- Esther Dyson, a member of the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council established by the Clinton administration. Dyson, president of EDVentures Holdings, Inc., is an influential observer of the computer industry with a special interest in East-West technology development.
- Roger Fidler, director of New Media for Knight-Ridder Inc. Fidler is a pioneer in developing the electronic newspaper of the future. He was the motive force behind Knight-Ridder�s Viewtron videotex trial in the 1980s as well as PressLink, an international computer network for journalists. He has written a book on new media titled "Mediamorphosis."
- John Dancy, chief diplomatic correspondent for NBC News, who is becoming the network's Moscow bureau chief this summer.
- Daniel J. Weitzner, senior staff counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
- Christopher Kedzie, a research fellow at the RAND Corporation who has been involved in setting up the SilkNet network in Central Asia.
- Burnill Clark, president and general manager of KCTS-TV, one of the United States' foremost noncommercial television stations.
- Representatives from three of the major computer networks in Russia: GlasNet, Relcom and Sovam Teleport. All three network providers intend to present demonstrations of advanced Internet services.
- Natalia Bulashova, Russian operator of the first Russian-American World Wide Web server, "Friends & Partners."
- Vladimir Orlov, member of the executive board at Moscow News. Orlov covered the coup from the Russian White House and is a keen observer of Moscow'�s political scene. He also helped put togeher MN Confidential, a newsletter distributed by fax and e-mail.
- Representatives from Novoe Vremya (New Times), Ostankino, Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti (St. Petersburg News) and others.
- Representatives from U S West International's Moscow and London
offices.
The conference begins Wednesday July 27 and ends the evening of Monday
August 1. The program will include presentations and seminars at Ostankino headquarters; site visits and tours of such facilities as the Russian-American Press and Information Center, NBC/Reuters, GlasNet, Sovam, and Relcom; workshops on specialized topics; and hands-on demonstrations of on-line services which will be made available at Ostankino.
Space is limited, but readers of this notice who wish to receive more information and/or an invitation to the conference should communicate immediately with Alan Boyle in Seattle:
Tel: (206) 448-8035
Fax: (206) 281-8985
E-mail: [email protected]
This article is from the April 1994 issue of
Net Talk
For more information or to order a
subscription, see our publications page.
The URL for this page is: http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~ccsi/nettalk/94-04/mediacon.html
Last updated: October 1994
