ID :
117983
Thu, 04/22/2010 - 11:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/117983
The shortlink copeid
GLOBAL MEDIA SUMMIT OPENS IN SEOUL TO ADDRESS DIGITAL REVOLUTION
By Yoo Cheong-mo
Seoul, April 22 (ANTARA/Yonhap-OANA) - Chief executives of leading news agencies from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa opened a global media summit in Seoul on Wednesday, seeking to widen multilateral cooperation in coping with the challenges posed by the unfolding of the digital media revolution.
The four-day conference, co-hosted by Korea`s Yonhap News Agency and the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), brought together about 90 CEOs and representatives of 44 newswire companies from 35 countries worldwide.
Nearly all of OANA`s 41 member companies, spanning 33 countries, are taking part in the "OANA Summit Congress," which runs through Saturday at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul under the theme of "Challenges and opportunities for news agencies."
Heads of various newswire associations from around the world are also attending the conference as observers, as are some 30 CEO-level representatives.
The conference, which coincides with the celebrations marking the Yonhap`s 30th founding anniversary, is the largest official event in the history of OANA, which was formed in 1961 on the initiative of UNESCO to promote regional news exchanges.
North Korea`s Korean Central News Agency, also a member of OANA, failed to respond to an invitation to attend the conference, also dubbed the "G-20 media summit" as over 11 participating countries are the G-20 members. Seoul is set to host the official G-20 summit in November.
"Asia-Pacific news industry leaders will have a rare chance to exchange their views on how to expand cooperative exchanges among regional newswire services, particularly in the face of the rapidly changing media industry environment characterized by the digital revolution," Yonhap News Agency President and CEO Park Jung-chan said.
"The OANA Summit Congress in Seoul is particularly meaningful, as South Korea will host the G-20 summit in Seoul this November. Yonhap will take the OANA meeting as an opportunity to promote the G-20 summit among regional news agencies," said Park.
Ahead of the official opening ceremony slated for Thursday morning, media summit delegates attended a welcome reception and dinner jointly hosted by Yonhap President Park and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at a restaurant in central Seoul.
"I firmly believe that the OANA Summit Congress will serve as a catalyst for promoting the birth and development of a new Asia," Park said at the welcome dinner.
"As the digital revolution sweeps across the global media industry, this meeting in Seoul provides a venue for regional news agencies to explore new directions."
Senior executives of OANA member companies often get together during the organization`s executive board meeting and on other occasions. But the Seoul summit marks the first gathering of nearly all the CEOs from OANA`s members to discuss a single topic.
According to Park`s aides, delegates to the conference will also discuss ways to ensure that news from Asia is delivered to a global audience from an Asian perspective.
Following the opening ceremony, Professor Oliver Boyd-Barrett of Bowling Green State University in the U.S., and Seoul National University Professor Kang Nam-jun will separately give keynote speeches under the titles of "Survival Strategies for News Agencies Facing the New Media" and the "Future of News Agencies."
At the closing of the OANA summit, participants will adopt a joint declaration on their intention to widen cooperative relations and exchanges among member companies, particularly in the field of new media content.
Participants will also have an opportunity to tour South Korea`s major industrial and tourist sites following the official program. On the sidelines of the OANA summit, Yonhap and other OANA members will display a collection of photos taken by Asia-Pacific photo journalists over the past decade in the lobby of Lotte Hotel.
Participants to the Seoul summit include representatives from China`s Xinhua News Agency, Japan`s Kyodo News, the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (Itar-Tass), Australian Associated Press and Indonesia`s Antara News.
Chair companies from the Federation of Arab News Agencies, the European Alliance of Press Agencies, the Association of Balkan News Agencies and the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies are also attending the Seoul meeting as observers.
Seoul, April 22 (ANTARA/Yonhap-OANA) - Chief executives of leading news agencies from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa opened a global media summit in Seoul on Wednesday, seeking to widen multilateral cooperation in coping with the challenges posed by the unfolding of the digital media revolution.
The four-day conference, co-hosted by Korea`s Yonhap News Agency and the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), brought together about 90 CEOs and representatives of 44 newswire companies from 35 countries worldwide.
Nearly all of OANA`s 41 member companies, spanning 33 countries, are taking part in the "OANA Summit Congress," which runs through Saturday at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul under the theme of "Challenges and opportunities for news agencies."
Heads of various newswire associations from around the world are also attending the conference as observers, as are some 30 CEO-level representatives.
The conference, which coincides with the celebrations marking the Yonhap`s 30th founding anniversary, is the largest official event in the history of OANA, which was formed in 1961 on the initiative of UNESCO to promote regional news exchanges.
North Korea`s Korean Central News Agency, also a member of OANA, failed to respond to an invitation to attend the conference, also dubbed the "G-20 media summit" as over 11 participating countries are the G-20 members. Seoul is set to host the official G-20 summit in November.
"Asia-Pacific news industry leaders will have a rare chance to exchange their views on how to expand cooperative exchanges among regional newswire services, particularly in the face of the rapidly changing media industry environment characterized by the digital revolution," Yonhap News Agency President and CEO Park Jung-chan said.
"The OANA Summit Congress in Seoul is particularly meaningful, as South Korea will host the G-20 summit in Seoul this November. Yonhap will take the OANA meeting as an opportunity to promote the G-20 summit among regional news agencies," said Park.
Ahead of the official opening ceremony slated for Thursday morning, media summit delegates attended a welcome reception and dinner jointly hosted by Yonhap President Park and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at a restaurant in central Seoul.
"I firmly believe that the OANA Summit Congress will serve as a catalyst for promoting the birth and development of a new Asia," Park said at the welcome dinner.
"As the digital revolution sweeps across the global media industry, this meeting in Seoul provides a venue for regional news agencies to explore new directions."
Senior executives of OANA member companies often get together during the organization`s executive board meeting and on other occasions. But the Seoul summit marks the first gathering of nearly all the CEOs from OANA`s members to discuss a single topic.
According to Park`s aides, delegates to the conference will also discuss ways to ensure that news from Asia is delivered to a global audience from an Asian perspective.
Following the opening ceremony, Professor Oliver Boyd-Barrett of Bowling Green State University in the U.S., and Seoul National University Professor Kang Nam-jun will separately give keynote speeches under the titles of "Survival Strategies for News Agencies Facing the New Media" and the "Future of News Agencies."
At the closing of the OANA summit, participants will adopt a joint declaration on their intention to widen cooperative relations and exchanges among member companies, particularly in the field of new media content.
Participants will also have an opportunity to tour South Korea`s major industrial and tourist sites following the official program. On the sidelines of the OANA summit, Yonhap and other OANA members will display a collection of photos taken by Asia-Pacific photo journalists over the past decade in the lobby of Lotte Hotel.
Participants to the Seoul summit include representatives from China`s Xinhua News Agency, Japan`s Kyodo News, the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (Itar-Tass), Australian Associated Press and Indonesia`s Antara News.
Chair companies from the Federation of Arab News Agencies, the European Alliance of Press Agencies, the Association of Balkan News Agencies and the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies are also attending the Seoul meeting as observers.
