EVENTS
NHK President Masayuki Matsumoto describing what NHK does constantly in preparation to cover major disasters.
hosted by MediaCorp in Singapore addressed is- sues that broadcasters are facing with such as chang- ing financial models, the impact of new media on public broadcasting, the digital switchover, and the role of public broadcasters in extreme situations.
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Masayuki Matsumoto, the President of NHK-Japan, made a presentation on the “Public Service Broadcaster’s Role in Extreme Situations”.
Mr Matsumoto said the seven months after the 11 March disaster firmed up his belief in the vital role of public broadcasting.
He said the high TV ratings in Japan right after the quake reflected viewer
38 ABU News
he 20th Public Broadcasters Inter- national conference
Being prepared for extreme situations
confidence in NHK. He mentioned that NHK earns this confidence by being prepared as it is ready to report on major disasters and accidents at any moment.
Mr Matsumoto added that transmitting the images live allows broadcasters to convey major news as it’s breaking.
“Some of you may remem- ber footage from the 1995 earthquake in Kobe which showed an NHK reporter jumping up off a sofa while on overnight duty. NHK captured this, thanks to an NHK invention called a ‘skip-back recorder’.”
The skip-back recorder works around the clock, he explained. When it senses the rumbling of a quake, it automatically stores the preceding 10 seconds and continues recording. The skip-back function allows NHK to document critical moments without fail.
The NHK President said that having equipment that’s ready is useless without well-trained, hardworking staff. Which is why NHK employees run through disaster drills every day.
Late at night, production staff, engineers and presenters go over what
they need to do in the event of a disaster.
“NHK’s role in a crisis is to give prompt and accurate information, and also encourage people not to panic. It’s our job to tell the facts so the audience can make informed decisions,” Mr Matsumoto said.
Mr Matsumoto added that during major earthquakes, NHK can devote all its channels to delivering live coverage. Since it doesn’t have advertisements, it is free to reschedule its programmes.
He said the 11 March disaster also prompted
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