CLARET, France -- March 20, 2014 -- NETIA today announced that it is sponsoring work by Archives du Monde to digitize the archives of Togo's Radio Kara and to train the broadcaster's technicians in managing and maintaining this archive independently. Archives du Monde is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping radio broadcasters worldwide digitize and preserve their audio archives, and NETIA's support and the company's Radio-Assist(TM) digital audio automation software play a key role in this work.
Founded in 1976, Radio Kara is the second public radio broadcaster operating in the northern part of Togo. The facility has thousands of hours of audio stored on magnetic tape, and the gradual deterioration of this archive, mainly due to climatic conditions, requires urgent intervention. These archives represent a unique historical and cultural heritage, including programs on Togolese culture (music, stories, poems), politics, economy, and society.
"Radio Kara's tape archive is a national treasure that excites the imagination with glimpses into the country's rich past," said Elisabeth Clémentin, project manager at Archives du Monde. "A significant part of Togo's audio heritage is stored in this collection, and the creation of a digital archive will benefit all who appreciate African history and culture."
The goal of Archives du Monde is to protect radio archives by facilitating implementation of a lasting and reliable digital audio archive solution that not only helps to preserve the region's cultural assets, but also provides a valuable tool in everyday broadcast operations going forward. In addition to planning and executing the Radio-Assist installation, Archives du Monde will provide Radio Kara's technical staff with the training needed to become self-sufficient. Ultimately, this project will enable Radio Kara to build a growing archive and make it available to the public via a digital catalog, populated with audio clips that highlight Togo's history and cultural heritage.
"NETIA has been involved in the digitization of archives for broadcasters all around the globe, and we are intensely aware of the large volume of valuable audio assets urgently in need of digitization," said Isabelle Sost Michoux, communication and field marketing director at NETIA. "We're proud to be supporting Archives du Monde and the organization's work to preserve unique audio content that brings Africa's culture and history to life."
NETIA and Archives du Monde are long-time partners. In the past, with NETIA's support, the charity digitized the tape-based audio library of Radio Lome in Togo. The project was a success, with more than 2,500 hours of audio content digitized.
More information about NETIA and its product portfolio is available at www.netia.com.
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About NETIA
NETIA, a Globecast company, is a leading provider of software solutions that enable efficient management and delivery of content to today's full array of media platforms. Relied on by more than 10,000 users in 200 installations in more than 40 countries, NETIA solutions allow content producers and owners to manage content from ingest to delivery, targeting multiplatform outlets including the Internet, VOD, IPTV services, and mobile devices. NETIA provides content management solutions to major radio and television brands and to multimedia groups around the world. Clients include SBS and ABC in Australia, RAI Italy, RTBF in Belgium, MediaCorp Singapore, RTL France, Radio Globo in Brazil, RTM Malaysia, Radio France, the Associated Press, Cumulus Radio, France Télévisions, and Canal+. NETIA has its headquarters in France, with offices in the United States, Paris, Rome, and Singapore, in addition to a global network of professional distribution partners.
