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FAQThe following is a list of questions we have been asked and points that will help you benefit from the service: What are the benefits of Global Radio News? How is the website structured? Is there a required format for items or does a contributor file material ‘on spec?’ In which regions does Global Radio News market stories? When a radio/TV station buys an item, is it for a one-time play or several plays? Who holds the rights to the audio material? Can a contributor sell material more than once? What about stringers and sponsored stringers? Can payments and billing be made in my local currency? How can I keep track of my account details? How much does it cost to sign up? Does signing up place me under any obligations? What do you do with personal information? How can a station keep control of an account? What you need – Radio Stations What are the benefits of Global Radio News? GRN acts as a central point connecting TV and radio stations needing news content with on-the-scene reporters and material filed by journalists around the world. Stations can organise live or pre-recorded 2-ways and news reports from correspondents on location without having to pay high annual subscription fees to an agency. For a journalist (contributor), GRN can maximise the exposure of his or her material by making it available to TV and radio stations around the world, around the clock, reaching more stations than a contributor could reach by spending all day on the phone. How is the website structured? The site is password-protected. Anyone who wants to use the site must be a professional in the broadcast industry - either a working journalist or an editor/producer (exceptions can be made). Please contact us directly. Once past the login page, every user will see the Home page, with a list of the day's featured correspondents and links to the full network of GRN correspondents. Depending on who you are and what you want to do with the site, you will see a slightly different version, and have different capabilities. Depending on who you are and what you want to do with the site, you will see a slightly different version, and have different capabilities. There are four categories of user; Contributor, Station, Administrator and Agent. A journalist will use a Contributor account, which will allow him or her to upload stories. A Contributor cannot download stories, but can read their transcripts and listen to other contributors' audio CV's. A radio station will be given a Station account, with a senior representative designated as Administrator. The Administrator cannot download or upload: this account is designed solely for creating and managing Agent accounts for different editors and producers within the station, setting their spending limits and viewing all their transactions. An Agent can both download and upload stories on behalf of their station. GRN can provide broadcasters with top-quality, experienced correspondents based in 120 countries for on-the-scene live/pre-recorded 2-ways on camera or over the phone. GRN correspondents can also produce TV/radio packages and provide briefing notes. This is a bespoke service that GRN can arrange on an ad hoc or contractual basis as required. Contributors can also file any news content that TV and radio stations may want to buy and use, including dispatches, packages and actuality. GRN will currently only accept English, French, Portuguese and Arabic language reports, and has set the following standards, to which most radio stations adhere: Is there a required format for items or does a contributor file material ‘on spec?’ A contributor files material on spec and decides the nature and format of the story: GRN is based on the freelance model. The only formatting requirement is a name and location outcue, guarding moral rights. A contributor may decide to file both a 30-second story and a 4-minute feature on the same subject, using the same material. Whether, and how much, TV and radio stations download material depends on its newsworthiness and quality, and on the news judgements of the editors. On occasion, and if contributors have previously agreed, GRN may contact suggest or commission a story.
The GRN system works by turning audio (radio) and video into files that can be sent across the Internet for delivery to any medium (HD, mobile, web etc.). We have developed a software package available free to all contributors to help with this. Once the stories are sent to GRN, they are filed under news categories for stations to browse and download. A station can read the transcript of a story (provided by the contributor) as well as hearing his or her short 'audio resume (or CV)' as a sample of vocal style before deciding to download a story. In which regions does Global Radio News market stories? Global Radio News markets stories and access to reporters to broadcasters all over the world via our website and specialist e-mailed breaking, daily and forward planning news alerts. These alerts are all available via an RSS feed. The company makes stories available to TV and radio stations anywhere in the world to purchase. Any TV and radio station in the world can access GRN's global correspondent network and any registered station can download material from GRN. GRN does not edit contributors' material. TV and Radio stations will read, hear and see exactly what is filed to the site. When a story is filed to GRN, an editor will check it for audio/visual quality, content and style, and to ensure it matches the transcript before posting it for sale and download. If the audio/visual quality of the story is poor, or if there are concerns over content or style, a GRN representative will contact the contributor to discuss possible changes. The purchasing station is the TV/radio station that is responsible for checking that the material will not breach the laws or otherwise give rise to liability in the country in which it is to be broadcast. A TV/radio station is given permission to use the audio/visual it downloads as often as it wishes for one month from the date of download. Material is provided to stations for a one-time flat fee. Contributors will not be paid less - and stations will not be charged less - for a 'smaller' story, nor will there be larger payment and fees for a 'bigger' story. If a story breaks important news, a contributor can be confident a large number of stations will download it, creating more revenue. Who holds the rights to the audio material? The contributor holds the rights to the material filed. GRN does not edit or in any way alter it. It is the reporter's and each purchasing TV/radio station's responsibility to ensure prior to broadcast the material is accurate and non-libellous. Can a contributor sell material more than once? Yes. If a contributor is working freelance, he or she can sell the material as many times, to as many companies and regions as desired. Copyright law varies from country to country, but as a general rule, copyright is conferred immediately upon creation of a work and it can only be conferred to another party in writing. Work created in the course of employment for another company or individual is usually owned by that employer. Moral rights are the rights of a creator of a piece to be identified as such, and that the work should not be edited, altered, displayed or broadcast in a manner that is detrimental to the original meaning of the piece, or to the creator's reputation. GRN works to uphold moral rights. What about stringers and sponsored stringers? A sponsored stringer is a reporter who, while not a contracted staff member, is paid a retainer to report first and foremost to a certain station or group, when asked. This does not usually mean the stringer is prohibited from filing to other stations also, but it may mean there are certain competing stations the reporter is prohibited from filing to. If a contributor tells us which stations he would like to exclude from accessing his material, we can build this information into the account. Billing and payment Can payments and billing be made in my local currency? Payment will be made directly to a contributor's bank account based on exchange rates from Pounds Sterling at the end of each calendar month. How can I keep track of my account details? Every time a TV/radio station downloads a story, this information is recorded, and both the station and contributor accounts updated accordingly. How much does it cost to sign up? Enrolment is free. You will be given a login and password to allow you to enter the site to file stories (contributors) or download stories (stations).
Does signing up place me under any obligations? Contributors can file if and when they like, and are paid when a story is downloaded by a station. A station only pays for what it downloads. A contributor can decide to agree to being contacted by Global Radio News with story commissions or suggestions. Both contributors and stations must agree with Global Radio News Ltd.’s Terms & Conditions before they can use the service. What do you do with personal information? We hold this information for our own file purposes. We take all reasonable measures to hold this information securely, and will not pass it on to other parties without your prior consent. Global Radio News Ltd. requests bank details either to make payments to you or to invoice you. These details are not held online. The Web site uses cookies to help make your visit easier. Cookies are small files which are transmitted from the website to your hard drive. These files no not store or transmit any personal information – only about your site visit. You will not be able to pass the login page unless you have cookies enabled. See the Help index on your browser. How can a station keep control of an account? A single TV/radio station can have several ‘agent’ accounts for different editors and producers of different shows. The station will also have one ‘administrator’ account able to view all the actions of all agents on the account at any one time. This is designed to allow a station a one-stop account update. The administrator account cannot download stories. A station can set a limit on the amount it wants to spend, and can be sent automated reminders when it nears its monthly limit. To file stories to Global Radio News, you will need a PC with an Internet connection, a microphone and a recording device (tape, minidisk, DAT etc). We have developed PC-only software to create digital audio, and we provide this free to contributors to help create stories. The Reporters Audio Production kit, or RAPkitTM and the new Stories News and Photographs Tool, or SNAPS ToolTM can be downloaded from the ‘Technical’ link on the Web site once you have a login and password. Both the microphone and recording device can be connected to your PC to create stories using RAPkitTM or the SNAPS ToolTM. A ‘help’ document is available there for you to read. We recommend you use FireFox or if you have to, Internet Explorer 6 and above while all other browsers will also give you to access the site. What you need – Radio Stations All you need is a PC or Mac with Internet and a connection to a digital news desk to which you can transfer the file. We recommend you use FireFox or if you have to, Internet Explorer 6 and above and all other browsers will give you to access the site. If you’re creating a package, you will need both your microphone and your recording device (camera, mobile phone, tape, minidisk, DAT etc) plugged into your computer. With so many different makes of PC, different inputs, outputs, recording devices and microphones, we can’t offer advice on how you might set up your particular recording system. If in doubt, we suggest you contact your PC service point. Global Radio News will only accept .wav and .mp3 files as these are the most commonly-used file formats for digital audio. When a contributor uploads a file, the website recognises its format and automatically converts the file into the alternative to offer stations the choice between the two technologies. As a rule of thumb, converting a .wav file into a good-quality .mp3 will create a file about one tenth the size, which helps explain some of the popularity of the .mp3 format. Global Radio News’ RAPkitTM creates .wav files, which are high quality, but can be large and slow to send online, especially over a modem connection. We’ve designed RAPkitTM to be simple and easy to use, and hope you will use it. However, if you already use another software package to create digital audio files, you can of course carry on using that. Further information about the SNAPS ToolTM will be available soon. Global Radio News Ltd. was conceived by Henry Peirse and founded by Henry Peirse and Fiona Winterburn in The company has the endorsement of the International Federation of Journalists, the world’s largest professional journalists’ organisation and the |
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