Overview
Our world has ushered in a digital and multimedia era. With the rapid development of the Internet, digital and multimedia technologies, media and communications environments are undergoing profound changes.
Audiences' requirements are also diversifying at a fast pace.
In these circumstance, wire services, radio and television broadcasters, newspapers and magazines, and online media are confronting big challenges but also rare opportunities. Coping with big challenges and seizing development opportunities are issues of concern common to global media organizations.
During the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, Xinhua President Li Congjun held a series of talks with the Chairman and CEO of News Corporation Rupert Murdoch, AP President Tom Curley, Reuters News Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger, Kyodo News President Satoshi Ishikawa, and BBC Director General Mark Thompson. They discussed the challenges world media organizations are facing in the digital and multimedia era. They exchanged views on increasing exchanges and enhancing cooperation in a win-win context, and reached a consensus on sponsoring the World Media Summit (WMS) at the right time.
The summit will be an effective platform for the heads of wire services, radio and television broadcasters, newspapers and magazines, and online media organizations from all parts of the world to communicate and pool ideas. The participants will gather and say what they will to brainstorm on media survival, development and cooperation, and envisage the future.
After the Beijing Olympic Games ended, Xinhua News Agency frequently discussed sponsoring WMS with News Corporation, Associated Press, Reuters, ITAR-TASS, Kyodo News, BBC, Turner Broadcasting System and Google. These media giants sent representatives to form the WMS Secretariat. To date, the Secretariat has held five working conferences to discuss the summit's timing, scale, themes, topics, organizational form, and scheduling.
WMS, to be held from Oct. 8 to 10, 2009 in Beijing, China, will be hosted by Xinhua News Agency with the themes of Cooperation, Action, Win-Win and Development. In addition to its opening ceremony and plenary session, WMS will consist of four panel sessions on these eight topics: challenges, cooperation and opportunities for world media; traditional media versus new emerging media - competition, reliance, co-existence and development; financial crisis and media response; how traditional media meets challenge of digital and Internet technologies; global media merging; challenges and Opportunities in digital and multimedia age; hi-tech's impact upon media development; and shaping the future of newsroom and journalists.
Xinhua President Li Congjun will serve as the Executive Chairman of the WMS . News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, AP President Tom Curley, Reuters News Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger, Kyodo News President Satoshi Ishikawa, ITARTASS President Vitaly Nikitich Ignatenko, BBC Global News Director Richard Sambrook, Turner Broadcasting System's Asia Pacific President Steve Marcopoto, and Google Global Vice President John Liu will act as Co-chairpersons.
When the schedule was settled, the WMS Secretariat extended invitations to major media organizations around the world, arousing favorable responses. When the time comes, about 300 heads from more than 100 overseas media and over 40 Chinese media will attend.
The WMS Secretariat and Xinhua News Agency extend a hearty welcome to friends from all parts of the world. We sincerely hope that you will find your stay in Beijing rewarding and pleasant in memory.
AIM
Cooperation and development are conceived as the aim of the World Media Summit. Cooperation will help build new partnership between traditional media and new emerging media in the 21st century, thus accelerating development of newspapers, wire services, radio and television broadcasters, the internet and other media.
MISSION
Media leaders from all parts of the world will conduct research and consultation on the constantly changing media landscape, emerging trends, challenges and issues of common concern to promote cooperation and development through a global exchange of ideas and information.
HOST
Xinhua News Agency is ready to host the World Media Summit.
TIME
The WMS will be a two-day conference to be held from Oct. 8 to 10 2009.
VENUE
The WMS will be held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China.
SCALE
About 160 media organizations are invited to attend the summit, including 40 Chinese government and media organizations. There will be about 300 participants, including 260 foreign delegates and 40 Chinese delegates.
PARTICIPANTS
The World Media Summit is open to leaders of traditional media and new emerging media players, including newspapers, wire services, radio and television broadcasters, the internet and other media organizations.
THEME
With Cooperation, Action, Win-Win and Development as the theme, the summit, dubbed the media Olympics, will focus on how world media will face the challenges and opportunities of the digital era and cash in on network technologies.
TOPICS
Eight topics are tabled for the WMS. They are also open to discussion.
1. Media challenges and solutions in the digital and multimedia age
2. Traditional media via new emerging media - competition, reliance, co-existence and development
3. Economic recession and media reaction
4. How traditional media to meet challenges of digital and internet technologies
5. Global media merging
6. Challenges and opportunities in the digital and multi-media age
7. Hi-tech's impact upon media development
8. Shaping the future of news rooms and journalists
SPEECHES
Executive Chairman and co-chairpersons of the WMS deliver a 20-minute speech while others make a 15-minute speech each at the conference.
SUMMIT WEBSITE
www.worldmediasummit.org
NATURE
The summit will be a non-governmental, non-profit, high-level media conference regularly hosted in turn by world media organizations in the countries of their headquarters.
WMS Secretariat is composed of representatives of world media giants, including AP, BBC, CNN, Google, ITAR TASS, Kyodo, News Corporation, Reuters and Xinhua. The secretariat is engaged in coordination, drafting the conference program and handling administrative matters concerning the summit. Members of the secretariat meet and discuss relevant issues whenever it is needed, in which they report the latest developments and finalize arrangements for the WMS. Major issues regarding the WMS will be decided based on collective consultation of members of the secretariat.
FUND
As the WMS host, Xinhua News Agency will cover the cost of holding the summit in Beijing. The host will not charge any fee from participants. Participants should cover their own international flights in line with the international common practice while the host shows special hospitality by providing free food, lodging and local transportation for two participants of each organization in the city.
LODGING
Participants of the WMS will stay at the Beijing Hotel and the Grand Hotel Beijing.
We look forward to meeting you in Beijing in the golden autumn season!
