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Brazil's TV Cultura wins children broadcasting award

Tuesday, 24 November 1998: The 1998 International Council/UNICEF award was given to TV Cultura of Brazil for its outstanding programme presentation for last year's International Children's Day of Broadcasting.

The award was presented at the International Emmy Awards ceremony last night in New York by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Karin Sham Poo, and Oscar the Grouch, the Muppet from the popular television series Sesame Street.

The International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) is a year-round television and radio activity that celebrates the huge energy and creative potential of children around the world. Over 2,000 broadcasters from 170 countries participate in the event, running special programmes on the day focusing on children's issues, but above all, letting children participate themselves.

"It is a wonderful chance for children to let us know their own views through radio and television," said Ms. Sham Poo. "It allows them the right of expression, one of the key elements of the Convention on the Rights of Child which has been ratified by almost every country in the world.

TV Cultura dedicated over 16 hours of programming to ICDB which included variety, music and chat shows, documentary and drama, much of which were produced by children themselves. A documentary I Was Never a Child highlighted sexually exploited children, their special needs and how to cope in the future. TV Cultura was one of three nominees for the award along with TV Guyana of Venezuela and YTV of Canada.

The award was created four years ago by the International Council of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the founder along with UNICEF of the International Children's Day of Broadcasting.

"Each year, ICDB encourages children to participate with local broadcasters to create programmes and make their opinions heard," said William Hetzer, Chief of Broadcast and Electronic Communication at UNICEF." By becoming the eyes and ears of their communities, children can gain a unique experience. No longer are they passive observers of the mass media, but doers."

The three previous winners were Sabado Chiquito De Corporan of the Dominican Republic in 1995, TV Ontario, Canada in 1996 and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation in 1997.

The seventh annual International Children's Day of Broadcasting is set to take place on Sunday, 13 December 1998. This year, ICDB will focus on animation and its potential to improve children's lives. UNICEF has created animated characters like Meena in South Asia, Sara in Africa, and Maximo in Latin America to present messages of social interest to youth audiences.

Many networks have announced their participation in the ICDB activities this year, including Nickelodeon, Danmarks Radio/TV, Kindernet (the Netherlands), ZDF (Germany), Latvia TV, Knowledge Network (Canada), Canal J (France) Tele Quebec (Canada) and TV Guyana (Venezuela). Again this year more than 2000 radio and TV networks will participate.

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