Opening a new window on the Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean public television stations have launched an online content management system to enhance regional media coverage.

SERTOI (Report Exchange System for Televisions in the Indian Ocean) developed by GlobeCast, functions similarly to an electronic mailbox allowing participating stations to make audiovisual files available via the Internet in a non-proprietary form.

The project was put on trial earlier this month during a workshop in Mauritius where editors from the six regional public television stations met to finalise the project.

All newsrooms will have an identical computer equipped with the appropriate software. The workstation is also design to surmount the instability of Internet connection in the region.

The Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) Chief Editor Antoine Onezime said SERTOI is part of a project to set up a network to promote the sharing of reports in the Indian Ocean.

"We will now be able to exchange up to 3,000 reports annually, that will not only enrich the region's televised newscasts, but also open up a new window of information on the region," says Onezime.

The stations will shortly initiate a monthly regional magazine to consolidate the exchange process, to promote the region, its history, culture and inhabitants.

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