FEB

• EURONET: You can register your Ministry or Organisation on FEB's EuroNet Database free by emailing feb@feb.org with address details and a brief paragraph about the main activities of your Organisation. This information is available to FEB Members.
  

UK

• MOBILE TV: The UK's Independent TV Network (ITV) is moving into "original content" for Mobile phones. The multi-platform Production Company, HUB TV, is initially making 50 episodes (2 minutes each) of "The Gym", a comedy set in a Health Club. Currently ITV simulcasts programmes for subscribers to Orange, Virgin, 3 and Vodafone Mobile TV services. Head of ITV Mobile, Melissa Goodwin said: "There is a hunger for original commissioning from mobile audiences for 16-34 year olds."  Source - broadcast.
  
  
• BBC TO LAUNCH SAFE 'KIDS FACEBOOK': The BBC is launching a "Facebook for Kids" – a safe social networking site that will promote its public service credentials on the Web. BBC is targeting the gap left by Facebook and other commercial rivals such as MySpace and Bebo, which all stipulate a lower age limit of 13. 
  "There is a commercial market failing in the children's space because they don't want to take on the responsibility for younger users," said Marc Goodchild, head of interactive and on-demand at BBC children's.  "The only player which can do this has to be a public service broadcaster." 

  The MyCBBC site is being developed by TwoFour Digital and will be piloted among 1,000 children during February and accessible through the BBC homepage from around April.  Source - broadcast

  
  
• BBC RADIO 4: Reflecting the season of Lent, BBC Radio 4's Sunday Worship will take up the theme of "Pathways of Prayer" in partnership with "Churches Together inBritain and Ireland." Each service will use prayers and music drawn from one of the pathways of Christian spirituality.  Study materials are available for download.
  
  
• MPS MOVE AGAINST FAITH SCHOOLS : Some Labour MPs claim that Faith Schools favour the selection of middle-class pupils whose parents know how to "play the system".  They fear that the spread of such schools undermines "community cohesion." They are calling for the Government to put a halt to new Faith Schools.
  "Faith schools at the moment are mainly Protestant or Catholic," a Labour MP said. "In an era when we are desperate for social cohesion, do we really want to sustain discrimination between people of different faiths - particularly when taxpayers are paying for it?"
  Source: The Times
  
  
• DAMARIS has launched a new website www.pollardonfilm.com which produces downloadable short videos to help people think through new films coming out in the UK. Nick Pollard comments on the films and gives ratings. For more information visit www.damaris.org    
  

MIDDLE EAST

• SAT-7: The SAT-7 Kids Channel is airing a large number of new programmes including "Mini Match" and "Fatafeet". "Mini Match" is a Bible knowledge game show with each episode focusing on an Old Testament story and children competing against each other. SAT-7 now have 110 Staff and 3 Channels to operate throughout the Middle East.  For more information visit www.sat7.org
  

AFRICA

• SOUTH AFRICA: The "Beyond Adventure" education and ministry school is a gap year opportunity for 17-23 year olds. Young people will develop their Leadership potential in a programme of vision, purpose, adventure and challenge.  For more information contact:  registrations@beyondadventure.co.za, www.beyondadventure.co.za, Tel: +27 46 624 3159 – Fax: +27 86 618 4803
  
  
• WEST AFRICA: Trans World Radio began broadcasting programmes from their new transmitting station in Benin on 1st February 2008. Broadcasts should reach Benin, Togo, parts of Nigeria, Ghana and surrounding areas. TWR listeners in the UK have helped raise over £43,000 towards the project. For more information contact Hannah Combe hcombe@twr.org.uk
  
  
• CONGO : HCJB's Radio Kahuzi in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, survived the recent 6.0 earthquakes with only minor damage, and continues to bring encouragement to people in the region, including practical information about the quakes, handing out solar-powered radios and helping build shelters for those who have lost their homes.
  
  
• KENYA: A new documentary film "Transformation in Kenya" has just been produced by Harvest Fields Commissioning International (HFCI). Cameras followed a series of leadership meetings held in Nairobi and interviews a number of national church leaders and citizens.  For more information email info@hfci.net  
  

USA

• VIDEO GAMES: The National Science Foundation in the United States has researched the differences that Religious Participation causes in the playing of Video Games.   Linked with the National Geographic database around the world, large numbers of respondents took part.
  
  

  Participation in religious groups	Playing video games
  	Often %	Sometimes %	Never %	Base
  An active Member	11	38	51	7,979
  Non-active Member	13	42	45	8,131
  Not a member	15	41	44	30,979
  Base (=100%)	6,575	19,132	21,382	47,089

  
  Religious Membership makes a difference, as Religious Members play video games less often and 51% of active Members never play video games at all.

  Source:  Article "Expanding the use of the Internet in religious research" by William Bainbridge in "Review of Religious Research", Volume 49, Number 1, September 2007, Page 7.
  

• AWARD: The "Today with God" programme by Dr Randy Weiss has been awarded the "2008 NRB Media Award for Best Television Teaching programme of the Year". The TV series brings the Bible to life on screen with dramatic re-enactments of the Gospel message.  It is broadcast across the world and is currently being translated into several languages including Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Dutch and Chinese.
  

DIARY DATES

• Plan to visit FEB Booth No. 258 at the NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS' CONVENTION, from March 8th to 11th 2008 at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Centre, Nashville, USA. We will be delighted to meet you.
  
  
• Franklin Graham will speak at the Celebration of Hope, Belfast, Northern Ireland from April 4th to 6th 2008, and at the Festival of Hope, Timisoara, Romania from July 4th to 6th 2008.
  
  
• New Christian Music (NCM) have organised an Awards weekend from 1st to 2nd March 2008 at the Vandyke School Theatre, Leighton Buzzard, UK. For more information visit www.newchristianmusic.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE FEB WEBSITE www.feb.org

Send us your "SNIPPET" today. W e look forward to hearing from you.

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