Award-winning CNN Digital Newsgathering Project 

In the Summer 2007 issue, Channels published a story called “Breaking News with BGAN” about Hughes and Streambox technology that enables reporters to deliver streaming news as events unfold with battery-powered equipment that fits into a small backpack.

Since that article was published, CNN was recognized by IBC, an organization dedicated to the creation, management, and delivery of content, for its groundbreaking use of such technology. CNN’s coverage of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in July 2006 using a BGAN terminal from Hughes and technology from other partners, including Streambox and Inmarsat, created a breakthrough in newsgathering technology. Using small IP-based Internet connections coupled with satellite uplinks, hundreds of journalists were able to file on-scene live reports. CNN’s Digital Newsgathering (DNG) project is the first complete newsgathering tool that works over any existing IP infrastructure.

CNN received the Innovation Award in the content creation category at the annual IBC Awards Ceremony in September in Amsterdam, as well as the coveted Judges’ Prize, for its innovative DNG. The IBC Innovation Awards celebrate excellence in the creation of technical and operational solutions, with entries submitted simultaneously by both technical suppliers and end users for solutions that demonstrate meeting real-world needs.