- OBJECTIVES
To examine Regional Television in Europe from an innovative and practical angle and contribute to the development of regional culture and identities;
To bring together researchers and professionals from the mass media across borders and initiate a dynamic cultural approach in regional development;
To provide a unique forum for ideas and experience and a network for exchanging personnel and equipment between European regional stations;
To foster communication between members;
To make coproductions and encourage the exchange of regional programmes: theme programmes, news magazines, cross-border news bulletins, documentaries, programmes for young people and cultural and music programmes;
Award the Prix CIRCOM Regional to the best regional programmes in Europe;
Increase vocational training for journalists and technicians.
- MISSION
To coordinate this international audiovisual network - a unique network in Europe to enhance promotion and communicate more efficiently;
To develop relations with the European Institutions - The European Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament and increase co-operative ventures with other European audiovisual organisations, the various international and national partners and local and regional authorities;
To represent and ensure the active participation of CIRCOM Regional (CR) at conferences, conventions and seminars of the audiovisual industry in Europe;
To distribute information on audiovisual developments in Europe;
To increase the number of programme exchanges and coproductions, encourage cooperation, stimulate vocational training on a European level and strengthen relations between CR members.
Through the close relationship which regional TV stations enjoy with their viewers, the Association fulfils four key roles:
- forming a local link with television viewers;
- enhancing and promoting European culture with all its rich diversity;
- helping people become more familiar with others in readiness for tomorrow's multicultural society, characterised by democratic participation and tolerance;
- displaying, preserving and promoting regional cultures and values for the ethnic and language groups which make up the Nations of Europe;
- HISTORY
1973 Founding of CIRCOM - International Cooperative for Research and Action in Communication - at the Prix Italia in Venice, when a small group of professionals from public television met with Pierre SCHAEFFER, member of the Audiovisual High Council, Director of the Research Department of ORTF, France. Their initiative aims to accelerate the development of regional identities.
1983 Creation of CIRCOM Regional following the success of the debate organised by CIRCOM during the Prix Italia in Riva in 1980 on the theme "Regional Television: the last network", based on the growing awareness that regional television would play a key role in the development of the European idea.
Founding members: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy.
"25 Years of CIRCOM Regional" by Peter Zimmermann
- THE NETWORK
Registered since May 1995 as an Association at the Court of Strasbourg, benefiting from the local Code of Law, the Association is composed of:
European Board - Executive Committee, 1 National Coordinator from each member country,up to 5 individual members elected by the Board.
Executive Committee - President, Vice-President, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and 6 National Coordinators elected from among the members of the European Board
Presidents :
1983-89 Sergio Borelli, RAI, Italy
1989-90 Jean Suhas, France 3 Aquitaine, France
1990-92 Boris Bergant, RTV Slovenija, Slovenia
1992-94 David Lowen, Yorkshire TV, Unated Kingdom
1994-96 Harald Boe, NRK, Oslo, Norvege
1996-99 Carlo Ranzi, TSI Lugano, Switzerland
1999-00 Reimar H. Allerdt, BR Munich, Germany
2001-03 Lefty Kongalides, ERT 3 , Greece
2004-05 Paolo Morawski, RAI, Italy
2006-08 Anita Bhalla, BBC, Unated Kingdom
2009- 11 Michael Lally, RTE, Ireland
2011- Jacques Briquemont, RTBF, Belgium