Technology has been as much at the battlelines in Afghanistan as the journalists who reported in the foreground of the bomb-scarred skyline.
Stratos, a satellite communication company claims equal credit for bringing the latest news to homes around the world in the form of television and radio broadcasts on the BBC. It was satellite technology that tided over most journalists in communicating their reports from one of the harshest, barren environments known. BBC Radio Technical Coordinator Keith Wood says using the Inmarsat GAN terminal to access Stratos‘ global network of earth stations has played an essential part in enabling the BBC to report the news as it happens. "As the equipment is fully portable it has allowed us to get in and follow the story close to the front line action in sound and vision at reasonable cost."

Reporting teams based in various locations like Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan used Stratos‘ Satelan service in a variety of ways, allowing them to send back reports in various forms, says an official release. Live video reports were sent daily over the Stratos Satelan service, which provides users with access to Stratos‘ wholly owned global satellite network via a portable GAN terminal and Inmarsat‘s network of satellites. This enabled viewers to witness reporters following the Northern Alliance in its quest to remove the Taliban government.

The method used for sending back the live video reports is to connect a GAN(x) terminal, which provides the user with a 64kb/s ISDN channel, to a customized version of a video phone designed specifically for use on the road and with the GAN terminal, claims Stratos. Reporters have also used a method called Store & Forward, by connecting the terminal to either a Toko or Voyager-lite, allowing the user to record their report, compress it and then forward it on to the news room. Radio reports were filed over the Satelan service, and live two-way radio interviews by connecting an ISDN mixer to the terminal.

A few days ago MTV Films announced that it, along with Amaru Entertainment, will present a first of its kind feature documentary. It closely examines late rap singer Tupac Shakur who helped shape Hip-Hop music.
The film will be directed and produced by vice-president MTV News and Documentaries Lauren Lazin. He has directed, produced, written and edited more than 40 documentaries for MTV and PBS. The documentary will delve into personal details of Tupac?s life which was filled with joy and trauma. His mother, Afeni Shakur, will serve as one of the executive producers. Five years after his untimely death, Tupac Shakur is more popular than ever. His recent album, Until the End of Time debuted at No.1 on the Billboard album charts.

The documentary will cover the ideas he conveyed to an entire generation through his music, poetry, journals, and personal letters. Fans can enjoy a Tupac concert, home-movie and video footage all of which have never been shown. Rare photos donated by his family will also be on display. His unreleased songs will be featured. The first official biography of Tupac?s life will be released from Pocketbooks/MTV Books.

MTV Films is the feature film development and production division of MTV. It releases films in conjunction with Paramount Pictures. Since starting in 1995, MTV Films has released movies like the ballet driven interracial teen romance, Save the Last Dance the biting political satire Election, and director Spike Lee?s documentary The Original Kings of Comedy.

Amaru Entertainment which includes a record company and a film production unit was founded in 1997.

Next year AXN the action channel will continue exploring the boundaries of reality based shows. A spokesperson for the company said that the channel was into this kind of programming way before it became a fad.
Who Dares Wins, the Aussie show has been running on the channel for the past four years. He also claims that the second series of Survivor which has been shot in Africa has seen a steady growth in popularity after the controversy of the first series, which was set in Australia. According to the spokesperson the show, which airs every Friday in the 10-11 PM primetime slot, has drawn an audience share between 30-40 per cent in the English viewing segment.

In February the channel will premiere two shows. The first is Fear Factor from NBC. Apparently the producers considered other titles like Do or Die and Guts but finally decided that the title Fear Factor best represented the menacing goings on in the show. The apparent aim is to take one?s fear and multiply it by 100.

The host is Joe Rogan. He scoffs at the participants who struggle boasting that the feats are like walking in wonderland. People have perform awful and difficult stunts and the moment you succumb to fear and refuse to go further one gets eliminated. To the winner goes the spoils of $50,000.

The perverse thrill comes from watching participants do something that could harm them for life like jumping from one moving train to another. Next one might have to eat ugly insects without throwing up. And participants suffering vertigo are in for a treat as they might have to scale a huge height next even if the stomach is feeling queasy.

A celebrity episode will be one of the highlights. Participants include actress Kelly Preston, The World Wrestling Federation?s Chyna and Baywatch?s David Hasselhoff. They will have millipedes and scorpions crawling on their heads. Simply mouthwatering!

The second is Scariest Places on the Earth. Hosted by Linda Blair the channel goes to places which have a troubling past like Dracula?s Mansion. The locations are aimed at spooking the viewer. Stories of ghosts and spirits promise to feed the viewers? imagination.

Eyewitnesses will tell shocking tales and paranormal experts operating the latest high-tech ghost monitoring equipment will help explain these haunting occurrences and frightening tales. One episode will feature an abandoned hospital which was once full of TB patients. Five women decide to spend the night there.

In March the channel will debut The Agency. Critically acclaimed film director Wolfgang Petersen serves as executive producer for the television series. In fact In The Line Of Fire, the Clint Eastwood film which he directed, was shown a few days ago on the channel. For years Hollywood has used The CIA as its whipping boy. Now viewers can see the intrigue, backstabbing and mechanisms that fuel the agency.

The show examines how the agency handles high profile and sensitive cases. Mikael Salomon is the director. The cast includes Gil Bellows, Gloria Reuben and Will Patton. It has been produced by Radiant Productions, in association with CBS. The latest news from the show currently airing in the States is that actor Beau Bridges will join the cast in the role of CIA director. The current director played by Ronny Cox has been given the boot.

In April brand new episodes of The Guinness Book of World Records will be shown along with a new series of The Amazing Race. The former had a successful run on Doordarshan a few years ago.

The channel will however start January on a low profile note. There will be a series of movies shown under the tag Courtroom Action like Jagged Edge with Glenn Close playing a high profile attorney defending a possibly guilty Jeff Bridges and The Juror with Alec Baldwin terrorising Demi Moore.