Editors of Asia News Network have agreed to strengthen video cooperation as part of the grouping’s next step in boosting the ANN brand.

The decision was made at the annual board meeting held in Phom Penh, Cambodia, on April 30 and attended by editors from the 22 member newspapers in 19 countries.

“This is part of the growth of ANN as we tap into available resources and expanding it beyond the daily exchange of photos and stories,” said Pana Janviroj, ANN executive director.

Member publications such as The Nation (Thailand), The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily, Dawn (Pakistan), The Brunei Times, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Jakarta Post, Vientiane Times and The Star (Malaysia) are already producing videos available from their respective websites.

“I support any project to move ANN forward,” said Felix Soh, digital media editor of The Straits Times, who was also elected as chairman of the board for 2013-2014. “From print mode, we have to change and upgrade ANN to another level and I think video is a medium with a lot of potential.”

The board also supported The Nation’s endeavor to go into digital television through the SEA Channel, a new English news service under the Nation Multimedia Group.

“We already have the ANN brand for print. On the television side, a number of ANN members are already producing clips on their websites and some of us have TV stations to run,” Suthichai Yoon, chairman of Nation Multimedia Group, noted. “The next step for ANN is to be able to use it as a TV brand for our members.”

Aside from the regular exchange of videos, publications with more experience are also open to providing technical training to members who are interested in enhancing their multimedia platform.

Soh, meanwhile, noted that videos from the member publications carry the “local flavor” making them more unique and interesting to the international audience.

The annual meeting also marked the official launch of the AsiaNews magazine’s digital edition. The magazine, launched in 2006, will be available only on the digital platform starting this month and accessible from the Apple Store.

Meanwhile, the board officially welcomed Myanmar’s Eleven Media Group as the 22nd member of the grouping. With reforms happening in Myanmar, particularly in the media industry, ANN hopes that it could expand its coverage of the country and strengthen its presence there through its partnership with EMG.

The ANN board also decided on the winner of the ANN logo contest, which was launched in March and received more than 1,000 entries from across the world. Of the 30 finalists, 20 were from an online poll while 10 were preliminary choices from ANN.

The winning logo was designed by Pierre-Emmanuel Michel, a graphic designer and photographer from France. In his submission, Michel wrote that his design reflects the contest theme, “Emerging Asia” in a digital world, using the Asian map icon.

Michel further explained that he used dominant pure red “to focus on the heart of [the journalism] profession and the immediacy of news; grey for neutrality and the serious, professional aspect.”

The editors were unanimous in choosing Michel’s design noting that among the finalists, it reflected the ANN brand best with its simple and elegant design.

A total of 230,762 votes were counted for the online poll.

ANN, established in 1999, is supported by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung of Germany. ANN partners include Star Alliance and Holcim Foundation. (Asia News Network)