Top News Organization Leader,
Stewart Purvis to Present Keynote Address at News World
(Banff, Canada, September 24, 2003)
Acclaimed news journalist, field producer, editor and recent CEO of ITN and President of EuroNews, Stewart Purvis will present this year's Keynote Address at News World International. Mr. Purvis, who retired this summer after more than 20 years at the top level of international TV news, will address delegates on Tuesday morning, October 21, as a central part of the annual news industry conference at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
 
Stewart Purvis said today, "News World will be my first opportunity to talk personally, without corporate responsibility, about the extraordinary events of the past year in the broadcast news business. It is the right place at the right time."
 
From journalist to field producer, editor to CEO, Stewart Purvis has had one of the most successful careers in modern TV news. His career began in 1969 when he first joined the BBC as a news trainee. In 1972 he moved to ITN to work as a news journalist and field producer covering major world events in over 20 countries. The 1980s brought forth an interest for him in the new technologies of electronic news gathering and digital special effects to create innovative special event programming. Such programming included live coverage of the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy in London and the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales. For producing live coverage of the Pope's tours of Britain and Poland and the return of the Falklands Task Force, Mr. Purvis was honoured with two Royal Television Society Awards.
 
In 1983, Mr. Purvis was appointed Editor of ITN's Channel Four News and is credited with turning around the struggling program into a successful award-winner. As ITN's Editor-in-Chief and then Chief Executive Officer in the 1990s, until his retirement in July of this year, Mr. Purvis oversaw the development of new programs such as Channel Five News, and the growth of businesses including ITN Archive and the company's documentary division, ITN Factual. Today, ITN continues to win awards around the world for quality news coverage. Last month Channel Four News won an International Emmy for its coverage of Iraq.
 
For five years, Mr. Purvis was also the President of EuroNews, the most watched pan European news channel. Based in Lyon, France it transmits around the world in seven languages. He intends to bring that extra international perspective to his keynote address.
 
News World International takes place October 21 to 23, 2003 and is the world's premier annual independent news forum of the international broadcast community, created by journalists for journalists. It is managed by Banff Media Enterprises, a division of the Banff Television Foundation, the internationally recognized organizer and presenter of high quality electronic media events.

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