Historical background of the ISAS BCP 9001:2010 standard: ISAS BC 9001:2003 and ISAS P 9001:2005 standards

ISAS BC 9001:2003 Standard…

Dedicated to radio and television, the standard was created in 2003 thanks to the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss Federal Office of Communication (OFCOM), the Hoso Bunka Foundation in Tokyo and Unesco in Paris. The Media and Society Foundation initiative is a concrete response to broadcasters’ demand for independent evaluation and recognition of their quality-management system.
International standard ISAS BC 9001:2003 is based on the outcome of several surveys conducted in five countries (Canada, Columbia, India, South Africa and Switzerland). Three working groups in each country answered the following question :

”What should be the evaluation criteria of the electronic media (Radio, TV and Internet) in terms of contents, structure and infrastructure in their contribution to social development and democracy ?”.

Group 1: The Providers (Radio and TV operators and professionals) 
Group 2: The Users (representatives of the audience) 
Group 3: The Experts (non-providers renowned for their expertise in this field such as regulators, journalists of the written press, philosophers, sociologists, etc.).

Based on the surveys’ outcome, ISAS BC 9001:2003, in addition to being ISO 9001 compliant, enables broadcasting companies to measure how far they meet the following criteria:

Listeners/viewers’ satisfaction
Editorial independence
Quality and accuracy of information
Quality and diversity of other types of programming
Innovation and creation
Independence and transparency of management
Promotion of and respect for ethical rules
Representation of national minorities
Social relevance

ISAS P 9001:2005 Standard…

ISAS P 9001:2005 was created at the beginning of 2005 under the umbrella of the Geneva-based MEDIA & SOCIETY FOUNDATION (MSF) and with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It came out two years after the launching of the ISAS BC 9001:2003 standard for broadcasting.

ISAS P 9001:2005 has been designed by renowned editors and journalists from various parts of the world (Belgium, Peru, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, USA). Most of them are leaders of international and regional media professional organizations such as the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the International Press Institute (IPI), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) or the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA).