 In December 1989 Nelson Mandela s lawyer and Tony Hollingsworth met to start planning an international broadcast event to mark Nelson s impending release. All plans had to be both secret and adaptable as the date of the release was not known at this stage. The objective was to provide a broadcast platform for Nelson to speak to the world - unedited. Fifty four days after his release Tribute broadcast a 4.5-hour event to 61 counties in which Nelson Mandela spoke live and unedited for 45 minutes - the longest-lasting furthest-reaching speech of all time.