ASIA

Sierra Automated Systems introduces SAS Global Connect

Sierra Automated Systems takes its history of Audio over IP innovation to the next level with SAS Global Connect, a complete command and control structure for SAS and third-party broadcast devices living on local and wide-area networks.SAS Global Connect acts as a software-based NOC for broadcasters to centrally manage entire network operations, and can interface with all components in a broadcast infrastructure from microphones to antennas.It is available immediately in on-premises software and is currently testing containerised cloud software versions, providing customers with flexible deployment options based on operational preferences.A producer in one location can manage simple and advanced remote operations with a single button press, from turning microphones and studio lights on and off to triggering automation systems and transmitter feeds.Users can even originate programs across many locations, such as bringing syndicated programs to air for their scheduled slots across different cities.At the same time, users can monitor the health and status of all devices on the network, and switch to redundant components as required.Co-Owner and VP of Sierra Automated Systems, Al Salci, says, “Broadcasters continue to change the way they operate and diversify their services, from consolidating studios and business operations to implementing self-syndication and remote production strategies. “Following decades of experience supporting local facilities and the backend systems architecture, we now take the important step of helping broadcasters support their primary audio delivery needs for both local and remote locations, and with a solution that makes it easy to operate, maintain and monitor all connected devices.”SAS Global Connect is backwards-compatible with most legacy SAS consoles, routers, audio engines and hardware interface accessories, as well as all modern IP-enabled SAS products and is already rolling out for multiple customers.Hyatt says, “We are now activating SAS Global Connect at nearly 40 locations, including studio facilities and transmitter sites. “SAS Global Connect will be an integral component of our turnkey sales, design, installation and commissioning services for radio broadcasters. This is also a solution we anticipate taking global given that we can deploy the software in the cloud, and connect to a broadcaster’s cloud container in the sky to trigger commands and take control of any component, studio or facility anywhere.” […]

ASIA

Lite FM introduces the new Lite Breakfast with Asha and Terry

Lite FM, Malaysia, has announced a new lineup for its morning show The Lite Breakfast.New addition, Terry Ong, a familiar household name on radio joins popular energetic host, Asha Gill, every weekday morning, from  6 am to 10 am. Fans can also stream new The Lite Breakfast with Asha and Terry on the SYOK app.Asha is a television host, model, actress, producer, activist and radio announcer who has spent over 25 years in the media industry. In addition, she is a certified life coach and hypnotherapist, with her own private practice.Terry is a motor-mouthed wise-cracking personality with over 18 years experience as a radio announcer. Being of Portuguese-Indian-Chinese descent he simply calls himself Malaysian because Portu-chin-dian requires way too much effort.Many new segments are being introduced on the show, including:
Fun-nance, every week, where Asha and Terry speak with Reggie Koh, host of the finance podcast The Financial Coconut, who will share insights, tips and useful information in a fun way, about finance.
What’s Your Problem?, every week, where Asha and Terry will offer their two cents and expert advice for any problems that listeners might have.
Life Hacks, every week, where the hosts share super simple tips and tricks for making life just a little bit easier.
Remember the Time, every Wednesday, where fans can share their memorable moments and stories with Asha and Terry.
Jukebox Hour, every Friday, where fans can take control of the music playlist and share their favourite songs with announcers to be played on Lite FM. […]

ASIA

StreamGuys expands SGcontrol Content Access Suite with API functionality

Pioneering streaming and podcast solutions provider StreamGuys has diversified the SGcontrol customer experience through a new API that allows users to create rules and customize functionality for a variety of stream management and content access control applications.SGcontrol was introduced at the 2022 NAB Show as a managed service to offload complex stream management and access control functions from broadcasters. This new open programming environment introduces a self-management option for users who want to program and operate their own geo-targeting, geo-restriction and tokenized authorization mechanisms, for example. The new API also automates SGcontrol programming and functionality, accelerating the deployment of new streams, features and services.“We offer many SaaS solutions to produce, manage, monetize, deliver and measure live and on-demand streaming media, and the SGcontrol managed service backed by our renowned operational support is preferred by customers without internal resources to manage access control capabilities,” said Robert Minnix, Product Manager, StreamGuys. “By unlocking the powerful features of SGcontrol through an open API, our customers now have a powerful development platform to customize their own secure control and management solutions. The self-management option also reduces the manual configuration stages that are often required at the managed service layer.”SGcontrol simplifies media enterprises’ control of how audiences access their content, enabling broadcasters and content providers to improve their market-based monetization initiatives. Applications include geo-targeting by audience location to deliver appropriate regionalized stream variants and geo-restriction to block audience members outside defined regions from accessing content. The new API widens the use case spectrum for SGcontrol customers, including several new custom applications by broadcasters in North America and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region:·       Music Streaming Rights: A US-based collective rights management company now uses SGcontrol to automatically redirect consumers to regional streams for more accurate royalty reporting. SGcontrol limits exposure to foreign audiences, eliminating the need to manage regional access in apps and websites while also reducing the overhead of manual reporting.·       Sports Licensing Restrictions: A regional APAC media enterprise used SGcontrol to restrict geographical access to World Cup content. The customer created rules using SGcontrol’s powerful geo-targeting feature for streaming locally licensed content. As Minnix explains, “There is always a limited scope to who can consume the media as the license holder and rebroadcaster. SGcontrol can take an exact broadcast origin point, such as the latitude and longitude of the studio, and use a precise radius as the restriction boundary.”Eduardo Martinez, Vice President of Technology for StreamGuys, emphasizes that SGcontrol’s benefits for regionalization spans far and wide. “Producing relevant content for diverse markets with a strong sense of branding and content cohesion from coast to coast remains a challenge,” he said. “SGcontrol’s targeting ensures that a single stream source can be repurposed across all broadcast markets, with dynamic ad insertions specific to the locale eliminating the headache of producing individual streams.”Tokenized authorization remains a strong use case for SGcontrol, ensuring that a broadcaster’s live streams cannot be pulled into third-party or unwanted streaming platforms. Integration with StreamGuys’ proven SGpasskey functionality locks the stream, requiring a valid encrypted token for access. SGcontrol then makes authorization decisions based on information baked into the token at its time of generation, such as username and expiration time.“Tokenization has become a favored SGcontrol application for owned and operated media companies seeking a robust access restriction solution for their live streams,” said Martinez. “Moving forward, we see the combined power of geographic targeting and SGpasskey serving as the foundation for a new premium service from StreamGuys.” […]

ASIA

Attention Broadcast Sellers and Leaders: Never Be Boring!

Today’s radio, tv, and digital selling environments are more demanding than ever. Success with your most productive clients in 2023 will require enhanced sales and communication skills. Valerie Geller will present a free online training seminar next week for media sales people who want to communicate better to achieve improved results for their companies and their clients.In this session you will learn: 
The 3 mistakes sales people make
How you can communicate more effectively
How to tell YOUR story and help clients tell THEIR Stories 
How to never be boring
Discover communication techniques to engage with clients instantly. Valerie will provide proven tips and techniques to transform your approach into a more powerful communicator, seller, and commercial storyteller in this seminar from Local Broadcast Sales.Valerie Geller works as a broadcast consultant, speaker, seminar and workshop leader, and trainer to help broadcasters move to the next level. Geller has consulted and presented seminars and workshops worldwide and has been named multiple times among the 50 Most Influential Women in Radio by Radio Ink Magazine. She received the Rockwell Award for lifetime achievement and contributions to radio broadcasting. She has written four books, including her latest, Beyond Powerful Radio – A Communicators Guide to the Internet Age.In the Asian time zone, the online seminar is on in the early morning of January 11th.Register here for the free seminar. […]

ASIA

VICE partners Spotify in Southeast Asia with podcast series for Indonesia

VICE Media Group has signed its first content partnership with Spotify in Southeast Asia, producing a series of five Spotify Original Video podcasts that reflect Indonesia’s vibrant and diverse music, youth and cultural scenes.This series of five Spotify Original Video podcasts, created and produced locally by VICE Media’s team in Jakarta, will include three daily and two weekly video podcasts. Hosted by some of the best in the industry, these video podcasts will cover a myriad of today’s hottest topics, such as current and emerging Indonesian musicians, artists and movie stars; the latest music news and trends and a look at what young Indonesians think of their country today and their place in society.The VICE 2022 Indonesia Census shows nearly one in two Indonesians regularly listen to podcasts, with one in three looking for people they trust and admire to curate content for them.  Indonesia ranks in the top ten countries globally for podcast consumption on Spotify as of November 2022.Nilesh Zaveri, managing director, VICE Media Group APAC said: “VICE is trusted by young audiences to cut through the noise to deliver a distinct perspective on today’s music and culture as well as what’s coming next. This exclusive partnership with Spotify represents a significant opportunity to create distinctive video podcast content for Indonesia’s youth, and we look forward to exploring additional opportunities to bring the VICE brand to more audiences, across media platforms, throughout Asia Pacific.” “2022 has been an amazing year of growth for us in Indonesia. We introduced new format innovations such as video podcasts, amongst others to further build upon the podcast ecosystem in Indonesia, whilst also expanding on the podcast experience on Spotify for our creators and users to enjoy,” said Carl Zuzarte, head of studios for Southeast Asia at Spotify. “Also, we’re always on the lookout for top content creators to work with to deliver best-in-class content for our users to enjoy. That is why we’re excited to partner with VICE Media Group to present this stellar slate of five Video podcasts featuring collaborations with Indonesia’s most current and popular cultural creators, artists and musicians.”The VICE Spotify Original Video podcast series will be amplified across VICE’s extensive social and editorial network, which has 10 million monthly unique users in Indonesia and 3.3 million combined followers. More than 86 percent are aged between 16 and 34 with 63 percent living in urban areas with top cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Makassar and Depok.VICE daily Spotify Original Video Podcasts include:

The Daily Fix, hosted by Indonesian hip hop artist, Laze, is a music focused daily quick hit covering the latest music news and updates, with a hint of nostalgic moments from Indonesian music that can’t be missed.

WTF (Wow Ternyata Faktual) showcases real life factual stories from VICE’s editorial team, that no matter how seemingly absurd, are all true. The series is hosted by influencer, singer and model, Sailormoney.

Sound Check, hosted by rapper Basboi, is a daily recommendation of the newest Indonesian artists and bands that are tailored to various topics and moods. No matter your situation, Sound Check has a playlist for it.

VICE’s weekly Spotify Original Video Podcasts include:

Census Nusantara where Indonesia’s youth share what they think about the country they live in and who they are as people. The video podcast is hosted by content creator and singer Fathia Izzati and Raka Ibrahim.

Indo-Pop, hosted by renowned local artist Basboi, this video podcast features artists and prominent figures from Indonesia’s pop culture scene. Indie superstars to movie stars share what inspired their last releases, what their top five albums of all time are, and which artists shaped them. […]

ASIA

Astro Radio’s GEGAR wins the ‘Best In Consumer Satisfaction’ award

Astro Radio’s GEGAR won the ‘Best in Consumer Satisfaction’ award at the MCMC Star Rating Awards 2021, on December 21, 2022 for radio category.MCMC Star Rating Awards were first introduced in 2016, recognising outstanding services provided bytelecommunication companies to consumers as well as to instill a culture of quality excellence and createa healthy competitive environment between the service providers.The winners were chosen based on the important role played by the industry players in providing excellent services through three main sectors including telecommunications, broadcasting and courier industries.The award was presented by YB Fahmi Fadzil, Minister, Communications and Digital, Datuk SeriMohammad Mentek, Secretary General, Communications and Digital and Datuk Mohd Ali HanafiahMohd Yunus, Chief Operating Officer, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.Raja Nadia Raja Hisham, Content Manager, GEGAR, who received the award for the brand’s outstanding achievement in consumer satisfaction said: “We thank all Malaysians for their support and look forward tocontinue pioneering the best services in the local radio landscape, especially to our listeners in the EastCoast Malaysia.” […]